HAZLETON, Pa. — Penn State Hazleton recognized the leadership and academic excellence of more than 100 students during the campus’ annual Academic Achievement Awards on Thursday, May 5.

Chancellor Gary M. Lawler and Elizabeth J. Wright, director of academic affairs and associate dean for academic affairs, Office of the Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses, presented the awards during the ceremony in the Dr. Thomas M. Caccese Gymnasium.

Barbara Brazon, associate teaching professor of information sciences and technology and information sciences and technology program coordinator, served as faculty marshal.

The following students received awards:

Campus Honors Program: The honors medal is presented to currently enrolled honors students who have met the requirements of the Penn State Hazleton Honors Program, which include grade-point average requirements and the completion of honors coursework each semester. Students are invited to join the program based on demonstrated academic achievement and potential for growth. They enroll in specially designed honors courses, complete honors independent studies projects, and have an opportunity to take part in enrichment activities. This year’s recipients are: 

Caitlyn Ashelman, Macungie Township; Jonah Baksa, Hazleton; Rebecca Baum, Stewartstown; Meghan Darrough, Drums; Willow Forney, Lititz; Caleb Houser, Hazleton; Nicholas Karpowicz, Lehighton; Kylie Kresge, Lehighton; Yinette Martinez, Hazleton; Cassandra Narramore, Mountain Top; Dylan Ponchery, Beaver Meadows; Jenna Rossell, McAdoo; Jade Sency, Oneida; David Simons, Freehold, New Jersey; Terrence Tompkins, Salt Point, New York; and Edward Wess, East Stroudsburg. 

Eric A. and Josephine S. Walker Award: This award recognizes students from Penn State Commonwealth campuses whose outstanding qualities of character, scholarship, leadership and citizenship have been directed into programs and services that have positively influenced fellow students and have contributed to the prestige and well-being of their campus and reputation of the University as a whole. This year’s honoree is:

Cassidy Lugo, Hazleton.

The President Walker Award: This award is presented annually to undergraduate degree candidates and degree-seeking provisional students who have earned a 4.0 (A) cumulative grade-point average based on at least 12 graded Penn State credits completed during their first semester of admission. Candidates are eligible for this award if they have fewer than 36 Penn State credits earned. During the presidency of Eric A. Walker (1956-1970), and with the approval of the Board of Trustees, the number of awards was increased in 1960. This award was renamed in honor of President Walker in 2021. Recipients are:

Savannah Bauer, San Jose, California; Joshua Brian Custard, Stroudsburg; Elijah J. Greybosh, Sugarloaf; Ulani Lee Harris, Frackville; Cierra Hart, Hazleton; Shayla Heitczman, Weatherly; Jackson Jay Hinkel, Hazleton; Matthew Janson, Bloomsburg; Brett Krapf, Hazleton; Kevin Andrew Lowen, Jonestown; Michael James Makowiec, Freeland; James Kenneth Morrison, Sugarloaf; Kimberly Pelosi, Hawley; Antonio John Perilli, Summit Hill; Katie Ann Steen; Albrightsville; and Heidi Washel, Jim Thorpe.

President Sparks Award: This award is presented annually to those undergraduate degree candidates who have earned a 4.00 (A) cumulative grade-point average based on at least 36 graded Penn State credits. Candidates are eligible for this award if they have not exceeded 59 total credits earned. The award is named for Penn State President Edwin Earle Sparks (1908-1920). Earning the award this year is:

Kayla Rosellen Witcher, Hazle Township.

Evan Pugh Scholar Award: This award is named for Evan Pugh, Penn State’s first president (1859-1864). 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. This year’s winner is:

Lauren N. Gombeda, Hazleton.

Lifetime Learning Award: This award is presented to a student whose persistence and dedication to lifelong learning is evidenced by a continued commitment to academic coursework at Penn State. This year’s recipient is:

Stefany Rodriguez, Hazleton.

