Honors Convocation

2024

Honor Student Achievements and Recognize Faculty and Staff Mentors

Honors Convocation took place Tuesday, May 7, at 11 a.m. in Shove Memorial Chapel.

Departmental Awards

Anthropology

Presented by Professor Steven Schwartz

H. Marie Wormington Award

The H. Marie Wormington Award in Anthropology was established in 1979 by Wormington and her husband, George D. Volk, to honor the outstanding graduating senior in anthropology. Wormington, who died in 1994, was a former curator of archaeology at the Denver Museum of Natural History and an adjunct professor at Colorado College. Her own distinguished career was devoted to the Paleo-Indian period of New World prehistory, but it was the couple’s desire to recognize student achievements in the discipline as a whole. The criteria for the Wormington Award are a high academic record, notable aptitude for and accomplishment in field research, leadership, participation in the department’s programs, and dedication to the discipline of anthropology.

Recipient: Cecilia Timberg

Courtney Cusick Memorial Prize

The Courtney Cusick Memorial Prize was created in 2003 in memory of anthropology major Courtney Cusick, who died tragically in an automobile accident in January 2002, in the middle of her senior year. An avid and accomplished naturalist even before entering college, Cusick left her friends, fellow students, and professors impressed with her hunger for knowledge and dedication to serious academic study. The Cusick Prize is awarded for the outstanding senior paper in anthropology.

Recipient: Reeve Schroeder

Art

Presented by Professor Tamara Bentley

Outstanding Senior Capstone in Art Studio

Recipient: Maren Greene

Outstanding Senior Capstone in Design

Recipient: Alexander Tor Madsen

Outstanding Senior Capstone in Museum Studies

Recipient: Benjamin Clark Davenport

Outstanding Senior Capstone in Art History

Recipient: Milo Nevaeh Miller

Mary Chenoweth Award

Mary Chenoweth taught art at Colorado College from 1957 through 1983. She is remembered as a dedicated artist and free spirit whose generosity, enthusiasm, and wit enriched the lives of her students and colleagues. When she retired, members of the Class of 1983 and others established a fund in her honor. Each year, a book is given to the graduating senior art major who best exemplifies Professor Mary Chenoweth’s talent, spirit, and dedication to art.

Recipient: Sienna Grace Busby

Craig Herst Arts Prize Scholar Award

The CHAPS award was established by family and friends in memory of Craig Herst, a member of the Class of 1989. In 1998, Herst died tragically of injuries sustained in a car accident that occurred shortly after his graduation from Colorado College. A gifted artist and sculptor whose work reveals surprising maturity and sophistication, Herst is remembered fondly as a very vibrant, athletic, and personally engaging young man with a promising future in the arts. The Craig Herst Arts Prize Scholar or CHAPS is awarded annually to a junior studio art major who embodies Herst’s passion for the arts and has demonstrated excellence during their career at Colorado College. The prize will support research or creative work, which may well be a part of the recipient’s senior show.

Recipients: Anna Brief, Madeleine Broadhurst, Talia Cardin, Mariana Martin

Edith Kirsch Prize

The Edith Kirsch Prize was established in memory of Edith Kirsch, a scholar of Italian art and professor of art at Colorado College from 1982 to 2004. It is awarded annually to a student for an independent project involving summer travel abroad to study works of art or architecture.

First Place – Mariana Martin

Second Place – Isabella Nevin

Chemistry And Biochemistry

Presented by Professor Annelise Gorensek-Benitez

Otis A. and Margaret T. Barnes Departmental Service Award

This award was established in 1952 by the Otis A. and Margaret T. Barnes Trust, in honor of the chemistry major who, in the judgment of the Chemistry Department faculty, has contributed the most in helping and furthering the departmental program at Colorado College. Eligible students include chemistry and biochemistry majors and minors in their sophomore, junior, or senior year. It includes a one-year membership in the American Chemical Society.

Recipients: Enrique Hernandez Salcido, Callista Tran

First-Year Chemistry Award

This award is given to the first-year student, regardless of major, who is considered to have demonstrated outstanding performance in chemistry during their first year. Students are considered for this award based on a combination of academic achievement, growth, and contributions to a positive class environment over the course of multiple blocks.

Recipients: Mica Hart, Alina Miranda

William C. Champion Prize in Organic Chemistry

Professor Champion (CC 1959-1993) was loved by his colleagues and students for his knowledge of organic chemistry; his compassion as a teacher, advisor, and friend; and his high ethical standards. This award, in his memory, honors the most outstanding students in courses in organic chemistry (any combination of Chemistry 250, 251, 155, 255, 351, and 352) taken during the previous year.

Recipients: Ollie Curtis Beland, Magdalyn Rowley-Lange, Damion Scott

Senior Awards for Academic Achievement

This award is presented to graduating senior biochemistry and chemistry majors. Students are considered for this award on the basis of several criteria including scholastic achievement (GPA) and research accomplishments, as well as growth in either of these areas throughout their time in the department.

