Twelve Syracuse University seniors named 2010 University Scholars

Twelve graduating seniors have been designated as Syracuse University Scholars. This designation is the highest undergraduate academic honor bestowed at the University.

The University Scholars represent the entire SU graduating class at the May 16 Commencement ceremony. On April 29, the scholars took part in a reception at the Chancellor’s Residence hosted by SU Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor, at which time they received special medallions to be worn at Commencement.

Criteria used by the SU Scholars Selection Committee—a University-wide faculty committee—to select 2010 scholars includes course work and academic achievement, creative work, a personal statement and a faculty letter of recommendation. Additionally, says Kenneth Johnson, chair of the selection committee and assistant professor of communications and rhetorical studies in SU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, the committee evaluates how each scholar has taken his or her knowledge and experience out of the classroom and engaged the world.

Additionally, nine seniors from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry have been named Departmental Scholars.

The 2010 University Scholars:

• Mari Angelica Allison, a bioengineering major in the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science (LCS), has done research work for the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at SUNY Upstate Medical University since her sophomore year at SU. Her internships have taken her to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center as a summer undergraduate research intern and to Merck & Co. Inc. as a Future Talent Program intern. A 2006 graduate of Oneonta High School, Allison plans to continue her studies in a bioengineering doctoral program as a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow.
• Kate Pettitt Callahan, a double major in nutrition science in the College of Human Ecology and policy studies in The College of Arts and Sciences, is a Remembrance Scholar and will serve as a senior class marshal during Commencement. She is also the recipient of an individual Chancellor’s Award for Public Engagement and Scholarship for academic service learning. Callahan’s passions for health, fitness and helping people spurred her participation in community service both on and off campus and in the Triathlon Club at SU, for which she serves as co-captain. Callahan is also a facilitator for Cookshop, a nutrition program for children, and a nutrition volunteer coordinator for the Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public and Community Service. She has worked as a nutrition counselor at the Lions Club Camp Hickory for children with diabetes. Callahan plans to pursue a career as a registered dietitian and public health advocate.
• Devin R. Dadigan, a triple major in economics, entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises, and finance in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, has served as a peer facilitator and Whitman student ambassador. A member of the national business honor society Beta Gamma Sigma, Dadigan has keen interests in start-up entrepreneurial enterprises and the financial side of sports. His educational endeavors have taken him abroad and back, including his work in a consulting capacity with South African underprivileged entrepreneurial businesses; working with Restoration Partners, a boutique merchant banking operation in London; and most recently, the British Basketball Association. After graduation, Dadigan plans to continue his career with Morgan Stanley.
• Sarah DiGiulio, a magazine journalism and political science double major in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and The College of Arts and Sciences, has served this year as a Remembrance Scholar, charged with leading the campus effort to honor and remember the victims of the 1988 Pan Am 103 tragedy. She has also served two years as editor in chief of What the Health magazine, a student-run periodical delivering nutrition, fitness and wellness news to SU students. DiGiulio also co-chaired this year’s Relay for Life fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Following graduation, DiGiulio plans to pursue a career in health journalism.
• Jennifer A. Gramer, a double major in history and art history with a French minor in The College of Arts and Sciences, is also a Coronat Scholar and a Remembrance Scholar. She will serve as a college marshal for Commencement. Though Gramer’s areas of interest in historical and art historical fields are eclectic, she is completing a thesis on the visual arts program under the Third Reich, with a close look at Nazi landscape paintings. After graduation, Gramer plans to return to Portland, Ore., to continue graduate studies in the field of art history, along with German and French.
• Scott Andrew Kuzdeba, a double major in electrical engineering and economics in the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science, is also a Remembrance Scholar and a college marshal for Commencement. Kuzdeba is a member of several campus groups, including the SU Student Chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, where he serves as president; chair of Excelerators; member of Pathfinder; and member of the engineering and economics honor societies, Tau Beta Pi and Omicron Delta Epsilon, respectively. Kuzdeba plans to work with the defense contractor BAE Systems in the company’s Engineering Leadership Development Program.
