The 2023 Honors Convocation celebrated outstanding students who have excelled in the classroom and beyond.
During Friday's ceremony at the Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts, Associate Professor of Environmental Science Cinzia Fissore was honored with the 2023 Harry W. Nerhood Teaching Excellence Award. Named for Professor Emeritus of History Harry W. Nerhood, the award recognizes overall excellence in teaching. Fissore's work focuses on understanding the role of soil carbon in offsetting CO2 emissions to the atmosphere and, therefore, mitigating climate change.
Academic Achievement Awards
Undergraduate Fellowships
Ahmanson Veteran Fellowship
Vitalyi Tractenberg
Alianza de los Amigos-Ortiz Fellowship
Alexandria Amaya
Art & Technology Student Fellowship
Maria Caceres
Alejandro Chavez
Macy Miller
Misaki Saigusa
Jan and John ‘45 Cauffman Fellowship
Maria Caceres
Mary Davis Fellowship in Public Service
Lissa Castillo Higueros
Galilea Landa-Posas
The Fletcher Jones Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship
Casandra Avila
Ella Calder
Adriana Cox-Gonzalez
Riley Driscall
Conner Hoemann
Mursalle Khwajazada
Palmer Patel
Kiara Piaggio Hurtado de Mendoza
Charlotte Umstead
Fellowship on the High Seas
Aislinn Burley
Adriana Cox-Gonzalez
Gisselle Jimenez
Geraldine Serna
Leah Gibson
Lucia Piner
Veiva Piner
Micalah Katurah Harris
Roux Davies
Jan Lopez Wood Fellowship
Estasia McGlothlin
Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship
Damian Garcia
Alejandra Ortega
Shayla Sakkakhanaune
Richard M. Nixon Fellowship
Samira Pintado-Falero
Barbara Ondrasik ’57 and David Groce Fellowship
Kaelin Jacey Francisco
Leah Gibson
Madeline Ho
Bekezhan Zhaxylykov
Cathy Standiford Fellowship in Creative Writing & Journalism
Paige Meyer-Draffen
UniHealth Peer Health Educator Fellowship-Internship
Sion Chae
Lucy Corcoran
Elise Johnson
Sonali Ortiz-Casillas
Emily Perez-Medina
Ha My Pham
Ioana Podarita
Ian Ranches
Anh Ngoc Quynh Tran
Scholar Athlete Awards
College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Honorees
Basketball
Ethan Battistini
Kyra Davis
Alaina James
Bryden Lovdahl
Elizabeth Scriven
Football
Mark Martinez
Soccer
Michelle Abarca
Lawrence Dydell
Olivia Hamm
Alexis Huff
MacKenzie Reed
Tommy Yarbrough
Swimming
Geffen Chang
Nick Coltrin
Emily Loren Flores
Chloe Fung
Piper Guinn
Jenna Marsh
Volleyball
Analise Kusleika
Della Trimble
Departmental Awards
Humanities Division
Art & Visual Studies
Outstanding Students in Graphic Design
Olivia Gloriana Esparza
Jessica Kim
Allison Willrich
English Language and Literature
Outstanding Achievement in Creative Writing & Applied Media Studies
Angelica Escobar
Outstanding Academic Achievement in English Literature
Divya Rajagopalan
Outstanding Service to the Department
Jai Battle
Global and Cultural Studies
Outstanding Academic Achievement in Global and Cultural Studies
Jai Battle
Hypatia Pine
History
Outstanding Graduate in History
Grace Ellen Arnsparger
The Paul Moore ’04 and Allison Moore-Smith ’00 Teaching Scholarship
Grace Ellen Arnsparger
Modern Languages and Literatures
Outstanding Research in French
Elise Marie Hansen
Christian Alexander Payne
Outstanding Student in French
Marcella Anne Davidson
Shanti Nelson
The Martin Ortiz Award for Academic Excellence in Spanish
Alejandra Castillo
Talia Lauren Johnson
Imena Murguia
The Tara Molly Service & Leadership Award
Melanie Suzette Ortega
Music
Outstanding Performance in Music
Rita Benjelloun
Outstanding Scholarship in Music
Andrew R. Romero
Outstanding Service to the Department
Kyle McAuliffe
Philosophy
Outstanding Academic Achievement in Philosophy
Emilo Paredes
Sara Silva
Religious Studies
C. Milo Connick Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Religious Studies
Hypatia Pine
Ellis Walker
Outstanding Contribution to the Department
Hypatia Pine
Theatre, Film, and Communication Arts
Outstanding Academic Achievement in Design & Technology
Zyanya Gomez
Outstanding Academic Achievement in Film
Christian Alexander Payne
Outstanding Academic Achievement in Performance
Elijah Judd
Natural Sciences Division