Recipients: McKenna Rae Casey, William Henry Gerash, Enrique Hernandez Salcido

ACS Biochemistry or Chemical Biology Award

This award is intended to recognize a graduating senior who displays a significant aptitude for biochemistry or chemical biology, and to encourage further interest in the field. This individual will have demonstrated excellence in a combination of coursework, research, service to the program, and a desire to pursue a career in biochemistry or chemical biology. The award, sponsored by the ACS Division of Biological Chemistry (DBC), includes a certificate, commemorative pin, letter of recognition, and a one-year membership to the DBC.

Recipient: Devlin Swanson

ACS Analytical Chemistry Award

This award goes to a junior who has excelled in analytical chemistry courses and whose plans for a science career promise further work in this field. The award, sponsored by the American Chemical Society analytical division, includes a subscription to the ACS journal Analytical Chemistry.

Recipient: Shianne Freeman

ACS Organic Chemistry Award

This award is intended to recognize a senior student who has displayed a significant aptitude for organic chemistry and to encourage further interest in the field. The award, sponsored by the American Chemical Society organic division, includes a certificate from the division chair, and a one-year membership to the Organic Division of ACS.

Recipient: Enrique Hernandez Salcido

ACS Inorganic Chemistry Award

The award is intended to recognize achievement by undergraduate students in inorganic chemistry and to encourage further study in the field. The student nominee will have demonstrated excellence in inorganic chemistry at the undergraduate level based on any combination of research, coursework, and/or motivation, interest, dedication as defined by their nominating institution and should have future plans that include a career in chemistry. The award includes a certificate, letter of commendation from the Chair of the Division of Inorganic Chemistry and a one-year membership to the Inorganic Division of ACS.

Recipient: Damion Scott

ACS Physical Chemistry Award

This award is intended to recognize outstanding achievement by an undergraduate student in physical chemistry, and is meant to encourage further pursuits in the field. The award, sponsored by the American Chemical Society Physical Chemistry division, includes a certificate from the ACS Division of Physical Chemistry, recognition on the Division’s website and, a one-year complimentary membership to the Division of Physical Chemistry.

Recipient: Cathy Xiao

Crecelius Family Research Award in Chemistry

This award was established by the Crecelius family: Daniel N. Crecelius, Class of 1959 and Anahid Tashjian Crecelius, and their daughter, Gia M. Crecelius, (chemistry, Class of 1991). The award recognizes a chemistry or biochemistry student who has done extraordinary work in research. It is intended to assist the recipient with travel to present research results at a major professional meeting.

Recipient: Maria Riek

Julia E. & Kenneth G. Bower Family Award in Chemistry and Biochemistry

This award supports a student in a faculty-mentored summer research project in environmental chemistry, archaeochemistry, art conservation, museology, or similar interdisciplinary areas within chemistry.

Recipient: Maggie Nguyen

Alfred W. Alberts Summer Research Prize

The Alfred W. Alberts Summer Research Prize is awarded to a deserving student who will conduct summer research in chemistry or molecular biology. Awarded by the Chemistry and Molecular Biology departments.

Recipient: Ollie Curtis Beland

Chinese, German, Italian, Japanese And Russian Studies

Presented by Professor William S. Davis

Excellence in German Award

Recipient: Barbara Bilić

Anne von Bibra Sutton German Scholarship

The Anne von Bibra Sutton German Scholarship is an award given each year to a student in good standing. Criteria include progress in German language and proficiency and interest in German life and letters. The award was established by Judge Leonard von Bibra Sutton in honor of his mother, who taught German in the 1930s at Colorado College.

Recipients: Ethan Kirschner, Mary Reinbold

Max Kade Award in German

The Max Kade Award in German is awarded to a student in good standing. Criteria include progress in German proficiency, knowledge of German literature, and interest in German life and letters. The award is made possible through funds from the Max Kade Foundation. Max Kade, a German immigrant, established the foundation to support and to further interest in German life and letters in the United States.

Recipient: Henry Moraja

Alexey Malyshev Russian and Eurasian Studies Award

The Alexey Malyshev Russian and Eurasian Studies Award honors a member of the Colorado College community whose contributions and leadership have strengthened the Russian and Eurasian Studies Program.

First Place – Elena Beliaeva

Second Place – Samuel Thomas Frykholm, Clara Matlack

Award in Excellence in Italian

First Place – Arthonia Louden

Second Place – Ethan Stewart, Grace Witulski

Japanese Language Award

Recipient: Sean McGonigle

Chinese Language Award

Recipient: Kate Lee

Classics

Presented by Professor Richard Fernando Buxton

Dr. John Bryant and Miriam Gile Hartwell Classics Prize

The prize was established in 1981 to honor students who have displayed unusual interest and ability in the study of the classics. Hartwell, a friend of the college staff and lover of the classics, graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Yale in 1900, received an M.D. from Harvard in 1904, and practiced surgery for many years in Colorado Springs. He married Miriam Gile, a daughter of Moses Clement Gile, professor of classics at CC from 1892 to 1916, whose name is perpetuated in a chair at the college.

Recipient: Psalm Delaney

Comparative Literature

Presented by Professor William S. Davis

Excellence in Comparative Literature

The comparative literature faculty wishes to commend its exceptional students with this prize. It thereby recognizes their high academic achievements in coursework, creativity in senior theses, as well as linguistic abilities and general personal contributions to the continuing success of this program.

