SCHUYLKILL HAVEN, Pa. – On Tuesday, April 21, Penn State Schuylkill celebrated students in its Honors Program. More than 80 students were recognized for their participation in the campus’s Honors Program, and seven graduating seniors earned their honors cords. Then, on Friday, April 24, Penn State Schuylkill awarded students for outstanding scholarship in several degree program and academic areas during a virtual awards ceremony.
Honors Program Awards
Honors Participation Certificate
- James Abicunas
- Emily Alarcon
- Caitlyn Albitz
- Alexis Bowser
- Alexis Breslin
- Sierra Brossman
- Caitlyn Burke
- Briana Butler
- Stephen Byron
- Almadelia Cardona
- Yuxuan Cai
- Brendan Dotter
- Cierrah Ford
- Joshua Gantz
- Christina Gerlott
- Julia Hahn
- Bethany Hollenbush
- Catherine Holm
- Tava Horning
- Seth Hubler
- Benjamin Hulbert
- Abigayle Kaiser
- Michael Klembara
- Tianna Klinger
- Kristina McConnell
- Ian McGowan
- Stephen Mellon
- Jeremy Morales
- Vraj Patel
- Hanna Motley
- Matthew Panaro
- Melissa Ramirez
- Suffian Siddiqui
- Branden Snider
- Kerilynne Spiess
- Shania Thomas
- Morgan Updegrove
- Dominque Varra
- Zilong Wang
- Logan Yoder
- Gabriella Zias
- Emily Ziegler
First Year Certificate
- Dean Amato
- Raquele Amato
- Sophia Bates
- Carol Cull
- Shannon Domermuth
- Sean Duffy
- Corinne Ellis
- Gabriel Fleming
- Richard Harper
- Amanda Hichez
- Sunnie Jones
- Maverick Kramer
- Morgan Lusch
- Dylan Miller
- Quinten Moslak
- Grace Muench
- Joahlana Najunas
- Dylan Reber
- Colleen Reed
- Kiana Rivera
- Amber Rupp
- Stephen Shalamanda
- Eric Showers
- Taylor Staller
- Justin Stringer
- Madison Throne
- Haley Tidmore
- Cassandra Ward
Second Year Certificate
- Corinne Ellis
- Michael Fleming
- Richard Harper
- Lexi Johns
- Sunnie Jones
- Saige Lowe
- Brittany McCormick
- Adam Moyer
- Bria Nickerson
- Michael Russell
- Jian Sun
- Courtney Weikel
Third Year Certificate
- Steven Arthur
- Michael Fleming
- Jennifer Vilayhong
Fourth Year Certificate
- Eric Thompson
2019-20 Honors Cord recipients
- Raquele Amato
- Steven Arthur
- Michael Fleming
- Catherine Holm
- Bria Nickerson
- Eric Thompson
- Jennifer Vilayhong
2019-20 Honors Program graduating students
- Raquele Amato
- Steven Arthur
- Michael Fleming
- Catherine Holm
- Abigayle Kaiser
- Brittany McCormick
- Bria Nickerson
- Stephen Shalamanda
- Eric Thompson
- Jennifer Vilayhong
- Gabriella Zias
Academic Program Awards
The President’s Freshman Award
This award is presented annually to undergraduate degree candidates and provisional students who have earned a 4.0 (A) cumulative grade-point average based on at least 12 graded Penn State credits completed by the end of the fall semester of the academic year the award is given. Candidates are eligible for this award if they have not exceeded 35 total credits earned. (CEEB advanced placement credits are not counted in the total credits earned for purposes of this award.)
- Amber Boger
- Kelsi Curtis
- Chloe Demansky
- Reese Erbe
- Gabriel Fleming
- Bethany Haag
- Amanda Hichez
- Tava Horning
- Caitlin Kimmel
- Maverick Kramer
- Evan Lecher
- Samantha Palacz
- Kamryn Schaeffer
- Eric Showers
- Elise Stine
- Haley Tidmore
- Isabel Turner
- Allison Wood
The President’s Sparks Award
This award is presented annually to those undergraduate degree candidates who have earned a 4.0 (A) cumulative grade-point average based on at least 36 graded Penn State credits completed by the end of the fall semester of the academic year the award is given. Candidates are eligible for this award if they have not exceeded 59 total credits earned. (CEEB advanced placement credits are not counted in the total credits earned for purposes of this award.)
- Megan Bowers
- Lexi Johns
- Michael Russell
- Mariah Sands
- Alex Witmer
- Logan Yoder
The Evan Pugh Scholar Award
The Evan Pugh Scholars are those juniors and seniors who are in the upper 0.5 percent of their respective classes and have completed at least 48 graded Penn State credits at the end of the fall semester of the academic year the award is given. Candidates are eligible if they have been full-time undergraduate students for at least four semesters prior to selection.
