Saint Leo’s 2024 Celebration of Academic Excellence Honors Undergraduates
Students recognized for their academic leadership, experiential learning, excellence in scholarship, and more during annual event.
Saint Leo University takes time each year to celebrate student achievement, and on April 4, the Celebration of Academic Excellence recognized undergraduate students for their artistic and intellectual work.
The class schedule at University Campus was modified for the day so that the afternoon could be spent highlighting students’ works, which they presented orally or via posters, and were judged by faculty panels. In addition, students’ artwork was on display and the student musicians and vocalists performed.
A highlight of the day was the awards ceremony, which was held at the end of the day.
Awards from different categories were presented to students from the university’s four colleges. Additionally, the Clara McDonald Olson Scholastic Excellence Award was presented to a student based on grade point average among students who attended University Campus for four years.
Here are the award winners from the four colleges:
COLLEGE OF ARTS, SCIENCES, and ALLIED SERVICES
Excellence in Academic Leadership Award: Paul Vitaliti, presented by Dr. Chantelle MacPhee
Excellence in Scholarship Award: Gregory Connelly, presented by Dr. Sergiy Borysov
Excellence in Experiential Learning Award: LuisAngel Godinez, presented by Dr. Laura Altfeld
Dean’s Award for Excellence: Kristina Arwady, presented by Dr. Heather Parker
DONALD R. TAPIA COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
Excellence in Academic Leadership Award: Delaney Gilchrist, presented by Dr. Stephen Baglione
Excellence in Scholarship Award: James (J.Paul) Schellenberg, presented by Dr. Tonya Mazur
Excellence in Experiential Learning Award: Tayhana Taylor, presented by Dr. Daniel Tschopp
Dean’s Award for Excellence: Tayhana Taylor, presented by Dr. Zachary Smith
COLLEGE OF COMPUTING, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, ROBOTICS, AND DATA SCIENCE (CARDS)
Excellence in Academic Leadership Award: Tomas Ossa, presented by Dr. Monika Kiss
Excellence in Experiential Learning: Stephen Moran, presented by Dr. Monika Kiss
Dean’s Award for Excellence: Tomas Ossa, presented by Dr. Vyas Krishnan
COLLEGE OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS
Excellence in Experiential Learning: Martina Encomienda, presented by Dr. Kathleen Van Eerden
Dean’s Award for Excellence: Kara Pinder, presented by Dr. Kathleen Van Eerden
Other awards included:
Club/Organization with Highest GPA: Psi Chi, The International Honor Society in Psychology, Presented by Dr. Jen Shaw
CLARA MCDONALD OLSON SCHOLASTIC EXCELLENCE AWARD: Yamaris Ortiz-Santiago, presented by Dr. Susan Kinsella vice president of Academic Affairs