Recipient: Rietta Thomson

Economics And Business

Presented by Professor Katrina-Kat Miller-Stevens

Kenneth J. and Elizabeth Hare Curran Award

The Kenneth J. and Elizabeth Hare Curran Award is given each year to the outstanding senior graduate in economics. The award is given in memory of Professor Kenneth J. Curran and his wife, Elizabeth Hare Curran. He was a beloved teacher of economics, chairman of the department, and dean of the college.

Recipients: Dylan Carey, Keeley Kandziora, Owen Rask

Robert William Kaye Prize

The Robert William Kaye Prize is presented to the outstanding senior graduating in Business, Economics, and Society. Robert Kaye was a business major in the Class of 1941. He served his country in World War II in the U.S. Marine Corps and was killed in action in March 1944. This award was established by the family and friends of Captain Kaye.

Recipient: Jacob Adin McDougall

Robert E. Rubin International Political Economics Award

This award is given to the outstanding senior graduate in international political economy.

Recipients: Denise Geronimo, Kate Lee

Robert E. Rubin Mathematical Economics Award

This award is given to the outstanding senior graduate in mathematical economics.

Recipients: Willow Ma, Kenza Zakarya

Education

Presented by Professor Tina Valtierra

Outstanding Academic Achievement

The Outstanding Academic Achievement award is presented to the graduating education major whose academic achievements best reflect the department’s learning outcomes, as demonstrated by a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the major and a high-quality thesis. Further, this student consistently exemplified the department’s core values of collaboration, solidarity, creativity, and liberation during their time at Colorado College.

Recipient: Augusta Gao

Excellence in Undergraduate Research

The Excellence in Undergraduate Research award is presented to the graduating education major whose thesis meets scholarly expectations for peer-reviewed publication. This thesis reflects the department’s examination of teaching and learning within economical, political, historical, and/ or social frameworks. Such a thesis demonstrates excellent command of disciplinary writing conventions and deep familiarity with research methodologies and analytic techniques.

First Place – Psalm Delaney

Honorable Mention – Christina Ashenden

Excellence in Graduate Research

The Excellence in Graduate Research award is presented to the MAT student whose Masters Research Project meets scholarly expectations for peer-reviewed publication or makes a strong community-based impact on the field. Such a project demonstrates excellent command of disciplinary writing conventions, appropriate application of action research methodologies, and a deep commitment to improving pedagogical practices in Pk-12 education.

Recipients: Aasir Mecca, Catherine Stoller

Award for Excellence in Teacher Education

The Education Department honors an exemplary teacher education candidate as they are about to leave Colorado College and enter the teaching profession. This award is to the student who best combines overall excellence in their academic and education programs with outstanding performance in student teaching.

Recipients: Vanessah Klaers, Martha Anderson

English

Presented by Professor Steve Hayward

Evelyn May Bridges Poetry Award

The Bridges prize for student poetry has been given for more than 60 years. The award honors Evelyn May Bridges, who, at age nine, published a poem about death that gained her national recognition. After Bridges died in early adolescence, her father endowed the Bridges poetry prize in her honor.

First Place – Pumehana Holmes

Second Place – Calloway Quinn Barba

Third Place – Martha Grace Casson

Adelaide Bender Reville Prizes in Writing

These awards were established in 1982 by Paul Reville, a 1971 graduate of Colorado College, in honor of his mother. The prizes recognize the best stories submitted in the spring of each year to an outside reader chosen by the English Department.

Adelaide Bender Reville Prize for Creative Nonfiction

First Place – Elliot Singer “Aviophobia, or How to Race a 10k”

Second Place – Mattie Valinsky “Timecards in the Junk Drawer”

Third Place – Emma Langas “Troparion for a Fig Wasp in F Major”

Adelaide Bender Reville’s James Yaffe Prize for Fiction

Recipients: Kendall Accetta, “An Evaluation of the Well- Being of Ms. Hensley”; Pumehana Holmes, “OObleck”; Mira Springer, “The Couch”

Frank Krutzke Senior Project Award

The Krutzke award was established in 1985 by a 1974 Colorado College graduate. It honors Frank Krutzke, who taught in the English Department from 1939 to 1973. Professor Krutzke taught American literature as his specialty, but he was famous for the breadth of his reading and interests. He exemplified the dedicated teacher, scholarly and humane. The Krutzke award honors the best critical (non-creative writing) senior essay.

Recipient: Kendall Accetta

Colorado College Grants in Writing

Because of the generosity of an anonymous donor, the English Department is able to give financial awards to students to complete independent literary projects of either a creative or critical/academic nature. These students must return to the college after their summer or block projects, and may be majors in any department. (This award was presented to the students at an earlier date.)

Recipients: Alexandra (Sasha) Akinchina, Utshaa Basu, Lily Bauer, Madeleine Broadhurst, Eliza Broan, Emma Devlin, Natasha Rose Finkelstein, Esabella Light George, Caleb Hering, Seth Jahraus, Sydney Rankin, Darby Shaw, Anabel Shenk, Zoe Smith, Mira Springer, Margot Swetich, Mattie Valinsky, Samuel A. Yolles

Environmental Studies

Presented by Professor Corina J. McKendry

Outstanding Senior Academic Award in Environmental Studies

This award is provided to honor that student showing unusual academic excellence as well as a strong commitment to environmental studies.

