Each year, Denison University celebrates the accomplishments of its outstanding seniors. This year, the Student Excellence Award service on Thursday, May 6, highlighted the accomplishments of Denison students with a broad array of achievements, including Distinguished Leaders, International Scholars and Fellows, Phi Beta Kappa members, Provost Academic Award winners, and the President’s Medalists, the college’s highest award for students.

Denison University Adam Weinberg opened the service with remarks, noting “The students we celebrate today transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. In classes and across campus they take on the hard issues and in doing so raise the level of discourse.”

Students were recognized for their contributions and accomplishments across several areas of the college.

Distinguished Leaders

The Distinguished Leader Awards recognize exemplary student leaders who have sustained and shown progressive levels of responsibility and commitment.

Vice President for Student Development Alex Miller recognized these graduating seniors: Elsie G. Bunyan, Hope Cherubini, Megan Cunningham, Max Curtin, Edem Awo Dake, Caeli Davis, Fatimah A. Elghazawi, Maxwell Giarrusso, Fatima Haroon, Sophie H. Hudson, Stephanie Jackson, Gaquise Ganai Jones, Mayank Dev Kumar, Lisette Lopez, Jeremiah J. Mills, Sandra Mondragon-Hernandez, Matt Nowling, Tarma Obeng, Allen Primack, Jacob Rains, Mark M. Reid, Sara Schubert, Abby Scully, Jacob (Coby) Strell, Thomas Mitchell, Heaven M. Wade, Nalani Wean, Margaret Wilson.

Phi Beta Kappa

Phi Beta Kappa, founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary, is the oldest national honor society for the liberal arts and sciences in the nation. Phi Beta Kappa members recognized by the head of Denison’s Phi Beta Kappa Chapter Professor Jordan Fantini:

Class of 2021: Inducted as Juniors last year

Megan R. Jaffy, and Shruti Shankar

Class of 2021

Emily R. Allen, Millicent L. Ball, Meghan A. Callahan, Hope A. Cherubini, Vivian I. Cirilano, Tema A. Cohen, Nina R. Cosdon, Megan E. Cunningham, Maxwell W. Curtin, Edem Dake, Madelyn K. Dirrim, Jacqueline M. Figueroa, Madison K. Gordon, Danielle J. Gutelius, Abby E. Henry, Alexandra N. Herterberg, Elizabeth A. Higley, Brooke A. Holland, Alexandra R. Holmes, Sophie H. Hudson, Lauren M. Kessler, Sophia C. Klitz, Alysia B. Kohrs, Clairine I. Larsen, Greta A. Leissa, Sirui Liu, Galen A. May, Sydney L. Nyquist, Ellen M. Pitstick, Jacob A. Rains, Robert H. Saylor, Sarah A. Schubert, Shraddha Shankar, Rahul Shrestha, Molly C. Smith, Anna E. Stone, Shelby E. Tour, Lam H. Tran, Abigail E. Valentine, Amber D. Wardzala, Isabel M. Wellik, Megan N. Wong, Talia Zeiger, and Jordan A. Zelvin

Class of 2022: Inducted this year as Juniors

Sydney Ludes and Julia M. St. John

Provost Academic Awardees:

The Provost’s Academic Excellence Award recognizes graduating seniors who have exhibited an extraordinary level of intellectual engagement and academic achievement during their time at Denison.

These students were recognized by Provost Kim Coplin: Megan R. Jaffy, Shraddha Shankar, and Rahul Shrestha.

National and International Scholars and Fellows:

National and International Scholarships and Fellowships give our students opportunities to do intensive research and/or teach while exploring other cultures through long-term experiences abroad. These students were recognized by Professor Adam Davis, Director of the Lisska Center:

Alexander Hughes ‘21, Alternate for a Fulbright ETA to Germany; Fatoumata Sow ‘22, Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship; Michael Ball ‘22, Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship & Critical Language Scholarship; Abby Henry ‘21, Colet Fellowship in London, England; Smelanda Jean-Baptiste ‘21 and Sarah Schubert ‘21, Davis Projects for Peace; Amber Wardzala ‘21, Fulbright ETA to Taiwan; Rowan Sharkey ‘21, Princeton in Africa; Sarah Schubert ‘21, Princeton in Latin America; and Khalil Bentley ‘20, Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship.

President’s Medalists

President’s Medals are the highest honor the university can bestow on a student. These students achieve excellence in academics in addition to a combination of the following: service to the community, contribution to the arts, enlargement of the community’s global perspective, athletic fitness and achievement, leadership ability and contribution to community discourse.

Associate Professor and Chair of the Faculty presented these awards to these outstanding seniors: Sara Nizar Abou Rashed, Maxwell Whitehouse Curtin, Madelyn Kay Dirrim, Fatimah AlZahraa Elghazawi, Jacqueline Maricela Figueroa, Jacob Alan Rains, Shruti Shankar, and Megan Nicole Wong.