UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s Schreyer Honors College has chosen six Scholar alumni who will receive 2024 Scholar Alumni Awards in recognition of their professional achievements and contributions.
The recipients will be recognized at a luncheon to be held this spring at the Hintz Family Alumni Center.
“Since their time as students, whether in the Honors College or University Scholars Program, these Scholar alumni have shown willingness and skill in taking on and overcoming challenges,” said Patrick Mather, dean of the Schreyer Honors College. “Our honorees’ exemplary efforts have created real, positive change in the world and we are eager to present them with their awards later this spring.”
The recipients are:
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Dr. Eric Gibney, Outstanding Scholar Alumni Mentor; program director and nephrologist at the Piedmont Transplant Institute. He graduated from the Eberly College of Science in 1994 with a bachelor of science degree in biology, with honors in nutrition.
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Antoinette Gomez, Outstanding Scholar Alumni; clinical program manager at the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. A 1994 graduate from the College of Agricultural Sciences, she earned a bachelor of science degree in agricultural education, with honors.
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Uma Moriarity, Outstanding Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Alumni; senior investment strategist and global head of ESG at CenterSquare. She is a 2014 graduate of the Smeal College of Business with bachelor of science degrees in finance and accounting, with honors in accounting. She also holds a masters degree in accounting from Penn State.
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Zoe Roane-Hopkins, Outstanding Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Alumni; landscape designer and associate placemaker/lead project designer at EnviroCollab / Graham Projects. She graduated in 2019 from the College of Arts and Architecture with a bachelor of arts degree in landscape architecture, with honors.
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Jason Wendle, Outstanding Scholar Alumni; director at the Global Development Incubator. He is a 2001 graduate of the College of the Liberal Arts with a bachelor of arts degree in English, with honors.
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Suzanne Zakaria, Outstanding Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Alumni; litigation associate at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. She graduated in 2014 from the College of the Liberal Arts with bachelor of arts degrees in international politics and Spanish, with honors in international politics.
Additionally, Laurie Burgess will be presented with her Outstanding Scholar Alumni Mentor award from 2022. She is the retired co-chair of the Department of Anthropology at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institute. Burgess graduated in 1985 from the College of the Liberal Arts with a bachelor of arts degree in English, with honors.
The Outstanding Scholar Alumni Award recognizes the contributions of graduates who have demonstrated exemplary leadership skills, professional achievement, and a passion for lifelong learning. The honorees’ work help deliver on the Honors College’s mission of achieving academic excellence with integrity, building a global perspective, and creating opportunities for leadership and civic engagement. Recipients are selected by the Scholar Alumni Society Board.
The Outstanding GOLD Scholar Alumni Award is given to graduates who, within their first decade of graduating with honors from Penn State, showcase high levels of professional achievement and leadership in support of Schreyer’s mission. GOLD Scholar Alumni Award honorees are also selected by the Scholar Alumni Society Board.
The Outstanding Scholar Alumni Mentor Award acknowledges Scholar alumni who have generously given their time and shared their experiences with Scholars through the Mentoring with Honors program. Nominations for this award are submitted by mentees in Schreyer’s Mentoring with Honors program and honorees are selected by the Scholar Alumni Society Board.
The awards are commemorated by the presentation of a replica Lion Shrine statue or a framed drawing of Atherton Hall, home to Schreyer Honors College at University Park.