The 32nd annual Excellence in Student Life Awards were held Wednesday night in Lisner Auditorium honoring students, student organizations, faculty and staff with 23 awards for their contributions to the University.
Outgoing Student Association President Erika Feinman and Executive Vice President Thomas Falcigno hosted the event. The ceremony is held annually to highlight the achievements of faculty, staff and students on campus.
University President Steven Knapp spoke at the beginning of the ceremony and discussed the challenges of forming a campus community at GW.
“I can’t imagine a more exciting place to have an undergraduate or graduate professional experience than our great nation’s capital,” he said. “But if we’re going to build a strong community, we need to be very intentional and very deliberate in how we build the opportunity for students to have great experiences while they’re here on campus.”
The Feminist Student Union, GW Women in Business and GW Dance Marathon won the Pyramid Award for Student Organization of the Year for their efforts to increase representation and diversity in student life on campus.
“These organizations show us on a daily basis what excellence is by motivating and organizing their fellow students to enhance campus life,” Vice Provost and Dean of Student Affairs Peter Konwerski said about the winning groups.
Six student organizations performed live at the ceremony. A cappella group The GW Vibes was voted Student’s Choice Performance Group of the Year in an online poll for their rendition of “Awake My Soul” by Mumford & Sons.
“Each group brings a unique set of talents to our community and I sincerely hope that you’ve had the chance to see a production, a concert or a show from these talented organizations,” David Marquis, program coordinator for student organizations in the CSE, said.
Other winners on Wednesday night included:
Honey Nashman Spark a Life Award for Faculty Member : Samuel Goldman, assistant professor of political science
Robert A. Chernak Spark A Life Award for Staff Member: Renee Kashawlic, assistant director for the first year experience in the Center for Student Engagement.
Baer Awards for Individual Excellence: Kate Bell, Austin Hansen, Iman Lee, Kalpana Vissa, Anna Wadhwani
Joint Committee of Faculty & Students’ Scholarships for Undergraduate Student Leadership Development: Carolina Fuentes, Laura Gomez Cadena, Samantha Lumpkin, Desiree Perez, Maria Silva, Priyanka Walimbe
Manatt-Trachtenberg Prize: Kayla Williams
Marc A. Zambetti Award: Stephanie Ishoo
Learning Through Action: International Affairs Society
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards: Thomas Falcigno, Abeke Teyibo, Kayla Williams, Carlo Wood
Excellence in Diversity: South Asian Society
Class of 2009 University Pride Award: Jocelyn Lobos
Class of 2005 9/11 Memorial Scholarship: Liliana Luevano
GW Wall of Fame: Thomas Falcigno, Christina Giordano, Gabriella Madrid, Harry Knabe, Anne Scammon
Resident Advisor of the Year: Olivia Garcia
Greek Members of the Year – Interfraternity Council: Brandon Capece; Multicultural Greek Council: Clare Lewis; Panhellenic Association: Nisha Meyer
Greek Chapters of the Year – IFC: Beta Theta Pi; MGC: Sigma Psi Zeta; Panhel: Alpha Delta Pi
Mount Vernon Award: Dinal Jayasekera
Graduate Award for Individual Excellence : Tyler Wu
Student Employee of the Year Awards: Morgan Kurtz, Alexandra Rosenberg
Outstanding Service Awards: GW Alternative Breaks, Lydia Johnson
Student Organization Officer of the Year: Madelaine Daly