Recipient: Tyler Yung

Outstanding Senior Academic Award in Environmental Science

This award is provided to honor that student showing unusual academic excellence as well as a strong commitment to environmental science.

Recipients: Jordan Cosgrove, Kate Chase Lamkin, Paige Simenz

Service Award in Environmental Studies

This award is given to that senior (or sometimes junior), who has given exemplary service to the program and community and who shows unusual promise to go on in the field.

Recipients: Kate Chase Lamkin, Cecelia Russell, Tyler Yung

Feminist And Gender Studies

Presented by Professor Nadia Guessous

Shannon McGee Memorial Prize in Feminist and Gender Studies

The McGee Prize in Feminist and Gender Studies honors the memory of Shannon McGee, who was a gifted and enthusiastic student, a passionate individual, and an ardent feminist.

Recipients: Latra Demaci, Misbah Lakhani

Film And Media Studies

Presented by Professor Jordan Lord

Richard A. Lewis Memorial Film Award

The Richard A. Lewis Memorial Film Award is selected by faculty to recognize the best student film of the year. The Lewis Award was endowed by Estelle and Barton Lewis in 2002 to honor the memory of their son Richard, Class of 1975. The award serves to recognize exceptional student work as well as provide encouragement and support for future film projects. Numerous recipients of this award have gone on to become professional filmmakers.

Recipients: Mitchell Adams, “The Creek”; Audrey Colgin & Magdalena Dvorakova & Fargol Yeganeh Fathi, “Nach House”

J. H. Edmondson Film Outreach Award

The J.H. Edmondson Film Outreach Award supports the high- quality work of committed student filmmakers by encouraging them to reach out to audiences beyond the college community. The award was established in 2012 through a seed donation by the Joseph Henry Edmondson Foundation, which is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life throughout Colorado’s Pikes Peak region and is steeped in the values of service, creativity, inquiry, and respect for community.

Recipients: Campbell Beattie & Odin Tolya Bercu, “Gratuity Not Included”

Colorado College Documentary Exploration Award

This award acknowledges the power of documentary filmmaking to tell today’s most compelling stories. The Documentary Exploration Award enables qualified students from across the college to research and create character- driven documentary films that challenge their worldview. Awarded students explore personal, social, environmental, or cultural perspectives and tell stories with the potential to engage an audience. Alumni filmmakers mentor awarded students in their projects.

Recipients: Galilea Berthon Aku & Sarah Ichinose & Oli Kamenarovska, “Skate Stories”; Claire Barber & Katherine Beard, “Returning Life to Language”; Joshua Fairmont & Jesse Smolan & Oliver Smith, “Rettír”; Benjamin Martin Curry & Dan Wolfgang Schmidt, “The Lion Guardians of Dete”

Telly Savalas and T. Christopher Boardman Memorial Award in Film and Media Studies

The Telly Savalas and T. Christopher Boardman Memorial Award in Film and Media Studies honors students who have made an outstanding contribution to building the film community at Colorado College, whether through academic engagement, creative excellence, or co-curricular service. The award was created with the support of Penelope Savalas Boardman, Class of 1983, in honor of the multi-faceted talents and indomitable spirits of her father, Telly Savalas, and her late husband, T. Christopher Boardman, Class of 1983.

Recipients: Katherine Beard, Odin Tolya Bercu

Forensics

Presented by Sarah C. Hinkle, Director, Speaking Center

Apollonian Award

The Apollonian Award is presented annually to outstanding students in forensics and debate. It has been given since 1907 in honor of the Apollonian Debating Society, one of the first debate and oratorical societies in the western half of the United States. The award was endowed by an anonymous donor and is in the form of a cash prize.

Recipient: Emmie Weprin

French

Presented by Professor Michael F. O’Riley

Award in Excellence in French

Recipients: Emeline (Mimi) Charlotte Allehaut, Stanley Cooley

Jeanne Gibbs Memorial Award for Study in France

Jeanne Gibbs was a 1962 graduate of the college who spent her junior year studying in France. Gibbs’s mother established the memorial award following Gibbs’s death in an automobile accident. The award is to be used in “some special way to enlarge or enhance a student’s experience in France.”

Recipient: Dakota Hinman

Geology

Presented by Professor Sarah A. Schanz

Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists Award

The Neal J. Harr Memorial Outstanding Student Award is made in recognition of exemplary scholastic achievement for the purpose of encouraging excellence in the field of earth sciences. The person selected will receive an engraved RMAG geology pick award.

Recipient: Emma Revenaugh

Association for Women Geoscientists Award

Each year the Denver Chapter of the Association for Women Geoscientists presents awards to the outstanding women geoscience students in colleges and universities throughout Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico. The person selected will receive an engraved geology rock pick and Certificate of Merit from AWG.

Recipient: Piper Kent

Estwing Outstanding Senior Geologist Award

Each year the Estwing Manufacturing Company of Rockford, Illinois, presents an award to an outstanding geology student at Colorado College for academic achievement and overall contribution to the Geology Department. The person selected will receive an engraved geology rock pick.

