Undergraduate scholars honored in April convocation

More than 525 juniors and seniors were recognized for academic achievement at Lehigh’s Honors Convocation, which was held on April 5. The students recognized during the late afternoon ceremony in Baker Hall achieved a GPA of 3.6 or higher and earned distinctions in other academic areas.
Lehigh President Alice P. Gast told the students and their parents that the young scholars honored that day had come to Lehigh full of promise and potential and “truly made the most of those gifts” through hard work, dedication and persistence.
“We salute you, our honor students, for your achievements,” Gast said. “And we acknowledge what you mean to the life of this university. You are leading in clubs and living groups, and in service to the community. You are running organizations and starting new businesses. You are active, engaged, responsible citizens. You are true leaders. We are very proud of you.”
Provost Pat Farrell said that students honored at the ceremony did not come to Lehigh to blend in—“you came to stand out.”
These students, he said, “are a testament to our university’s mission of preparing young women and men for the challenges of the 21st century. The world is changing by the day, and higher education is changing right along with it. But Lehigh’s nearly 150-year commitment to providing an exceptional educational experience remains not only relevant, but essential. We are the stewards, building on the rock-solid foundation laid by Asa Packer.”
Setting the stage for a lifetime of effecting change

Donald Hall, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said that the common thread running through the students’ academic achievements is that they made the most of their education.
“You’ve found that your education has been more than well-written papers and high test scores,” he said. “You are aware that often the greatest personal and academic growth occurs outside the classroom, be it in faculty offices, in the lab, or on the stage. Regardless of the personal history, this evolution sets the stage for a lifetime of effecting change.”
He introduced Courtney Weintraub, a dual major in political science and Spanish, and an Eckardt Scholar. Working with Professor Edurne Portela, Weintraub is studying how the youth in the slums of Argentina are finding a voice through outlets such as film to explain their lives and position in society.
Weintraub told the audience and she and fellow students “find ourselves in 2013 at a pivotal point in human history” and that they should engage in meaningful dialogue.
“Now, and especially now, our thoughts are not insignificant if they mean something to us,” she said. “Our conversations have weight. They almost always mean something greater than we intend. We should talk now, because there will never be a better time. We should talk now, when the world as we know it is on the brink of a huge change—while we’ve still got our optimism and our energy.”
Paul R. Brown, dean of the College of Business and Economics, lauded the accomplishments of several students before introducing Alana Opitz who will be graduating in May with a double major in supply chain management and marketing and a minor in social psychology. Opitz, Brown said, has already accepted a consulting position at IBM.
Opitz spoke candidly about her early struggles at Lehigh and the lessons learned as a result.
“Each and every single student in this room works incredibly hard and achieves outstanding grades, but the grade is not the end all, be all,” she said. “You are after something more. Ask yourself what that is. Spread the wings that Lehigh has given you and you will learn more, do more, and be more than you had ever planned for yourself. ”
“The best feeling in the world”

Greg Tonkay, associate dean of the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, introduced Lauren R. Uffelman, a senior chemical engineering major who will work with ExxonMobil following graduation in May.
Uffelman told the audience how she discovered Lehigh almost by accident, and was drawn in by the website iAfter four years here, Uffelman said she learned how to study, how to fail, how to recalibrate expectations and how to motivate herself.
“I’ve learned a lot about myself at my lowest points,” she said. “In the past four years, I’ve had quite a few of those. Times when I’ve been so stressed out, so beaten down, so mentally and physically exhausted that I’ve wanted to quit…to give up, drop out of school, and move back home. Luckily, those moments never last long. You just have to keep pushing and tell yourself, over and over again, it will be worth it.”
After coming to Lehigh unsure of who she was or what she wanted out of life, she said “I stand before you, confident in who I am and what I want to do for quite possibly the rest of my life. I’ve ended up somewhere so certain that you’d think it’s what I’ve wanted all along. I thank Lehigh for that. My academic career, though painful at times, has surpassed my highest expectations. I’m not just an engineering student anymore, I’m an engineer, and being able to say that is the best feeling in the world.”

 

Prizes and Awards

Alpha Pi Mu Prize
Darby Dustman
American Chemical Society Award
Daniel A. Nissley
Bradley M. Richard
American Institute of Chemists Award
Adam J. Kleintop
Taylor D. Standiford
American Society of Civil Engineers Prize
John M. Archibald
Association of Certified Fraud Examiners Award [ACFE]
Sam A. Goldberg
David A. Begelman Endowed Prize in the Department of Management
Alyssa C. Gutjahr

