The restrictions on in-person gatherings precluded the pomp and circumstance of the annual Academic Achievement Awards at Mechanics Hall this year. But excellence is still being celebrated with a special website noting the many end-of-year accolades given to Worcester State students. Several university-wide awards, the George I. Alden Excellence in Teaching Awards, as well as top students from each academic department are highlighted on the pages.
“Hard-working, motivated, and intelligent–these are the qualities that define our academic achievement awardees,” writes President Barry M. Maloney in the opening greeting. “To the students, faculty, and donors we celebrate: You are the ones who make Worcester State great.”
Of special note are the Lt. Col. James F. Sheehan ’55, USMC Ret., Academic Excellence Awards, given annually to full-time students with the top G.P.A. in the first-year, sophomore, junior, and senior classes. Winners are: Michaela White ’20, Kaitlyn Olmstead ’21, Gregory Martinez ’22, Gabrielle Decosta ’22, Amanda Pollicelli ’23, and Ciara Cargiulo ’23. Read their complete bios.
Dejour Malik Hollins ’20 won the Ella M. Whitney Award, named for an 1891 graduate of Worcester State University (then known as the Worcester Normal School); Caitlin Lamonda ’20 received the Ellen J. Meyers M.Ed ’88 Memorial Academic Merit Award, given to an undergraduate student achiever with disabilities who has also been actively engaged on campus or in their community; and Mariela Gjylapi ’20 received the John F. Eager Continuing Education Excellence Award, given to the undergraduate evening program senior who has the highest overall G.P.A.
This year’s winners of the George I. Alden Excellence in Teaching Awards are Dr. Jennifer Hood-DeGrenier, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, School of Education, Health, and Natural Sciences; and Christina Santana, Ph.D., assistant professor of English, School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Awards given to the top student in each department or program are sponsored by donors to the Worcester State Foundation.
Visit the website for a complete list of award winners and their backgrounds.
In the photo: Sheehan Award Winners, clockwise from top left: Amanda Pollicelli ’23, Michaela White ’20, Gregory Martinez ’22, Ciara Cargiulo ’23, Kaitlyn Olmstead ’21, and Gabrielle Decosta ’22.
Achievers
Palmacci Lands Community Engagement Graduate Fellowship
Education and English double major Sophia Palmacci '20 will be a graduate fellow at Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation as part of her work toward a Master of Education in Community . . .