This past Friday, Weaver Chapel rung with praise at the sixth annual Honors Convocation, as members of the Wittenberg community gathered to recognize all of the countless hours of hard work students put in throughout their academic careers.
Capping off a day-long Celebration of the Liberal Arts, the campus community came together to celebrate the achievements of students and faculty members alike. The faculty commemorated the occasion in full academic regalia as the university recognized high achievement of students and faculty members in academic and co-curricular activities.
The audience gave a huge congratulation to the Alma Lux award recipient, Charles Samuel, ’19, and to the Alma Mater award winner, Rachel Wallace, ’19. These two awards are the highest honor bestowed upon a Wittenberg student, a selection committee choses five nominees based on their character and integrity, service to the community, concern for others and high level of scholarship representing standards of excellence on campus.For Alma Lux the Junior nominees were Loie Greenwood, Clayton Marsh, Charles Rodeheffer, Charles Samuel and Justin Unternaher. For Alma Mater the Junior nominees were Micaela Pohlabel, Rachel Porrello, Morgan Siefert and Isabella Wagner.
“Being named Alma Mater has been the highest honor I have ever received,” Wallace said. “I can honestly say it has changed the way I look at myself; I intend to hold myself to the highest standard and try to live out the ideals that are associated with the Alma Mater.”
Others were recognized during the event, President Michael Frandsen took the stage to announce the winners of the presidential scholars; this is an award named for each of Wittenberg’s 14 former presidents and is given to members of the junior class who have maintained the highest academic standing in their class though five semesters. These scholars were seated on stage and recognized for their hard work.
Frandsen then transitioned into the Department and Program awards to give recognition to the students who maintained a superior academic performance and outstanding community service in their course work and research.
“Winning this award means the world to me and I’m very thankful to all of the teachers that stuck with me throughout my time at Wittenberg,” Ryan Maguire, ’18 and winner of the Business Department’s Faculty Award for Excellence, said. “I think real world experience contributed to my success in the classroom.”
“I was very surprised and honored to represent the English Department,” Jayne Stone, ’18 and winner for the Award for Excellence in Literary Studies, said. “It reassures me that I am following a worthwhile pursuit in an age in which liberal arts are taking a back seat to technology and science. Writing is such an individual activity that outside reassurance that my writing is valuable to someone other than me really helps keep the fire fueled.”
The evening came to a conclusion with Casey Gill, Dean of Students, Amy Livingstone, Professor of History, introduced the winners of state and State and National award winners. From the Martin Luther King Jr Award – won by Mecca Abdul-Aziz, ’18, and Brandon Daniels, ’18, to The Environmental Sustainability Award, students were proud to be recognized by Wittenberg for their hard work and dedication.
