George Washington University honored students, campus organizations, staff and faculty for their commitment to enhancing the university community at the Excellence in Student Life Awards on Thursday.
Nearly 40 awardees took the stage in Lisner Auditorium to receive their awards at the annual celebration of GW’s core values.
President Steven Knapp addressed the crowd in a video at the start of the program and told the audience that the 300 nominations were “a testament to the breadth and depth of GW’s culture of service.”
“The hundreds of students nominated represent passion, perseverance and an ability to balance life in class with amazing experiences outside the classroom,” said Senior Associate Provost and Dean of Student Affairs Peter Konwerski.
“Through the diverse caliber of the award recipients, we get to witness the skilled scope of student leadership,” he added.
Emcees Will Ellingson, Floyd Jones and Vinisha Patel kept the two-hour show at a pleasant pace, with the assistance of performances by student organizations including Forbidden Planet Productions, the Generic Theatre Company, dance troupe GW Raas and the Voice Gospel Choir.
The program began with the Honey Nashman Spark A Life Award for Faculty Member of the Year given to Susan Swayze, assistant professor of educational research in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development, and the Robert A. Chernak Spark A Life Award for Staff Member of the Year given to Emily Penprase, a coordinator at the Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service.
“I was excited, overwhelmed and pretty touched when they called my name,” Ms. Penprase said.
The Baer Award for Individual Excellence, was given to Elizabeth Kennedy, Christopher Kim, JJ Minder, Lauren Shenfeld and outgoing Student Association President Ashwin Narla.
Following those awards, Katherine Pena received the Class of 2005 9/11 Memorial Scholarship.
Mr. Ellingson, Mr. Jones and Ms. Patel took the stage for an exercise-themed skit, where they “Zumba’d for Zambetti,” a reference to the Mark A. Zambetti Award given to an outstanding member of Campus Recreation and GW intramural sports. Brandon Lawrence, a member of GW’s table tennis team, was the recipient.
Up next was the Graduate Award for Individual Excellence given to Karen Chew and the Outstanding Student Service Award for a group given to Puentes GW, a multicultural service organization.
Senior Karissa Broderick-Beck received the Outstanding Student Service Award for an individual.
“I hope that this inspires other people to serve in whatever capacity they can,” said Ms. Broderick-Beck who cited her Freshman Day of Service experience as a direct influence on her continued service.
“I don’t think service has to be voluntary service hours at a soup kitchen, it can be whatever your find yourself passionate about and using that to make your community better,” she said.
The GW chapter of leadership training nonprofit AIESEC took home the Walter G. Bryte, Jr. Achievement Award, Ty Miranda was the recipient of the Mount Vernon Award, and Tyler Calder received the Class of 2009 University Pride Award.
Jennifer Fox, Alyaa Haidari, Felisa Wei Hsieh, Stella Ju and Todd Morrill were each awarded the Joint Committee of Faculty and Students Scholarship for Undergraduate Student Leadership Development, which gives $3,000 in funding to deserving students for university-related costs.
The Greek community was well represented by Pi Kappa Alpha's Ben Klein, who was named Greek Man of the Year and Alpha Delta Pi's Lauren Shenfeld, who was named Greek Woman of the Year.
Additionally, Sigma Psi Zeta Sorority Inc., Chi Omega and Pi Kappa Phi were named the Greek Chapters of the Year.
Justin Lingenfelter, a student library assistant at Eckles Library received the Student Employee of the Year award, and the Gallery 102 committee was the recipient of the Learning Through Action Award.
Michael Tapscott, director of Multicultural Student Services Center, awarded the Excellence in Diversity Award to sorority Sigma Psi Zeta Sorority Inc., and the Indian Student Association.
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Award was given to Sara Hillware, Aly Azhar, Saira Thadani and Peter Sacco, who also took home the House Staff Member of the Year award.
Ms. Hillware, Mr. Azhar, Mr. Sacco and Ms. Thadani took an oath on stage in honor of the award given to students that exemplify Dr. King’s legacy. Mr. Tapscott administered the oath, noting that 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.
Mr. Azhar was called to the stage in the midst of celebrating for his second accolade, the GW Hall of Fame Award, which was also given to Danny Hajjar, Nupur Moondra, Adam Murphy and Trevor Rockhill.
“This is my favorite event of the year,” said senior Mr. Azhar, who has been a member of the planning committee since his freshman year.
“I think it’s very important to recognize the hard work and dedication that faculty, staff and students put into student life here at GW,” he added.
Following the MLK award senior Shirley Hsieh took home the Manatt-Trachtenberg Award for her dedication to socially conscious leadership on campus.
GW Raas, who also performed during the program, won the Students’ Choice for Performance Group of the Year.
The evening ended with the Pyramid Award for Student Organization of the Year recipients: Alpha Phi Omega, the South Asian Society and WRGW District Radio.
The cheering audience doled out congratulations to the triumphant winners and enjoyed a dessert reception at Kogan Plaza immediately following the ceremony.
The Excellence in Student Life Awards have been a tradition at the university since 1985 and are planned and decided by a diverse committee of students, faculty and staff.
The 23 awards are given out by nine campus organizations: the Center for Student Engagement, the Joint Committee for Faculty and Students Scholarship, the Multicultural Student Services Center, Alumni Relations, the Career Center, the Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service, Campus Recreation, the Division of Student Affairs and the Residence Hall Association.