Robert W. Blake Memorial Award 

Alexandria M. Kennedy

Elizabeth A. Phillips
Bethlehem Fabricators Award
William B. O’Boyle
Nelson Leighton Bond Memorial Prize
Briana E. Gardell
Yiru Wang
John B. Carson Prize
Chase M. Slavin
The William H. Chandler Chemistry Prize
Anastasia M. Barros
John L. Barton
Devin T. Bostick
Wai-Tim Chew
Cayla M. Miller
Maxwell B. Watkins
John C. Chen Chemical Engineering Endowed Prize
Kristen M. Becht
Class of 1904 Scholarship Award
Brooke S. Astor
Kenneth M. (Miles) Bailey
Christina A. Cavanaugh
Alexandra Fitzpatrick
Briana E. Gardell
Murphee P. Greeley
Benjamin W. Hotz
Matthew A. Jacobs
Tiffany M. Kuperschmidt
Paul O. Oyefesobi
Christopher J. Sevilla
Jillian K. Sloand
Yiru Wang
Alpha A. Diefenderfer Award
Michael Kerner, Jr.
Dreyfus Portfolio
Harry H. Caruso
Aurie N. Dunlap Prize
Samuel J. Hodges
Eta Kappa Nu Prize
Jonah Kohen
Onoriode N. Ogidi-Ekoko
Joseph C. Gabuzda, Jr. Memorial Award
Stephanie E. Gordon
San Xiu Lee
Kyle R. Miller
Matthew G. Popp
Zachary P. Shepherd
Malcolm J. Gordon, Jr. Physics Prize
Bryan J. Pflueger
Samuel L. Gulden Memorial Award
Logan Riley McNamara
Handwerk Prize
Matthew R. Adams
Danielle C. Gendron
Bill Hardy Memorial Prize
Tony Zhang
George D. Harmon Memorial Award
Anne J. Bracaglia
Tierney E. Gallagher
David Hellekjaer Memorial Award
Guyvensky (Marcus) Dormevil
Donnel Foster Hewett Award
Chase M. Slavin
Robert C. Hicks Prize
Matthew J. Boyer
Harold J. Horn Prize
Ryan P. King
C.C. Hsiung Award
William G. Dearden
Christopher Devulder
Logan R. McNamara
Institute of Internal Auditors Senior Award
Perri D. Brendzel
Institute of Management Accountants Senior Award
Eric M. Goldstein
Richard H. Johnson Economics Prize
William G. Dearden
Carey B. Joynt International Relations Leadership Award
Thomas C. Scott, Jr.
Junior SCM Scholar Award
Cody J. Haupt
Kahn Memorial Award
Matthew R. Adams
Lt. General Fred Kornet, Jr. Award
Daniel K. Bayer
Libraries Student Research Prize
Sophia C. Dent
Bridget M. Joyce
Marketing Achievement Award
Brittany A. Pietrosh
Lauren A. Pietrosh
Marketing Commendation Awards for Class Project/Paper
Benjamin S. Bar-David
Stephanie Lin
Joshira J. Maduro
Tai-Sung (Peter) P. Park
Katherine S. Vargas
Marketing Lambda Mu Sigma Award
Shawn M. Applegate
Molly R. Dulin
Samantha L. Elgort
Samantha L. Krutal
James C. Longstaffe
Julie A. McBrien
Heema C. Patel
Kelly M. Peterson
Meghan K. Piede
Rachel E. Santoro
Randall E. Zellerbach
Mathematics Faculty Award
Gongkai Li
Joseph A. Maurer Classics Prize
Jessica L. Morgan
J. Robert Munford Award
Kimberly E. Baldwin
Elizabeth Major Nevius Award
Michael I. Arak
Michael A. Biancamano
Jared A. Blacker
Seth N. Blumenthal
Jesus Garcia-Lopez
Amanda L. Gosselin
Henry M. Greenfield
Cory A. Kent
Gina E. Mason
Angelica Matos
Eric T. Nalisnick
Jacqueline P. Ogden
Alex P. Orlebeke
Bryan J. Postelnek
Shane J. Ryan
Alyssa M. Siano
John Cyril Osborn Award
Robert J. Hamlin
Amelia K. Labak
Patti T. Ota Women’s Study Award
Rebecca A. Kelley
Sara T. Santos
Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants Prize
Andrew R. Wallstein
Phi Sigma Kappa Scholarship Cup
Alpha Chi Omega
Philadelphia Philanthropic Society for Information Management Foundation
Sarah C. Stonehill
Pi Tau Sigma Prize
Eric D. Curtiss
Allen S. Quier Prize
Thomas I. Pallotti
Col. Edward W. Rosenbaum Award
Wylie G. Borum
Senior SCM Scholar Award
Alana N. Opitz
Francis Shoemaker Award in Science, Technology and Society
John R. Anderson
The Society of Information Management (SIM) Future Leader Award
Julia C. Alhadeff
The Oles M. Smolansky Award for Academic Excellence in International Relations
Hayley A. Rambo
SCM Professor Award
Kathryn J. Sutton
John S. Steckbeck Memorial Award
Fritz S. Kaelber
Bradley Stoughton Student Award
Alexander J. Boys
Joshua C. Cook
Tau Beta Pi Prize
Brandyn W. Bok
Jennifer L. Brown
Elizabeth A. Gross
Kai He
Chaim Kohen
Jonah Kohen
Richard A. Michi
Cayla M. Miller
Nathanael D. Sallada
CBE Tauck Scholar
Jeremy Bailey
Katelyn Cooper
John P. Ciavardelli
Thornburg Mathematics Prize
William G. Dearden
Trustees Scholarship Cup
Warren Square B
Harry M. Ullmann Chemistry Prize
Ghamar Bitar
Liam T. Smith
Geraldo Vasconcellos Thompson International Award
Michael I. Arak
Kirndeep K. Singh
John R. Wagner Award
Eric D. Curtiss
William Whigham, Jr. Memorial Prize
Brandyn W. Bok
Jennifer L. Brown
Elizabeth A. Gross
Kai He
Chaim Kohen
Jonah Kohen
Richard A. Michi
Cayla M. Miller
Nathanael D. Sallada
Elisha P. Wilbur Mathematics Prize
Akshay K. Damany
Chaim Kohen
Marshall R. Nill
Onoriode N. Ogidi-Ekoko
Marc R. Wiener
Elisha P. Wilbur Scholarship Prize
Devin T. Bostick
Eric D. Curtiss
Tenzin Deyang
Briana E. Gardell
Mai Hanoon
Maximilian Kanieski
Nicholas H. Mathison
Meyer A. Merenstein
Anne C. Theurkauf
Jacqueline A. Werner
Theodore B. Wood Prize

Brett K. Barber