
Senior Honors and Awards
College of Arts and Sciences
Congratulations to all of our Outstanding 2022 Seniors!
American Studies
The Dian Christensen Award in American Studies
Dian Christensen (February 2, 1968 – April 4, 1991) graduated from Stetson University in 1990 as an American Studies major. She was completing her master’s degree in counseling and applying to graduate programs in American Studies at the time of her death in the spring of 1991. The faculty of the American Studies Department established this award to honor her memory and to extend her influence to the generations of students she had hoped to teach.
Recipient: D'Angelo Brown
For his good work in the classroom as a double major in American studies and political science, with a community engagement minor; for his eagerness to understand “structural forces to help “counter the inequality that permeates our society”; and for his upcoming service as an intern in Washington, DC, with the International Fund for American Studies, the American Studies Program is proud to celebrate the mind and heart of D’Angelo Brown with the 2022 Dian Christensen Award.
Outstanding Student in American Studies
- Recipient: Emma Kandzer
Biology
Dorothy L. Fuller Award
The Dorothy L. Fuller Award is named for a longtime faculty member and former chair of the Biology Department who was also an outstanding teacher. It is awarded annually to the most overall outstanding senior.
Recipient: Laura E. Jones
Outstanding Seniors
Chemistry
American Institute of Chemists Foundation Outstanding Senior Award
The award is sponsored by the American Institute of Chemists Foundation and is awarded to the outstanding senior majoring in Biochemistry or Chemistry.
Recipient: Savannah Rheingold
Outstanding Seniors
Communication and Media Studies
The Michael McFarland Award for Outstanding Senior in Communication and Media Studies
The Michael McFarland Award for Outstanding Senior in Communication and Media Studies is named for Dr. Michael McFarland, who founded the Communication and Media Studies program when he began his long career at the university in 1988. The award recognizes a graduating senior, selected by the department faculty, who is outstanding in academics and who uses communication to contribute to the community, be it in the department, the University, or the world beyond Stetson.
Recipient: Isabel Solorzano
Outstanding Seniors
Creative Arts, Art, Art History, Digital Arts, Theatre
Louis and Elsie Freund Young Artist Award
Louis Freund, artist-in-residence and Stetson Art Department Chair from 1949-1959, and his wife Elsie, an artist, art teacher, and founding member along with her husband of the Florida Craftsmen organization, wanted to leave a legacy to Stetson that would impact the lives of promising young artists. Before their deaths (his in 1999 and hers in 2001) they had left word of their intentions, and following their deaths a special endowment was established which has resulted in this special award in their honor, first presented in the spring of 2004. The award-winning work becomes part of the University’s permanent art collection.
Recipient: Carol Makky
Ed Hamill Award to Outstanding Senior
In late 1979, Edwin N. Hamill, a significant donor of artwork to Stetson University, desired to establish an annual scholarship-based award to be presented to an outstanding senior art major. At the time, it was the first award of its kind for the department, and in the fall of 1980 the first award was presented.
Recipient: Jade Ammones
Marjorie Forster Gilbert Award
The Marjorie Forster Gilbert Award for Outstanding Student Performer recognizes a Theatre Arts major who has demonstrated excellence as an actor or director in theatre production. Mrs. Marjorie Gilbert was a professor at Stetson from 1969 until her retirement in 1989. She was dedicated to drawing the best from her students, both in the classroom and on the stage, and her immense contribution to the department over the years is commemorated with this award.
Recipient: Shanellie Figueroa and Liza Tananbaum
Outstanding Seniors
- Carol Makky (Arts)
- Reed Barkowitz (Theatre Arts)
- Jade Ammones (Art History)
- Jamie Conner (Digital Arts)
- Grace McEllroy (Digital Arts)
Economics
Outstanding Student in Economics
This award is presented to the top student in Economics based on his or her coursework, with an emphasis on the student’s senior research.
Recipient: Cynthia Brea
Outstanding Senior
Education
Ray V. Sowers Elementary Education Award
This award recognizes the most outstanding graduate in Elementary Education.