Scholar’s Lion Award - College: This award is presented to currently enrolled Penn State Hazleton full-time degree students who have earned the highest grade-point average (minimum 3.8) in their college and have completed at least 45 Penn State credits by the end of the fall semester of the academic year the award is given. Recipients are:

Business: Sylver Brown, Mountain Top; Behrend College: Kayle Rosellen Witcher, Hazle Township; Education: Dylan Ponchery, Beaver Meadows; Engineering: Caleb Houser, Hazleton; Information Sciences and Technology: John Gaughan, Mountain Top; and Liberal Arts: Abigail Goulstone, Hazleton.

Scholar’s Lion Award - Campus Baccalaureate Degree Program: This award is presented to currently enrolled Penn State Hazleton full-time or part-time degree students who have earned the highest grade-point average (minimum 3.8) in their program and have completed at least 104 Penn State credits by the end of the fall semester of the academic year the award is given. This year’s recipients are:

Business: Cesarina Del Rosario Caraballo, Hazleton; Health Policy and Administration: Nikki O’Neil, Ringtown; Information Sciences and Technology: Cassidy Lugo, Hazleton; Project and Supply Chain Management; and Psychology: Zorangel Sosa, Hazleton.

Academic Achievement Award: This award is presented to currently enrolled Penn State Hazleton full-time or part-time students who have earned a cumulative grade-point average of 3.7 or higher by the end of the fall semester of the academic year the award is given. Students earning this award are:

Nayrovi Abreu De La Cruz, Hazleton; Somery Abreu De La Cruz, Hazleton; Ashley Amigon, Wilkes-Barre; Destiny Angel, Pottsville; John Arndt, Berwick; Alessandra Banta, Coatesville; Savannah Bauer, San Jose, California; Joshua Bircea, Drums; Emily Bloom, Berwick; Mark Brady, Pittston; Marianna Brennan, Zion Grove; Susan Brennan, Zion Grove; Alyssa Brown, Northumberland; Sylver Brown, Mountain Top; Kahlan Ciardullo, Brownstown; Haylee Cieniawa, McAdoo; Savannah Cothron, Summit Hill; Becky Cruz, Berwick; Joshua Custard, Stroudsburg; Meghan Darrough, Drums; Cesarina Del Rosario Caraballo, Hazleton; Kevin Fergel, Hazleton; Yvanka Figueroa, Shenandoah; Sebastian Fitzgerald, Long Pond; John Gaughan, Mountain Top; Jeremy Geisinger, Forty Fort; Lauren Gombeda, Hazleton; Abigail Goulstone, Hazleton; Amanda Grant, Allentown; Elijah Greybosh, Sugarloaf; Tyler Hall, Kelayres; Domenick Harding, Mountain Top; Ulani Harris, Frackville; Cierra Hart, Hazleton; Shayla Heitczman, Weatherly; Jackson Hinkel, Hazleton; Cade Horwath, Bethlehem; Caleb Houser, Hazleton; Karley Hower, Berwick; Tina Huang, Effort; Molly Isom, Weatherly; Matthew Janson, Bloomsburg; Colin Johnson, Raleigh, North Carolina; Clayton Kimsal, White Haven; Brett Krapf, Hazleton; Christopher Krout, Mountain Top; Annie Li, Frackville; Austin Long, Danville; Samy Lopez, Hazleton; Cassidy Lugo, Hazleton; Michael Makowiec, Freeland; Colt McAninch, Wapwallopen; Hannah Michael, Watsontown; Sara Miglas, Sugarloaf; Kylen Moni, West Hazleton; Jasmini Morillo, Hazle Township; James Morrison, Sugarloaf; Ashley Nahay, McAdoo; Nikki O’Neil, Ringtown; Jack Oswald, Conyngham; Nazareth Paniagua-Perez, Shenandoah; Antonio Perilli, Summit Hill; Dylan Ponchery, Beaver Meadows; Freilin Pujols Moreta, Hazleton; Lisbeth Ramirez, Hazleton; Gianna Reynolds, Weatherly; Stefany Rodriguez, Hazleton; Eric Rose, Fort Lee, New Jersey; Jenna Rossell, McAdoo; Tiffani Sabolchick, Hazle Township; Anastasia Schechterly, Berwick; Angelina Schianodicola, Hazleton; Jade Sency, Oneida; Kelsey Sonntag, Bangor; Eugene Sosa, Hazleton; Zorangel Sosa, Hazleton; Zoey Speaker, Bensalem; Katie Steen, Albrightsville; Elizabeth Sterowski, Mountain Top; Elizabeth Torres, Hazleton; Isabella Trifiro, Hazleton; Raven Van Gogh, Landisville; Nicholas Vital, Mountain Top; Julia Wadleigh, Easton; Zachary Walp, Drums; Heida Washel, Jim Thorpe; Kayla Witcher, Hazle Township; D’Andre Wright, Matthew Yanochko, Freeland; and Hazleton; Nikolas Zasada, Mountain Top.