• Arielle R. Lever, a senior drama major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, is currently living and studying in Manhattan through the University’s Tepper Semester program. A Crown Scholar, she has spent two semesters abroad. For the South Africa Theater Project, Lever’s capstone project in the Renée Crown University Honors Program, she lived and worked in that country. She also previously spent a semester in London through the Department of Drama’s Globe Theatre program studying classical theater and Shakespeare. Lever has participated in several University organizations, including Starving Artists; the Black Box Players; and the Actors Workshop, which gives members of the community with disabilities an outlet for creative expression. She was honored as a recipient of a Chancellor’s Award for Public Engagement and Scholarship. Recently, Lever portrayed Anne Frank in a play presented by Syracuse Stage.
• Ekaterina Mozhaeva graduated summa cum laude from The College of Arts and Sciences in December 2009 with a degree in international relations and economics. Her academic interests include economic development and contemporary politics of Eastern Europe and Asia. Mozhaeva plans to pursue graduate studies after gaining professional experience in her field of interest. Born in Moscow, Russia, she moved to the United States at age 8. Mozhaeva currently resides in Clifton Park, N.Y.
• Laura Michelle Ondrich, a fifth-year architecture student in the School of Architecture, is a native of Fayetteville, N.Y. She has spent several of her undergraduate years at the University designing and building a house in Syracuse’s Near Westside neighborhood. A Crown Scholar, Ondrich is currently working on her thesis, which examines the role architecture can and does play in the Israeli Palestinian conflict.
• Amy E. Rabideau, a double major in chemistry and biology in The College of Arts and Sciences, is also a student in the Renée Crown University Honors Program. A published researcher, she has been working in associate professor of chemistry Robert Doyle’s laboratory for the past three years to develop B vitamin-based imaging agents for early detection of cancer. Rabideau will serve as a college marshal during Commencement. Both a Crown and Remembrance Scholar, she was also named a 2009-10 Astronaut Scholarship recipient for research and academic excellence. Rabideau plays clarinet in the SU Marching Band and the Sour Sitrus Society basketball pep band; volunteers at the Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital; and serves on the Student Peer Advising executive board for Arts and Sciences. Following graduation, Rabideau plans to pursue doctoral studies in biological chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with support from a 2010 National Science Foundation graduate research fellowship.
• Sara L. Scribner, a double major in inclusive elementary and special education and history in the School of Education and The College of Arts and Sciences, will serve as a college marshal for Commencement. During high school, her experiences volunteering with individuals with developmental disabilities piqued her interest in inclusive education. In her second major, Scribner concentrates on American history. Following graduation, Scribner will continue graduate studies at SU’s School of Education, working toward a master’s degree in inclusive special education for individuals with severe and multiple disabilities.
• George J. Williams, an international relations and magazine journalism double major in The College of Arts and Sciences and the Newhouse School, is a Crown Scholar and a Remembrance Scholar. He has traveled and studied in Chile, Ecuador and Mexico, returning to the United States with a fluency in Spanish and an appreciation for Latin American culture. During his years at SU, Williams served as a Newhouse peer advisor, helped conduct research on the city’s Latino population, and worked to protect the rights of undocumented immigrants. Through his experiences abroad, in the classroom and in neighboring Syracuse communities, Williams has seen the importance of diversity and has acquired a passion for social justice and collective action. Following graduation, he plans travel to Spain as a Fulbright Scholar, teaching English.

The Departmental Scholars of the SUNY-ESF Class of 2010 are:

• Justine R. Schmidt, Department of Chemistry;
• Timothy J. Robinson, Department of Construction Management and Wood Products Engineering;
• Lynne E. Beaty, Department of Environmental and Forest Biology;
• Kallistia Giermek, Division of Environmental Science;
• Alexander W. Umstead, Department of Environmental Studies;
• Jennifer Baschmann, Department of Environmental Resources and Forest Engineering;
• Timothy Day, Department of Forest and Natural Resources Management;
• Jack Daniel Rader, Department of Landscape Architecture; and
• Bryan F. Cohen, Department of Paper and Bioprocess Engineering.

SUNY-ESF department honors will be bestowed upon students in each of the college’s discipline areas during convocation exercises on Saturday, May 15. SUNY-ESF President Cornelius B. Murphy Jr. will present medallions to the Departmental Scholars.