Recipient: Pierce Hayton

Phillip J. McKenna Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists Award

This award was established to honor former RMAG member and petroleum geologist Philip J. McKenna by his family and colleagues. It is awarded to a rising senior in Geology on the basis of academic achievement.

Recipient: Annie Breyak

Donald B. Gould Scholarship in Geology

Scholarship for geology majors.

Recipient: Annie Breyak

Darrell M. Putman Scholarship

Scholarship for geology majors.

Recipient: Tirso Jesus Lara Rivas

Charles Rhoads 1959 Scholarship

Scholarship for geology majors.

Recipients: Annie Breyak, Piper Kent, Tirso Jesus Lara Rivas, Charlie Lundy Hite, David Mims, Baxter Waltermire

Patricia J. Buster Research Scholarship

These scholarships, established in 2000 in honor of Patricia J. Buster, Class of 1933, support outstanding Colorado College students in undertaking original research in geology and related earth sciences.

Recipients: Sadie Almgren, Annie Breyak, Ilene Kruger, Lachlan McCallum, Harold Oppenheim, Oliver van Linder

Hannigan Family Fund for Fieldwork

The Hannigan Family Fund for Fieldwork exists to benefit geology students who show considerable talent for geological fieldwork.

Recipient: Sadie Almgren

Creager Fund

This award provides support for geology majors for such items as supplies for research projects, expenses related to presenting research at a conference, class field trip, or special program/field course.

Recipients: David Mims, Tirso Jesus Lara Rivas

Health Professions

Presented by Jane M. Byrnes, Health Professions Advising Manager

Caduceus Award

The Caduceus Award is a community service and community activity award that is given by the Health Professions Office for outstanding student involvement. This award is not given annually, but is given to honor the student who uses their innovation, creativity, overall character, and drive to make a difference on the campus and in the community. The Caduceus, the universal symbol of medicine, the wand of Hermes reaffirms our commitment to these ideals.

Recipient: Nicholas Wolfe Firestone

Frank Henry John Figge Award

The Frank Henry John Figge Award was established in 1964 by Frank Henry J. Figge of the Class of 1927. Figge’s purpose in establishing this award was to recognize outstanding students at Colorado College at the earliest stages of their medical career. Figge was a distinguished medical scientist and author, and for many years was the chairman of the department of anatomy at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. This is given each year to an outstanding Colorado College senior who has been accepted into medical school. The recipient of this award is selected in recognition for scholarship and exemplary performance in pursuit of a career as a physician.

Recipient: Callista Tran

Mahony Award in Sports Medicine

Presented by Holly Pechacek, Assistant Athletic Trainer

Established in 2006, the Mahony Award in Sports Medicine honors the senior pre-medical or allied health student who demonstrates academic achievement and clinical potential for a career in medicine or allied health. Established by team physician Thomas H. Mahony III, M.D., Class of 1967, and wife Jan, Class of 1968, the award recognizes student dedication to and involvement with the college’s Sports Medicine Program.

Recipients: Charly Bisaccia, Jocelyn Zuckerman

History

Presented by Professor John R. Williams

Clyde E. Augustus Duniway Prize

A Stanford University history professor turned administrator, Duniway served as president of the Universities of Montana and Wyoming, and Colorado College from 1917 to 1923. At Colorado College, his efforts to raise academic standards provoked a storm of student protest. The Duniway prize recognizes a history major’s strong achievement in history courses and contributions to the department.

Recipient: Katey Joanne Grealish

William R. Hochman Prize For Distinguished Student Research and Writing

This award was established to honor the late Professor Emeritus William R. Hochman of the Department of History. It supports an annual award for a student or students whose senior thesis or essay best represents Bill’s advocacy of fresh critical approaches to sources and lucid written argument. Professor Hochman was a vital member of the CC community for over six decades and was the chair of the History Department for many years. He pushed his students to tackle the key issues of the time: the balances and battles between individual freedom and religious, social, and political authority.

Recipient: Hongli Zeng

Mathematics And Computer Science

Presented by Professors Janet Burge and Luis David Garcia Puente

Florian Cajori Award

The Cajori Award in mathematics is named in honor of Florian Cajori, a prominent mathematician and professor of mathematics at Colorado College from 1898 to 1918. The award is given to the graduating senior who best demonstrates unusual talent and achievements in mathematics, an unusual breadth and depth of accomplishments, and high grades in math courses taken at Colorado College.

Recipients: Leo Fries, Haoru Yang

Sophie Germain Award

The Sophie Germain Award honors a mathematics major who demonstrates an unusual commitment to the mathematics community and passion for the field.

Recipients: Jingyi Liu, Daniela Santillan

Steven Janke Prize in Computer Science

Steven Janke is the founder of the Computer Science program at Colorado College. He retired in 2016 after decades of service and leadership in the department. This award is named in honor of his brilliant teaching and scholarship at Colorado College. The award is given to the graduating senior who best demonstrates unusual talent and achievements in computer science, an unusual breadth and depth of accomplishments, and high grades in computer science courses taken at Colorado College.

Recipients: Dylan Chapell, Kathleen Shea

Grace Hopper Award in Computer Science

The Grace Hopper Award in Computer Science goes to a computer science major who demonstrates an unusual commitment to the computer science community.