Biology
Outstanding Academic Achievement in Biology
Rayba Shaw
Outstanding Academic Achievement & Research in Biology
Thomas Lyle-Temple
Outstanding Service to the Department
Jasmine Marron
Chemistry
The W. Roy Newsom Award in Chemistry
Madeline Ho
Undergraduate Research Award in Chemistry
Madeline Ho
Environmental Science
Outstanding Academic Achievement in Environmental Science
Duncan Charboneau
Alyssa Lesso
Outstanding Research in Environmental Science
Catherine Acosta
Mathematics
Outstanding Academic Achievement in Integrated Computer Science-Math
Pablo Alvarado
Outstanding Academic Achievement in Mathematics
Raymond Hartig
Outstanding Academic Achievement in Mathematics-Economics
Matthew Townsend
The Dr. Sharad V. Keny Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Angela Abou Zaki
The Pyle Prize Outstanding Graduate in Mathematics
Andrew Householder
Physics
Outstanding Academic Achievement in Physics & Astronomy
Andrew Householder
Undergraduate Research Award in Physics & Astronomy
Raymond Hartig
Outstanding Academic Achievement in Integrated Computer Science-Physics
Lucia Piner
Veiva Piner
Social Sciences Division
Anthropology
Outstanding Academic Achievement in Anthropology
Jona Niles Inniss
Melanie Suzette Ortega
Business Administration
Outstanding Graduate in Accounting
Fayze Rose Hindi
Outstanding Graduate in Finance
John Budd
Outstanding Graduate in International Business
Patrick Seelhorst
Outstanding Graduate in Management
Matthew Woods
Outstanding Graduate in Marketing
Kaden Timothy Symes
The Charles R. Laine Award for Outstanding Graduate in Business Administration
Alexandra Burke
The Murdy Writing Award
Payton Climer
The Richard T. Clawson Service Award
Natasha Sterling
Economics
The Gregory Woirol Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement in Economics
Amelia Bennett
Education and Child Development
Outstanding Academic Achievement in Child Development
Demi Ruiz
Outstanding Academic Achievement in Education
Angelica Maria Diaz
Hailey Schneider
Kinesiology
Outstanding Graduate in Kinesiology
Michelle Abarca
Outstanding Graduate in Pre-Physical Therapy
Marcella Anne Davidson
Outstanding Service to the Department
Lexy Rae Clark
Political Science
The Burnett-Bergerson Political Science Award
Ashley Danielle Duenas Ocampo
Angelica Escobar
Melina Martinez
Psychological Sciences
Outstanding Academic Achievement in the Psychological Sciences
Olivia Hamm
Isabella Ortega
Catherine Christina Yin
Outstanding Service to the Department
Micaela Alysse Chavarin
Beverly Kao
Isabella Ortega
Social Work
Outstanding Academic Achievement in Social Work
Darleen Jae Combate Berberabe
Anna Disser
Outstanding Service in Social Work
Ana Paola Saldana
Sociology
The Charles J. Browning Prize in Sociology
Jayson Smith
Outstanding Student in Sociological Praxis
Javier Macias Jr.
Interdisciplinary Programs
Africana & Black Studies
Outstanding Academic Achievement in Africana & Black Studies
Larissa Belle Carr
Environmental Studies
Outstanding Academic Achievement in Environmental Studies
Hypatia Pine
Gender Studies
Outstanding Academic Achievement in Gender Studies
Jilly Crane-Mauzy
Melina Martinez
Coda Sturkie
Our Story Black Oral History
The Dr. Thelma Eaton Award for Scholarship in the African American Community
Jai Battle
The Dr. Thelma Eaton Award for Service to the African American Community
Jayson Smith
Public Health
Outstanding Academic Achievement in Public Health
Amelia Bennett
Fernando Ramirez
Whittier Scholars
Outstanding Graduates in the Whittier Scholars Program
Lachlan Davidson
Dayquan Moeller
Ellis Walker
Outstanding Service to the Whittier Scholars Program
Madeline Carmella Acosta
Allison Willrich
The Whittier College Writing Program
First Year Writing Prizes
Anna Gaber
Monze Meraz-Lerma
Outstanding Writing Consultant
Hypatia Pine
Outstanding Contributions to First Year Programs
Marcella Anne Davidson
Kaden Timothy Symes
Service and Leadership Awards
Associated Student of Whittier College Awards
Key to the College Award
Evan Josten
Marilyn Veich Award
Francisco Gomez
Richard B. Harvey Award
Patricia Pint