Research Symposium Awards:

Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

First place: Savannah Cothron, “Devaluation of Future Rewards as an Underlying Mechanism of Media Multitasking in the Classroom” (Research adviser: Yusuke Hayashi, associate professor of psychology)

Second place: Ashanty Vargas, “The Pink Tax: The Cost of Being a Woman” (Research adviser: Eileen Morgan, assistant teaching professor of English)

Third place: Zakary Johnson, “When the Grim Reaper Comes Calling, Tell Him I’m Not Home: Sentenced to Die, But Eventually Exonerated.” (Research adviser: Daniel Gutierrez, assistant teaching professor of criminal justice)

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

First place: Mark Brady, Clayton Kimsal, and Nathan Pauselli, “Foxdale On-Site Energy Generation Using Solar Carports” (Research adviser: Joseph Ranalli, associate professor of engineering)

Second place: Kevin Lowen and Brett Wilson, “Halogen Bonding in Photochromic Naphthoquinone Based Diarylethenes. (Research adviser: Dan Patel, assistant professor of chemistry)

Third place: Rochelle Rodriguez, “Factors Affecting Bird-Window Collisions on the Penn State Hazleton Campus.” (Research adviser: Christopher Goguen, associate professor of biology)

University Libraries' Undergraduate Research Award: Excellence in Information Literacy Award:

First place: Savannah Cothron, "Devaluation of Future Rewards as an Underlying Mechanism of Media Multitasking in the Classroom.” (Research adviser: Yusuke Hayashi, associate professor of psychology.)

Second place: Mark Brady, Clayton Kimsal, and Nathan Pauselli, "Foxdale On-Site Energy Generation Using Solar Carports." (Research adviser: Joseph Ranalli, associate professor of engineering.)

Third place: Zakary Johnson, "When the Grim Reaper Comes Calling, Tell Him I'm Not Home: Sentenced to Die, But Eventually Exonerated.” (Research adviser: Dan Gutierrez, assistant teaching professor of criminal justice.)

Mathematics Olympiad Award: The Olympiad is open to all students, whereas students currently taking Math 140 or higher are strongly encouraged to participate. The group of interested students is given a set of 5 to 8 non-standard problems to work on over a period from 6 to 8 weeks. To facilitate the students' creativity, faculty involved with the Olympiad introduce the group to some methods/ideas that are not traditionally covered in pre-calculus/calculus courses. Submitted solutions are graded and winners are chosen:

First place: Joshua Custard, Stroudsburg.

Second place: Jackson Hinkel, Hazleton.

Third place: John Arndt, Berwick; and Domenick Harding, Mountain Top.

M. Leonard Shaevel Award: This award is presented in memory of M. Leonard Shaevel, who taught physics at Penn State Hazleton from 1967 until his death in 1982. It consists of a cash award and is given to a student with a high grade-point average enrolled in science who best exemplifies Shaevel’s educational values, including strong work ethic, persistence, and a commitment to science and scientific inquiry. The winner of this year’s award is:

Jackson Hinkel, Hazleton.