Recipients: Lizzie Blaschke, Tyler Chang

Fearless Award

Awarded to the student who submits the best collection of summaries of Fearless Friday Talks.

Recipient: Simay Cural

Molecular Biology

Presented by Professor Darrell J. Killian

Mary Alice Hamilton Award in Molecular Biology

For many years this award has recognized a top graduating biology major based on academic performance, research, and prospects for a successful career in biology. After the retirement of Professor Mary Alice Hamilton from the Biology Department in 1977, the Biology Department named this award in Professor Hamilton’s honor to recognize her 27 years as a devoted faculty member in the department.

Recipient: Aidan Wells

Laboratory Award in Molecular Biology

This award is presented to a senior molecular biology major whose interests and coursework are mainly in the area of laboratory-based biology. The criteria for selecting a recipient for this award are: grades in biology courses with a laboratory component, performance in lab-based research, preferably for a senior thesis, and plans for post-graduate work or study.

Recipients: Patrick Hecht, Tia Peterson, Jasmine Volkaert

Mary Magnusson & Ralph Gilmore Summer Research Grant

This award provides summer stipends for Colorado College students to engage in research in natural sciences during their undergraduate years. The research may occur in conjunction with a CC faculty member on campus or in the field. The stipend may be used to pay students for summer research or for research supplies.

Recipient: Caroline Bay

Music

Presented by Professor Susan L. Grace

David and Karen Cowperthwaite Award for Excellence in Music

David Cowperthwaite was a member of the Colorado College Class of 1960 and his wife, Karen, was enrolled as a member of the Class of 1962, when they were killed by lightning during a mountain expedition in 1960. The David and Karen Smith Cowperthwaite Award for Excellence in Music was instituted by their parents in their memory in 1962, the year Karen would have graduated.

Recipients: Forrest Tucker, Xinyi Zhao

Max Lanner Prize for Excellence in Instrumental Music

This award was established in honor of Professor Max Lanner, who taught at Colorado College from 1946 to 1975, and was chair of the Music Department from 1951 to 1968. Known nationally as a distinguished concert pianist, he performed widely in solo recitals, chamber music concerts, and as a soloist with orchestras, including five appearances with the Colorado Springs Symphony.

Recipients: Luke Brucker, Neo Li, Forrest Tucker, Xinyi Zhao

Marie Clough Gillis Award for Excellence in Vocal Music

This award was established in memory of Marie Clough Gillis, member of the Colorado College Class of 1918. The award was established in 1989 by her nieces in honor of her love of vocal music.

Recipient: Ian Widmann

Excellence in Ensemble Performance

This award celebrates the pivotal roles played by individual students in advancing the success of the department’s music ensembles. While they might not always be front and center as soloists, their contributions are essential to the overall musicianship and excellence of their respective groups.

Recipients: Grace Ivaska, Clara Matlack, Devlin Swanson, Julissa Torres

Neuroscience

Presented by Professor Lori L. Driscoll

Shearn Award in Neuroscience

The Shearn Award in Neuroscience, named in honor of Psychology Professor Don Shearn, is awarded to an outstanding neuroscience thesis student chosen by the neuroscience advisors.

Recipient: Ian Johnson

Organismal Biology And Ecology

Presented by Professor Mark Wilson

Richard and Reba Beidleman Award

Upon his retirement in 1988, after 31 years in the Biology Department, Professor Beidleman established this award from funds he received from the Burlington Northern Outstanding Teacher Award. The Beidleman Award is given annually to a student who has demonstrated, through classroom and fieldwork, the greatest potential for becoming a professional ecologist or field biologist. In 1990, after the tragic death of Professor Beidleman’s wife in an automobile accident, the Biology Department added Reba’s name to the award in recognition of her many contributions to environmental preservation in the Colorado Springs area.

Recipients: Phoebe Gordon, Sydney Morris

Jason Wilkes Memorial Biology Award

The Jason Wilkes Memorial Award is intended to recognize an outstanding student of color majoring in biology. This award was started by Lorna Wilkes in memory of her beloved son, Jason Wilkes, Class of 1993, who died in a climbing accident at the start of his senior year at Colorado College, and his lifelong interest in nature and the environment.

Recipients: Iván Beck, Yazmine Adriana Garcia, Marcilla Kollie

Enderson Award in Conservation Biology

The Enderson Award in Conservation in Biology was established by the department to honor Professor Jim Enderson at his retirement. Professor Enderson joined the Biology Department in 1962, long before it was fashionable to call oneself a “conservation biologist.” Throughout his career, research centered on the precipitous declines of birds of prey, especially the peregrine falcon. He was the first to breed the temperate North American peregrine in captivity, a line used extensively in restoration of the western population. He served on several recovery teams and working groups for endangered species. At Colorado College he inspired students through independent projects to pursue careers from botany to ornithology, in the lab and in the field. In keeping with his scholarship and breadth as a biologist, the Enderson Award honors a junior or senior biology major who, in the opinion of the faculty, has shown commitment and productivity in an original research project in conservation biology. Candidates are eligible if their work has conservation implications, focusing on molecular, organismic, ecosystem, lab, or field.

