William Patti
Equinox Staff
Several students were awarded for their leadership in academics and extracurricular activities at the annual Student Leadership Awards Banquet.
The banquet was held on Friday, April 26, in the Mabel Brown Room at 6:00 p.m. Students were nominated or chosen for a variety of different scholarships or awards based on their involvement in the community. One such award is the Tyler J. Smith Memorial Endowment, a scholarship program created to commemorate Tyler J. Smith and his connections to Keene State College. This scholarship is awarded to a nominated student who is chosen by a committee of student peers.
This year the endowment was awarded to Allison Whitehead. After Whitehead received the award, she was asked how it felt to be awarded such an honor. “Tyler’s Mother gave such a heartwarming speech, it’s such an emotional moment getting this award, I’ve been a part of the Social Activities Council for 2 years now, which is as long as Tyler has been, so it’s really cool to be receiving this award,” she said. Whitehead was also recently elected the Vice President of the Social Activities Council for the 2020 school year.
Awards such as Outstanding Leadership, Outstanding Non-Academic Organization, Outstanding Greek Letter Organization and Echo Award were also given out through the banquet.
The Captain Michael J. Watters ‘86 Memorial Scholarship Endowment was awarded to junior Nathan Flyzik. The scholarship is awarded annually to a junior at Keene State in honor of the memory of Michael J. Watters who was lost at sea on June 10, 1990, during a training flight with the Strike Fighter Squadron 106. Flyzik is studying history and communications and is a part of student government, the orientation program and more.
Also awarded on Friday were the Senior Service Awards which are given to seniors at Keene State who go above and beyond to help others. The following students were recognized: Melissa Pierce, Valentina Pinzon-Mendez, Peter Powers, Faith Pudlo, Nikki Root, Maria Aiello, Kayana Anderson, Julia Brida, Collin Coviello, Sarah Dugas, Maxwell Foisey, Ashley Hoffer, Stephanie Jones and Sydney Olson.
Coordinator of Community Services Jessica Gagne-Cloutier gave the closing statement for the ceremony. She said, “Thank you all for coming to celebrate our students’ accomplishments and exceptional leadership. Before we end the program I’d like to extend gratitude to the individuals who made this evening possible. A big thanks to everyone who made a nomination, helping us to identify our stand-up nominees. To our scholarship families, thank you all for the support you give our students, and for sharing the legacy of your loved ones with us each year.”
William Patti can be contacted
at wpatti@kscequinox.com
