Graduating Students Honored at Commencement
Several members of the Tompkins Cortland Community College Class of 2019 have been honored for academic achievement, community involvement, and personal success.
The 2019 Alumni Award for a graduate who has demonstrated academic achievement, volunteer service, and leadership on behalf of the College went to Sage Garrison of Odessa.
The Athena Art Award, established by Professor Emeritus Mary Kelly to honor a graduate with high achievements in the graphic design program, went to Amy Callahan of Ithaca.
The Henrietta K. Stoeppler Award was given to Kialisha Emerson of Ithaca. This award, established by Professor Emeritus Dr. Lucille Baker in 1986 in honor of her mother on her 100th birthday, goes to an outstanding non-traditional female graduate with the highest GPA in liberal arts who intends to complete a baccalaureate degree.
The Spirit of Nursing/Linda Reynolds Memorial Award went to Hallie Neville of Groton and Oluwatayo Odeyemi of Ithaca. The award, in memory of Linda Reynolds, honors nursing students who have demonstrated perseverance, enthusiasm, and a positive attitude in his/her studies.
The Kathryn A. Dunham, RN Memorial Award was presented to Donald Parks III of Cortland. This award is given to a nursing student who exhibits excellent patient care skills.
The Florence Nightingale Award went to Karlee VanWagenen of Truxton. This award recognizes demonstrated nursing excellence in clinical practice.
The Tompkins Cortland Community College Nursing Faculty Award for demonstrated academic and clinical excellence in the holistic care of clients went to Barbara Smith of Lodi and Ashley Van of Ithaca.
Jamie Ruffo of Binghamton and Erica Barhite of Homer received the Looseleaf Publishing Company Award. Sponsored by Looseleaf Law Publications, the award honors students who have shown outstanding dedication and enthusiasm in attaining a paralegal or criminal justice degree.
The Hushang Bahar Award was presented to John Corbin of Lansing and Angharad Gilly of Ithaca. This award, established in memory of the College's founding president, recognizes a member of the College community who has achieved significant personal accomplishments. The criteria include overcoming challenges and obstacles to excel.
The West Publishing Company Award went to Courtney Olsen of North Chili and Joylene Black of Groton. The award, sponsored by West Publishing, recognizes outstanding scholastic achievement in paralegal studies.
The Theodore J. Szymanski Award went to Jaylin Hayes of Yonkers and Elizabeth Hatch of Homer. The award honors the memory of Theodore Szymanski, a faculty member at the College for 28 years. The award recognizes the perseverance and academic achievement of a graduating student who began his or her career by taking primarily pre-college courses.
The Central Counties Professional Nurses Association Award was presented to RayeLynn Kurtz of Cincinnatus. The award is presented to a nursing student who has shown leadership in nursing activities and lives in the New York State Nursing Association’s District 4 region.
The Twin Tiers County Award was presented to Terezska Korinek of Ithaca. The award is presented to a who has shown leadership in nursing activities and lives in the New York State Nursing Association’s District 3 region.