Recipients: Eve Karowe, William Henri Lewis

Mary Alice Hamilton Award in Organismal Biology and Ecology

For many years the Biology Department has recognized the top graduating biology major, which is based on academic performance, undergraduate research in both lab and field studies, and prospects for a successful career in biology. After the retirement of Professor Mary Alice Hamilton from the Biology Department in 1977, the department named this award in Professor Hamilton’s honor to recognize her 27 years as a devoted faculty member.

Recipient: Isabel DeVito

Laboratory Award in Organismal Biology and Ecology

This award is presented to a senior organismal biology and ecology major whose interests and coursework are mainly in the area of laboratory-based biology. The criteria for selecting a recipient for this award are: grades in biology courses with a laboratory component, performance in lab-based research, preferably for a senior thesis, and plans for postgraduate work or study.

Recipient: Erin Kim

Philosophy

Presented by Professor Jonathan Lee

J. Glenn Gray Award

J. Glenn Gray, who died in 1977, was a distinguished member of the Colorado College Philosophy Department for many years. He believed in the civilizing function of philosophical inquiry and dedicated his life to inculcating its values in his students. This award is supported by the J. Glenn and Ursula Gray Memorial Fund and honors those students who share Professor Gray’s passion for philosophy and best demonstrate his skill and sensitivity at philosophical analysis.

Recipient: Kristine Petersone

Physics

Presented by Professor Kristine Lang

David and Karen Cowperthwaite Award for Excellence in Physics

David Cowperthwaite was a member of the Colorado College class of 1960 and his wife, Karen, was enrolled as a member of the class of 1962, when they were killed by lightning during a mountain expedition in 1960. The David and Karen Smith Cowperthwaite Award for Excellence in Physics was instituted by their parents in their memory in 1962, the year Karen would have graduated.

Recipients: Liam Pence Keeley, Wanyan Yuan

Political Science

Presented by Professor Douglas E. Edlin

Edith Bramhall Award

This award honors Edith Bramhall, who taught political science at Colorado College from 1920 to 1946. She was one of the first women to earn a Ph.D. in political science in the United States. The award is given annually to a student whom the political science faculty deem the outstanding scholar in the department.

Recipient: Elizabeth Girian

Fred Sondermann Award

This award honors Fred A. Sondermann, who taught in the Political Science Department from 1953 to 1978. Professor Sondermann was noted not only for teaching and scholarship, but also for service to the Colorado Springs community. The award is given annually for overall achievement and contribution to the department.

Recipients: Denise Geronimo, Maggie Mixer

Psychology

Presented by Professor Lori L. Driscoll

Cornelia Manley Sabine Award

This award is presented annually to the outstanding graduating psychology senior on behalf of Cornelia Sabine, Class of 1949, a longtime supporter of Colorado College and the Psychology Department. This award serves as a tribute to Sabine, who had a long and distinguished career in public service as a psychologist, working with both children and adults in Colorado. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in music from Northwestern University, Sabine and her husband, Paul, moved to Colorado Springs in 1947, where she obtained a B.A., magna cum laude, and an M.A. in human behavior from Colorado College. She subsequently earned an educational specialist degree from Stanford University, and became a licensed clinical psychologist in Colorado Springs, where she maintained a private practice for 30 years. Her advice to students was to use their knowledge of psychology to bring peace and understanding into relationships in our fractious modern world.

Recipients: Addison Virginia Dodge, Luca I. Pieretti

William Arthur Blakely Memorial Award

The William Arthur Blakely Award is financed through funds provided by the family and friends of Blakely, who was a member of the Psychology Department from 1931 to 1959 and chair during most of that period. The award is presented to a student who shows exceptional promise for a career in psychology.

Recipients: Avey Riberdy, Hannah Yeary

Religion

Presented by Professor Pamela M. Reaves

Hastings Prize

The Hastings Prize was established in 1900 by a gift from Frederick R. Hastings, an architect of Colorado Springs. The prize is awarded to the senior writing the best thesis on the philosophical interpretation of religion.

Recipient: Isabel Hebenstreit

Sociology

Presented by Professor Florencia Rojo

W.E.B. DuBois Award for Excellence in Sociology

The W.E.B. DuBois Award for Excellence in Sociology is awarded annually to a graduating senior who has excelled in their coursework and made significant contributions to the life of the department, the college, or toward social change in the wider community.

Recipients: Dani Bohart, Charlotte Claire Griffin, Peniel Owusu-Ansah

Daniel Patrick O’Connor Memorial Award in Social Justice

This award is named for Daniel Patrick O’Connor, Class of 1994, who had a special interest in civil rights and social justice, as well as a high regard for Colorado College. The award recognizes exemplary social justice related work (academic or applied) of graduating Sociology majors.

Recipients: Diana Carolina Buda, Emma R. Fowkes, Daisy Gomez Rivera, Natalia Ocampo

Southwest Studies

Presented by Professor Karen Roybal

Joel P. Benezet Prize in Southwest Studies

The Joel P. Benezet Prize in Southwest Studies recognizes outstanding achievement in Southwest Studies by a graduating senior who has majored or minored in the program. The prize was established in 2003 through a bequest from Louis Benezet, a former president of Colorado College. The prize honors the memory of his son, Joel, who was killed in 1963 while enrolled as an undergraduate student at Dartmouth. Recipients of this award are selected by members of the Southwest Studies Program Faculty on the basis of academic record, quality of the senior thesis, and presence in the program.

