DALLAS, Pa. — Penn State Wilkes-Barre held its 33rd annual Celebration of Academic Excellence on April 28 to recognize students who have excelled in their academic endeavors throughout the year.
Welcoming remarks were provided by Lynda Goldstein, interim chancellor, chief academic officer and associate professor in English. Academic achievement awards were presented by campus faculty and staff.
Award recipients were as follows:
President Sparks Award: Cloe Mazzatosta, Cristina Orozco and Victoria Smith.
President Walker Award: Hailey Carey, Alyssa Hopple, Kayla Hopple, Garrett Porasky, Raven Rickard, Denali Sharp, John Stone and Darren Wyffels.
Samuel Valick Administration of Justice Award at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, given to a senior in the administration of justice program who achieved the highest grade-point average in the program during their senior year: Robert Mastropole.
College Academic Achievement Awards are given to the top student in a college regardless of their major. Students must be in their last spring semester at the Penn State Wilkes-Barre campus, or changed assignment in the previous summer or fall semester, and have a minimum of 24 credits completed and a minimum 3.33 cumulative GPA. Recipients were:
- College of Earth and Mineral Sciences: Jacob Miller.
- College of Engineering: Ian Atkinson.
- College of Health and Human Development: Brystal Hardiman.
- College of Liberal Arts: Victoria Smith.
- Smeal College of Business: Emma Sands.
Program Academic Achievement Awards are given to top students in their last semester at Penn State Wilkes-Barre before completing their degree, or who have satisfactorily completed their degree requirements at the conclusion of the previous summer or fall semester. Students must have a minimum of 45 credits completed at the Wilkes-Barre campus for baccalaureate students or a minimum of 24 credits for associate degree students, and a minimum 3.33 cumulative GPA. Recipients were:
- Associate in Business Administration: Elizabeth Hulbert.
- Bachelor of Arts in Administration of Justice: Joseph Lesser.
- Bachelor of Science in Administration of Justice: Robert Mastropole.
- Bachelor of Science in Business: Joseph Stretch.
- Bachelor of Arts in Corporate Communication: Paul Gestl.
- Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Technology: Jacob Niewinski.
- Bachelor of Arts in English: Grant Loose.
- Bachelor of Science in Information Sciences and Technology: Tyler Edwards.
- Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation and Human Services: Danielle Rittenhouse.
- Bachelor of Science in Surveying Engineering: Gregory Ellsworth.
- Bachelor of Science in Surveying Engineering: Gerald Rusek.
Honors Program Awards also were presented. The honors program provides co- and extracurricular enrichment for selected members of the student body qualified on the basis of scholastic aptitude, test scores, and/or high school or college grade-point average. Recipients were Ian Atkinson, Chloe Gisewhite and Robert Mastropole.