Awards honor academic excellence

photo by Amy Babin

Jeanne Flora, assistant professor of speech communication, awarded Audrey Butcher, the first student to graduate from the University of La Verne with a degree in speech communication, for academic excellence Saturday at the Academic Awards Ceremony in Founders Auditorium. Butcher hopes to do graduate work in speech pathology.

by Janah Valenzuela
Staff Writer

Outstanding students, their parents and University of La Verne faculty packed Founders Auditorium Saturday for the annual academic awards ceremony.

The event honors top students from each department or program for academic achievement throughout the school year.

And while the awards focus on academic excellence in the specific disciplines, the ceremony had the feeling of a celebration of these top students for their overall accomplishments and contribution to the community in and outside of the classroom.

Some faculty presenters gushed in their short speeches honoring the students, often thanking them for mutual lessons learned.

In addition to awards in the various subjects and disciplines, Bailey Smith, director of the Learning Enhancement Center honored Payam Parchamazad as Tutor of the Year, and Andrea Labinger, professor of Spanish honored Anahit Shiroyan and Julia Marr for their accomplishments.

New at the ceremony this year was an award from the recently established Speech Communication Department.

Department Chairwoman Jeanne Flora gave the award to Speech Communication Major Audrey Butcher, who will be the first major to graduate from the department.

Flora said Butcher has been a great mentor and advocate to other majors and minors in the fledgling department.

Butcher "maintained a strong GPA and always offered quality contributions to class discussions," Flora said.

Flora said she remembers how excited Butcher was when the new major became available.

"Audrey came to my office and said, 'I've been waiting for a major like this at La Verne,'" Flora said.

"It's satisfying to know that we're meeting the needs and desires of students with similar interests as Audrey," she said.

Such expressions of mutual appreciation summed up the tone of the ceremony, where some faculty and students exchanged hugs. Some students introduced parents to their favorite instructors, and even a few tears of joy and pride were shed.

Undoubtedly heightening the sentiment and feelings of a job well done, the nearly three-hour event was hosted by John Gingrich, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, who is stepping down after 16 years in the position.

Academic Award Recipients 2003

Accounting: Cejay Jelmer, Jennifer Lafkas, Jasmine Robinson, Kevin Burns

Anthropology: Gerlaine Kiamco, Rick Lopez

Art History: Amy Wolf, Lianna Capasso

Athletic Training: Adriana Ramirez, Kira Au

Behavioral Science: Amber Clayton, Emily Hofer

Biology: Danny Ramirez, Amanda Holthouse

Broadcasting: Vania Joseph, Nathan Baca

Business Administration: Derrick DeBruyne, Jasmine Robinson, Patricia Duke, Cassandra Cassaro

Chemistry: Gregory Andonian, Megan Moffit

Child Development: Katherine Pearson, Amanda Honeyman

Communications: Amanda Stutevoss, Agustin Avalos

Computer Science: Nguyen Phu Son, Patrick Brady

Computer Science/ Computer Engineering: Brian Santos, Anna Maestrado

Criminology: Mila Hustion-Warren, Raquel Delgado

Design Art: Gloria Arellano

E-Commerce: Amber Leffall, John Barnes

Economics: Megan Crawford, Christopher Jones

English: John Attwood, Melissa Daniels

English as a Second Language: Misa Kitagawa

Environmental Sciences (Biology): Adam (Joseph) Wacherpfennig, Jennifer Brady

Environmental Sciences (Management): Stephanie Adams, Benjamin Stevens

Environmental Sciences (Natural History): Thomas Hatch, Jarred Shell

French: Dorothy Enriquez, Silvia Hurtado

History: Russel Levine, Victoria Lopez

International Business and Language: Silvia Hurtado, Joshua Horwitz

Journalism: Jaclyn Roco, Alexis Lahr

Legal Studies: Anahit Shiroyan, Lusine Vartanova

Liberal Studies: Erika Rodriguez, Dawn Gliniak

Marketing: Julia Marr, Brandon Johnson

Mathematics: Wanda Groppi

Movement and Sports Science: Adriana Ramirez, Robert Leark

Music: Dayita Datta, J. Michael O'Neal

Organizational Management: Tanis Nelson, Sharon Acosta

Photography: Lianna Capasso, Jennifer Contreras

Physics: Jared Landaker

Political Science: Charles Campell, Reza Sabahi

Psychology: Kimberly Rademaker, Karla Flamenco

Public Administration: Crystal Marks

Religion: Noelle Andel

Social Science: Elizabeth Ramos, Erik Mullen

Sociology: Susan Campana, Rayshell Chambers

Speech Communication: Audrey Butcher

Studio Art: Jessica Lord, Mabel Martinez

Theatre Arts: David Rojas, Rebecca Campana

Additional Awards

Carol Fetty Award: Jessica Lord

Honors Program: Anahit Shiroyan, Julia Marr

Tutor of the Year: Payam Parchamazad