Syracuse University names 2008 University Scholars

Syracuse University names 2008 University ScholarsApril 29, 2008SU News ServicesSUnews@syr.edu

Twelve graduating seniors at Syracuse University have received the highest undergraduate academic honor bestowed by the University — designation as Syracuse University Scholars. Additionally, three SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry seniors have been designated SUNY-ESF Scholars.

These scholars represent the entire graduating class. At an April 24 reception at the Chancellor’s Residence hosted by Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor, the University Scholars received special medallions to be worn at Commencement on May 11.

To begin the process of selecting this year’s cohort, the Syracuse Scholars Selection Committee members reviewed materials submitted from a group of about 30 students nominated from each of SU’s schools and colleges. Nominees provided personal statements, writing samples and creative material or published research, depending on their majors and interests. A letter of recommendation accompanied each portfolio.

Committee members considered the course and impact of each candidate’s education and professional development, primarily in a broader-than-academic sense. Jerome Dusek, psychology professor in The College of Arts and Sciences, chaired the 2008 selection committee.

Following are the 2008 University Scholars:

Allison L. Baker, a magazine journalism major in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications with a minor in political science, worked on two student publications, serving as editor in chief of the weekly campus magazine The Student Voice and as features editor of the monthly Jerk Magazine. She also served as a Newhouse peer advisor and as secretary of Ed2010, a campus networking group for aspiring magazine editors. Baker’s work placed first in the Rolling Stone College Journalism Competition and received a Society of Professional Journalists Region 1 Mark of Excellence Award. Baker also holds a Maria Riccardi Scholarship for outstanding woman in journalism and the Louise Schiavoni Prize for an outstanding woman in communications.

Allison R. Black, an illustration major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts with a minor in fine arts, has studied abroad in Italy and India and has seen her artwork inspired by the colors, people, architecture, food and animals of those places. A member of the Renee Crown University Honors Program and recipient of a Crown Scholarship, which helped fund her Honors Capstone Project, Black had artwork selected by the Syracuse Poster Project for display in downtown Syracuse.

Julia I. Dalton, a fifth-year senior in the School of Architecture, is the recipient of a Chancellor’s Scholarship and a member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, and has received two Chancellor’s Awards for Public Engagement and Scholarship. She also placed third in SOA’s 2006 Leadership by Design Prize competition. Dalton has worked as part of the SOA Community Design Center to create a neighborhood revitalization plan for Syracuse’s South Side neighborhood and is part of the interdisciplinary student team that developed the M-LAB, a mobile literacy arts bus transformed from a used RV into a mobile classroom for Syracuse public schools. Dalton participated in a design/build project on the Mississippi Gulf Coast run by Design Corps/BaSiC Initiative and interned with the nationally recognized architectural firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson.

Roslyn Esperon, a dual major in art history and English in The College of Arts and Sciences, carries a minor in South Asian studies. As a Coronat Scholar, she has studied in Spain, Ireland, Italy, Brazil and India. Esperon worked with the Delavan Art Gallery, Contemporary Art Gallery and the former student film organization Thursday Screeners. She is also a Remembrance Scholar, college marshal and a Phi Beta Kappa member.

Kathleen R. Gill, a dual major in geography and French in The College of Arts and Sciences, is also a Renee Crown University Honors Program student. She has been an active member of the International Young Scholars refugee tutoring program, Geography Club and SU Abroad. Representing the group of University Scholars, Gill will deliver a Commencement address.

April F. Hace, a triple major in retailing, marketing and finance in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and the College of Visual and Performing Arts, is the president of Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) on the SU campus, a student organization that conducts projects in the community to spread the principles of free enterprise.

Thomas P. Hackman, a political science, economics and policy studies triple major in The College of Arts and Sciences, is a Coronat Scholar, a college marshal, recipient of a Chancellor’s Award for Public Engagement and Scholarship and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He interned with the New York Public Interest Research Group and has served as a University senator and a tutor for Nottingham High School students studying advanced placement world history. He plays mellophone with the Sour Sitrus Society pep band and has played the Crouse College carillon as a member of SU Chimemasters.

Sarah Christina Leahy, a double major in marketing in the Whitman School and advertising in the Newhouse School, also carries a psychology minor. A Remembrance Scholar, she is a member of Alpha Phi Omega, a national co-ed service fraternity, and volunteers with Habitat for Humanity. A college marshal and a member of University 100, she studied abroad in London. Recognized as both a Whitman and Newhouse Scholar, she serves on the management team of The NewHouse, the new student-run advertising agency.

Robert J. Magliaro, an economics, international relations and policy studies major in The College of Arts and Sciences, is also a Remembrance Scholar, an Anthony Yeh Scholarship recipient and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He was a Leadership Intern with the Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public and Community Service, working with a community geographer to provide maps and spatial analysis for nonprofit organizations and community groups in the city of Syracuse. Magliaro, who studied abroad in Hong Kong, also worked with OrangeSeeds, the Student Association Finance Board and the Division of Student Affairs Civic Engagement and Sustainability Council. Magliaro’s summer internships in local government include the Pennsylvania Governor’s Office of Health Care Reform and, in Syracuse, the Office of the Mayor.

Julianne Pepitone, a magazine journalism and psychology major in the Newhouse School and The College of Arts and Sciences, has written for and edited several campus publications, as well as national media, including Popular Mechanics. Her profile article of a soldier injured in Afghanistan won first place in the feature-writing category of Rolling Stone’s College Journalism Competition. The editor in chief of Equal Time magazine, Pepitone is a Remembrance Scholar and will graduate summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.

Stephanie H. Rivetz, a Spanish major in The College of Arts and Sciences and a television, radio and film major in the Newhouse School, carries a music industry minor and will be inducted as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. The recipient of a Founder’s Scholarship, Rivetz is a Fulbright grant finalist, a Newhouse Scholar and college marshal. She was the student speaker at the Newhouse 3 dedication ceremony and was active in Marshall Street Records, a student-run record label. Rivetz taught English as a second language when studying abroad in Madrid, Spain, and has served as a Newhouse peer advisor and a member of the University 100, and was part of the Breakfast Club, a peer mentoring program at Levy Middle School in Syracuse. Her professional internships include Citi Smith Barney and NBC’s “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.”

Sarah Elizabeth Galaini Wraight, an anthropology major with minors in French, religion and geography in The College of Arts and Sciences, is a Coronat Scholar and a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Phi Beta Kappa. She has been a volunteer with Vera House Inc., a Syracuse-based organization that offers support and advocacy for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

The SUNY-ESF Scholars will be presented medallions by President Cornelius B. Murphy Jr. They are Christopher Schalk, an environmental science major; Christopher Thompson, a wildlife science major; and Rosanna M. Stoutenburg, a biotechnology major.