Three Catawba College graduates were honored as the Whitener Award recipients during the 10 a.m. ceremony, while one student was honored as the Barbara Andrews Award recipient during the 2 p.m.
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; ; ; ;Jill Archambault of Glens Falls, New York, was the female Whitener Award recipient. She majored in history and had at the time of her nomination to this award a 3.82 grade point average, consistently earning a place on both the Dean's List and the Presidential Honor Roll. At Catawba College's Awards Convocation last month, she was one of the recipients of the Elisabeth Scranton History Award, given to the student or students who has attained the highest academic average during his or her senior year and who represents the ideals of liberal scholarship in the area of history.
Her high academic standards gained her a spot in the Alpha Chi Honor Society and the Phi Epsilon Honor Society, where she served as secretary and treasurer. She was tapped for service to the college as a Junior Marshal and has also been a member of the College Honors program.
She has been a member of the women's field hockey team during her four years at the College and was recognized in 2006 and 2008 by being named to the National Division II Academic Squad by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association. She was a member of the Catawba Ambassadors, a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, a Telecounselor for Admissions, a
First-Year Seminar Alpha and Teaching Fellow, a tutor in the
Academic Support Center, and a work-student in the Education Department. She has also been a staff writer for The Pioneer, Catawba's student newspaper.
In recognition of her collegiate achievements, her name appears among those listed in Who's Who Among American College Students.
The male recipient of the 2009 Whitener Award, Jared Kenish, hails from Glassboro, New Jersey, and was very involved in the life of the college during his time at Catawba.
He majored in theatre arts and at the time of his nomination for this award, he had a 3.52 grade point average. In recognition of his outstanding academic performance, he was inducted into Alpha Psi Omega, the theatre honor society. He has served as a senator on the Blue Masque for three years and served two years on the board of the Philomathean Society. He has been active in the College Honors program during all of his years at Catawba. He has also participated in the Catawba Singers and has been a member of the Catawba Gay-Straight Alliance.
Barbara Andrews Award
Annually, Catawba recognizes the graduating senior in the School of Evening and Graduate Studies who most successfully embodies the attributes of character, leadership and scholarship with the Barbara Andrews Award. This award was established and named in honor of Barbara Andrews, the first director of this program at Catawba.
The selection is made by the Catawba College faculty from the six graduating seniors in the program with the highest grade point averages. Students eligible are those who have attended Catawba for at least two years and have earned a cumulative grade point average of at least a 3.5.
Richard Joseph Kolbasowski, Jr. of Rockwell, a native of New Jersey, was the 2009 recipient of the Barbara Andrews Medal. His award was presented during the 2 p.m. commencement exercise where he received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree after majoring in Information Systems. His cumulative GPA was 3.9712.
In April of 2006, he was tapped for membership in the Beta Sigma Chi Chapter of Alpha Sigma Lambda National Honor Society. He served as president of Catawba College's chapter of Alpha Sigma Lambda in 2007.
Kolbasowski began his studies in the School of Evening and Graduate Studies in the fall of 2004. Prior to enrolling at Catawba, he attended Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. A tool and die maker journeyman, he is employed full time as a machinist for Advanced Machining. He chose Information Systems as his major at Catawba because of his familiarity with and interest in computers.
He and wife Cynthia have two children, six-year-old Joseph and three-year-old Marik. In his spare time, Kolbasowski enjoys studying astronomy and playing the electric guitar.
RELATED CONTENT:
PHOTOS: 2009 GraduationEvents
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- 263 Students Graduate during Catawba College Commencement Exercises ;
- Special Award Recognitions ;
- Retiring Faculty Recognized at Commencement ;
- 2009 Graduates List ;
- Commencement Address ;
- Baccalaureate Service and Marshal's Walk ;
- Alpha Chi Spring Induction ;
- Graduation Information
