On Saturday, May 13, 2017, the brothers of Zeta Upsilon Lambda presented their 33rd Annual Academic Awards Program, at Heritage Fellowship Church in Reston, Virginia. This event's purpose is to acknowledge excellence in High School students in obtaining and maintaining 3.0 GPAs and higher, as well as present the winners of the chapter's Joyce Gillespie Harrington Foundation’s scholarships. There were over 200 parents and students in attendance.

Brother Mike Ellison, who was a past recipient of the academic awards program, gave a very riveting and relevant keynote speech this year Bro Ellison recounted his past experiences and feelings of when he was sitting in those same seats a few years prior and led the charge to press forward and excel at all costs.