Syracuse University to honor 2002-03 Remembrance Scholars at Nov. 1 convocation in Hendricks Chapel

Syracuse University to honor 2002-03 Remembrance Scholars at Nov. 1 convocation in Hendricks ChapelOctober 23, 2002Kelly Homan Rodoskikahoman@syr.edu

The 2002-03 Remembrance Scholars convocation, honoring 35 outstanding Syracuse University scholars from this year’s senior class, will be held Nov. 1 at 3:30 p.m. in Hendricks Chapel. The convocation honors the scholars and the victims of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

The Remembrance Scholarships, among the most prestigious scholarships awarded by the University, were founded as a tribute to, and a means of remembrance for, the 35 SU students who were killed in the Dec. 21, 1988, bombing while returning to the United States from a semester of study abroad.

The scholarships are funded through an endowment supported by gifts from alumni, friends, parents and corporations. Significant support for the Remembrance Scholarships has been provided by C. Jean Thompson ’66 and Richard L. Thompson G’67 in memory of C. Jean Taylor Phelan Terry ’43 and John F. Phelan, Jean Thompson’s parents, and by the Fred L. Emerson Foundation.

Applicants for the $5,000 Remembrance Scholarship were asked to highlight their academic achievements and their University activities, including community service. They also wrote essays and participated in interviews with members of the selection committee.

“It has always been our hope that the Remembrance Scholars would use their energy and skills to further the cause of world peace and dialogue among nations,” says David M. Rubin, dean of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and chair of the Remembrance Scholars Selection committee. “The shocking events of the past 14 months, and the increasingly fragile nature of relations between nations, make it all the more imperative that these Scholars leave the university determined to make a difference.”

During the convocation, a message from the Remembrance Scholars Selection Panel will be delivered by Jon V.C. Booth, deputy director of the Division of International Programs Abroad. A Remembrance Scholar will also speak on behalf of the group. The Remembrance Scholars will be presented by Rubin.

The Remembrance Scholars (and their majors) are: Erin Leigh Althen of Farmington, Conn. (music education); Shazia Ashraf Beg of Kashmir, India (biology); Alexandra N. Blom of Newbury, N.H. (policy studies/graphic design); Erin Rachel Bodine of Rochester, N.Y. (drama); Oti Berenice Bonilla of Syracuse (international relations); Meredith Wood Bowen of University Heights, Ohio (drama); Mandy Lynn Breitenbach of Verona, N.Y. (communication sciences and disorders); Lauren A. Campbell of New City, N.Y. (psychology/magazine); Jana M. Chandler of Fryeburg, Maine (policy studies).

Other recipients include Eric Michael Chapman of Wallingford, Pa. (political science/Spanish); Jonathan A. Conon of Moscow, Pa. (finance/economics); Zackery Christian Denfeld of South Windsor, Conn. (policy studies); Michelle L. Dudley of Portville, N.Y. (Spanish/selected studies); Britt Edward Faulstick of Saylorsburg, Pa. (political science/newspaper); Lisa Christine Geraci of Sanborn, N.Y. (inclusive elementary and special education); Michelle L. Gryszka of Churchville, Pa. (Spanish language and literature/broadcast journalism); Kristin Marie Hoesl of Oyster Bay, N.Y. (musical theatre); Lindsay Eden Hollinger of Gainesville, Fla. (illustration); Carrie R. Klotz of Cortland, N.Y. (biology); Melissa A. Krekel of Dover, N.J. (policy studies/television, radio and film).

Also, Alexis Larson of Reston, Va. (aerospace engineering); Latoya Leatrice Lawrence of Far Rockaway, N.Y. (child and family studies); Bolton J. Minnick of Moorestown, N.J. (political science/broadcast journalism); Katherine E. Moeller of Clinton, N.Y. (inclusive elementary and special education); Nissa Monrad of Chesterfield, Mo. (chemical engineering); Runjhun Nanchal of Safat, Kuwait (biochemistry/policy studies); Nicholas Saponara of Yonkers, N.Y. (architecture); Alexandra L. Snabon of Hamburg, N.Y. (music education); Ashwini Srikantiahof Sandy Hook, Conn. (television, radio and film); Khalid Tiawo Sumner of Brooklyn, N.Y. (information management and technology/finance); Dava Szalda of Kings Park, N.Y. (bioengineering); Corinne M. Toenniessen of Albion, N.Y. (music education); Douglas M. Weck of Wingdale, N.Y. (philosophy/biology); Danielle Zezulinski of Hillsborough, N.J. (communications design) and Jennifer Rebecca Zuccarelli of McKees Rocks, Pa. (policy studies/newspaper).