Recipient: Sophie Dellinger

Spanish And Portuguese

Presented by Professor Jessica Sanchez-Flores

Award in Excellence in Spanish

This award is to recognize the excellent work on honor’s theses in the area of Hispanic studies.

Recipients: Mariolivia Jimenez, Annette Leyva, Reeve Schroeder

Felisa Llorente Award

This award was established in honor of Felisa Llorente, who was the unofficial “mother” of the Spanish House for many years. She was generous with her time and talents, helping students to improve their Spanish and feeding many of them, both physically and intellectually. Llorente made costumes for plays and supported all activities of the Romance Languages Department. She was a generous, warm-hearted woman who will long be remembered.

Recipients: Corrina Gardner, Mila Naumovska

Theatre And Dance

Presented by Professor Shawn Womack

Pamela Riley Prize

During her 11 years at Colorado College, Pamela Riley taught and directed in the Theatre and Dance Department. Our students loved her because of her high performance standards, her infectious energy, her fearless dedication, and her warm good nature. The Pamela Riley Prize is given to the graduating senior who has contributed similar qualities of devoted service and excellence to our program.

Recipients: Sarah Bedell, Tess Palmieri Greenhaw

Broadway Theatre League Award

In 1965 the Broadway Theatre League, in liquidating its assets, offered a donation to Colorado College indicating a preference that it be used to further theatre on the campus. Since then, this award is given to an outstanding student or students in the Theatre and Dance Department.

Recipients: Ryenne Christine Kuen-Wai Hisae Ching, Kupai Henri Upekkha Marx

All-College Awards

Abel J. and Lucy Phinney Gregg Award

Presented by Kate S. Holbrook, Chaplain

In the first half of this century, Abel J. Gregg was a leader in the YMCA, an organization that sought to break down barriers and offer a new global vision. A strong proponent of higher education, Lucy Phinney Gregg earned her master’s degree at the age of 60 and served as mentor to countless undergraduate students. In their names, the college awards a prize to a student or students who have demonstrated academic excellence, critical religious interest, and a commitment to serve the community.

Recipients: Camila Espinosa-Short, Emily Sulocha

Henri “Skip” Meis 1963 Outstanding Student Leader Award

Presented by Rebecca Parker, Arts & Crafts Director

This award is given to the outstanding student in the campus activities programs. Selection is based upon commitment to all aspects of campus programs, leadership within the various campus committees, and a dedication to the co-curricular mission of the Campus Activities Office. This student has not only shown active involvement in campus activities throughout their career here at Colorado College, but has redefined and expanded the programs themselves.

Recipient: Nathalie San Fratello

Bill Hochman Prize on War, Violence, and Human Values, with Emphasis on the Human Experience of War

Presented by Professor John R. Williams

Awarded to the best student work illuminating war, violence, and human values with emphasis on the human experience of war.

Recipient: Hongli Zeng

Blue Key Award

Presented by Zoey Roueche

Awarded to a member of the faculty or administration who contributes significant time and effort to the student body of Colorado College, the Colorado College community, and the city of Colorado Springs.

Recipient: Aaron Stoller

Hank Bedingfield Award

Presented by Sienna Grace Busby and Zeke Zacharias Lloyd

The Hank Bedingfield Award is in honor of Henry “Hank” Bedingfield, Class of 2022. During his years at Colorado College, Hank was a beloved member of and contributor to all of Cutler’s incorporated publications in some way or another. He was a creative and talented journalist well-known on campus for his restaurant reviews and excellent news reporting. He was exactly what student journalists should be: brave, responsible, and completely dedicated. No area of student journalism at CC was left untouched by Hank. He was an incredible writer, editor, and, most importantly, friend. This award will go to a junior or senior that has served on the Cutler Board. It will be awarded in honor of their commitment to and talent for student journalism, in addition to their contributions to the people and community of Cutler.

Recipient: Leigh Rose Walden

Ruth Barton Award

Presented by Sienna Grace Busby and Zeke Zacharias Lloyd

The Ruth Barton Award was established in 1996 to recognize Ruth Barton’s dedication to student journalism at the college. In some years, it may be given to a member of the faculty, staff, or administration who contributes significant time and effort to student journalism at Colorado College. In other years it may be given to a student who has demonstrated excellence both in the academic study of journalism and in contribution to student publications.

Recipient: Zeke Zacharias Lloyd

E.K. Gaylord Award

Presented by Sienna Grace Busby and Zeke Zacharias Lloyd

This award was established in honor of E. K. Gaylord, a member of the Class of 1897 and president of the Oklahoma Publishing Company until his death in 1974 at the age of 101. Gaylord was a generous supporter of Colorado College during his lifetime and served for many years as a trustee of the college. Because of his own career in journalism, he took a special interest in student publications. For that reason, the E. K. Gaylord Award is given each year to a junior or senior for continuing contributions to Colorado College publications.

Recipient: Marynn Krull