- Debra Terraciano - Junior
- Najé James - Senior
- Tara Laubenstine – Senior
Associate Degree in Business Award
This award is presented to the graduating student who has best excelled in the associate degree program in Business Administration at Penn State Schuylkill and, in the opinion of the Business faculty, is deserving of the award.
Kassandra Kuperavage
Administration of Justice Award
This award is presented to an outstanding student who has considerable potential for success in the criminal justice field.
Bria Nickerson
Bachelor Degree in Business Award
This award is presented to the graduating student who has best excelled in the bachelor’s degree program in Business at Penn State Schuylkill and, in the opinion of the Business faculty, is deserving of the award.
Tara Laubenstine
Biology Award
The Biology Award is presented to a student at the sophomore level or higher who, in the opinion of the Biology faculty, shows strong promise in the biological field. To be eligible to receive this award, the student must have taken Biology 110 and one of the following courses: Biology 220W, Biology 230W, Biology 240W, or Microbiology 201.
Ben Hulbert
Chemistry Award
This award is presented to the sophomore who has done outstanding academic work in chemistry and has demonstrated a superior understanding of the field. The recipient must have completed Chem 212 and Chem 213, or be enrolled in these courses at the time of her/his nomination.
Michael Russell
Communication Research Award
The Communication Research Award recognizes high-quality undergraduate student research in the communication discipline. This award is given to a student who has presented original research at a state, regional, or national communication conference. The award winner will be decided by the communication faculty based on quality of research and writing, as well as paper ranking at the conference. This award may be given to any eligible student, regardless of major.
Corinne Ellis, Adam Moyer, Paige Waddell, and Courtney Weikel
Corporate Communication Award
This award recognizes outstanding scholarship in communication. To qualify, a student must be a Corporate Communication major who has completed at least 60 total credits (12 in communication coursework) and achieved an overall grade-point average of at least 3.0. The student should also demonstrate exemplary work in the field of communication. Items that may be considered include cumulative G.P.A., honors coursework, participation in research, conference presentations, outstanding internship performance, and service related to the field.
Raquele Amato
Humanities Award
This award recognizes outstanding ability in the Humanities. To qualify, students must have taken at least three courses in Humanities at the Schuylkill campus. Extracurricular activities related to the Humanities may be considered in selection, but these are not prerequisites for receiving the award.
Norman Stabler
Best Student Paper in the Humanities Award
This award recognizes outstanding writing and scholarship in papers written for a course in Humanities at the Schuylkill campus. The papers should demonstrate the application of skills appropriate to the discipline or interdisciplinary field; a high level of original, critical thinking; an imaginative use of language; and the ability to write in a compelling manner.
Richard Harper
Mathematics Award
This award is presented to the student who has best demonstrated a comprehension of mathematics in sufficient depth to promise success in further study. The recipient of this award is chosen by the mathematics faculty on the basis of the student’s performance in the courses in mathematical and differential equations, the majority of which must have been taken at the Schuylkill campus.
Cory Cunningham
Physics Award
This award is presented to the student who has completed Physics 211, 212 and either 213 or 214. The recipient of this award shall have demonstrated a superior knowledge of the fundamental principles of physics.
Logan Yoder
Psychology Academic Award
The Psychology Academic Award is given to an upper-division psychology major who shows exceptional promise and outstanding scholarship in the field of psychology. The winner should maintain an overall G.P.A. of at least 3.30, and with grades of A in at least three advanced psychology courses. The student should also demonstrate special interest and initiative in the field of psychology by taking honors courses, participating in research teams, presenting at student conferences, or serving in clubs or committees within the Penn State Schuylkill community.
Steven Arthur
Psychology Research Award
The Psychology Research Award is given to a student who has presented original research at a regional or national psychology conference, with the award winner decided by the Psychology Program faculty.
Samantha Wise
Sociology Award
This award is given to a student for outstanding scholarship in sociology and for exhibiting a commitment to using sociological knowledge. The student must have an overall G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher, grades of B or higher on all sociology and behavioral sciences courses that are recorded on the student’s Penn State transcript, and a demonstrated ability to use sociological knowledge in creative ways to help solve social problems.
Evan Gerhard
Tutor Award
The Tutor Award is given to the student tutor who, in the opinion of the director of the Academic Resource Center and the professional tutors, with input from the entire ARC professional staff, exemplifies the characteristics of a model student and peer tutor. S/he should be regarded as such by other tutors and tutees. The awardee also displays an exceptional ability to provide academic assistance to other students, while recognizing and adhering to the high standards of integrity, fairness, commitment, respect for others, and professionalism that this position demands (as outlined in the College Reading and Learning Association’s Code of Ethics). Finally, the awardee will have completed all mandatory training, maintained the required academic standing, and served as a peer tutor for a minimum of two semesters.
Matthew Williams
Tutor Certificates of Appreciation
- Lauren Faust
- Michael Fleming
- Abbie Kaiser
- Tara Laubenstine
- Bria Nickerson
- Steve Shalamanda
- Jian Sun
- Eric Thompson
- Dominique Varra
- Paige Waddell