Recipient: Gretchen Nerber
Outstanding Seniors
English
Byron H. Gibson Award
The Byron H. Gibson Award, named for a former long-time chair of the English Department, was established by Dr. Gibson’s son and former students, and it is the most prestigious honor bestowed by the Department. It is presented annually to a student whose outstanding scholarly work in the classroom is complemented by other, also outstanding contributions to the Department and the University.
Recipient: Calista Headrick
Outstanding Seniors
Environmental Science and Studies
Outstanding Seniors
Gender Studies
Outstanding Senior in Gender Studies
This award recognizes the academic excellence and the overall contribution of a graduating senior, minoring in Gender Studies, to the mission of the program.
Recipient: Kadhapriya Lindo
Health Sciences
Health Sciences Scholarship and Service Award
The Health Sciences Scholarship and Service Award is presented to Health Sciences seniors who have demonstrated outstanding academic performance and research skills and commendable service to the Department of Health Sciences, Stetson University, and the DeLand community.
Recipients: Royce Newman and Lindsey Turmelle
Outstanding Seniors
History
Gilbert L. Lycan History Award
Gilbert Lycan, PhD, was a popular and well-respected History professor at Stetson University from the ’50s through the ’70s. He also wrote the first history of the University. An award was established in his name to honor the outstanding seniors every year within the Department of History.
Recipients: Alyssa Louk and Trenten T. Ward
Outstanding Seniors
Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science
Outstanding Seniors
- Joshua Laka (Applied Mathematics)
- Jonathan Lamoureux (Cybersecurity)
- Joseph Mathison (Computer Science)
- Yousef Mujahid (Computer Science)
- Trinity Sellers (Mathematics)
Philosophy
Ronald L. and Margaret Smith Hall Philosophy Award
The Ronald L. and Margaret Smith Hall Philosophy Award is given to honor the most outstanding graduating senior in the Department of Philosophy.
Recipient: Kadhapriya Lindo
Outstanding Seniors
Physics
The Jack Gibson Endowed Physics Research Award
The Jack Gibson Endowed Physics Research Award was established in 2008 by Physics alumnus Jack Gibson, Stetson class of 1956 to “acknowledge the outstanding senior in the Physics Research and in so doing, honor the memory of George L. Jenkins, PhD, a former chair of the Physics Department. Jenkins was a gifted educator and mentor whose guidance helped shape the life and career of Mr. Gibson and so many of Jenkins’ students. Presented annually, it goes to the student who demonstrates excellence in the entire senior project sequence.
Recipient: Justin Piel
Political Science, Public Management, International Studies
William Amory Underhill Award
Named for the late William Amory Underhill, Stetson alumnus, former trustee, and one of the most admired lobbyists in Washington, DC, this award is given annually to the student who has most demonstrated the discipline, integrity, and desire to pursue a successful career in public service and who is most likely to have a positive impact on government.
Recipient: Madelyn Wiseman
Outstanding Seniors
Psychology
The Psychology Department Award for Excellence in Research
The award is presented each year to the student who has completed the most outstanding psychological research project.
Recipient: Morgan Lipkin
Outstanding Seniors
Public Health
Outstanding Seniors
Religious Studies
Outstanding Student in Religious Studies
Russian, Eastern European and Eurasian Studies
Sergei Zenkovsky Prize in Russian Studies
Stetson University acquired its first specialist in Russian Studies with Serge A. Zenkovsky, who was born in Kyiv, studied in Prague, and taught at Indiana and Harvard Universities. His wife, Betty Jean, began the Russian Language program at Stetson. By an agreement in the early 1960s of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida, Stetson University has designated the member institution that would focus on the study of the Russian area, and the Russian Studies Program was born. The Serge A. Zenkovsky Award is reserved for the top student of the Russian language and culture.
Recipient: Jonah Helwig
Social Science
Recipient: Kristyn Mackenzie Shaw
Sociology
Outstanding Seniors