Undergraduate Recognition Awards Spring 2021: Honoring Leadership and Service Through a Global Pandemic
It is our pleasure to recognize the recipients of the 2021 Undergraduate Recognition Awards for Excellence.
While we cannot join together in person to celebrate, we wanted to acknowledge our students' outstanding achievements. These individuals and groups have been awarded because of their exceptional involvement and service to the community despite the hardships brought on by the pandemic.
Started in 1982, this tradition is an important part of our Stony Brok University history that recognizes the academic and co-curricular success of our undergraduates. These awards were based upon nominations from the Stony Brook campus community, resulting in 21 individuals and 12 groups being selected by the Undergraduate Recognition Awards committee. Recipients are selected on the basis of their demonstrated excellence in our classrooms, laboratories, on the athletic fields, and in the community.
Our Stony Brook community would not be the same without the dedication and commitment these individuals and groups give.
Congratulations to all of the recipients! We are so proud of our Seawolves!
- Individual Awards
Justin Burns
Nominated by Briana D'Amico
Athletics
Sara Chin
Nominated by Kerry Smith
Athletics
Chelsie Deponte
Nominated by Isidro Fortuna
Athletics
Anne Green
Nominated by Steven Adelson
Center for Civic Justice
Rocio Jaico
Nominated by Keval Amin
College of Business
Ilunga Kadisha
Nominated by Kate Velys
Athletics
Matthew Kearney
Nominated by Gerarda Moore
Campus Residences
Hamza Khan
Nominated by Tracey Lorio, Deboral Zelizer , Stephanie Patterson, Patricia Martin
ATAS, SHTM/Health Science
Rebecca Kinsley
Nominated by Kate Velys
Athletics
Aakanksha Kirtane
Nominated by Valerie Moyer
Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies
Pui San Louis Lin
Nominated by Steven Adelson
SBU Food Pantry
Arthi Lokaiyan
Nominated by Joy Janzen
Linguistics Department
Sejal Mehra
Nominated by Ridha Kamoua
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Jennifer Mzobe
Nominated by Maria Nagan
Chemistry
Oscar Ng
Nominated by Matthew DeCarlo
Student Centers
Jaydan Philogene
Nominated by Maria Nagan Chemistry 
Ashley Aquino Rivera
Nominated by Erin Giuliano
Civil Engineering
Jordan Roiland
Nominated by Joseph Mitchell
Applied Mathematics & Statistics
Tobi Somorin
Nominated by Judy Greiman
Office of the President
Julio Taku
Nominated by Patrice Nganang
Africana Studies
Abdul Wahid
Nominated by Amber Serrano
Campus Residences
- Group Awards
2020-2021 Health Science Student Leaders
Because of the unusuality of the school year during Covid, a group of student members were formed to become the voice of the Health Science student body. These groups of students helped to communicate concerns of their fellow peers as well as plan programs, work collaboratively with administration, and helped to resolve issues. Their level of commitment to the community is deserving of recognition.
Nominated by Deborah Zelizer
SHTM/Health Science
All Accelerated and Basic Baccalaureate Nursing Students Vaccination Pod Initiative
The Nursing students jumped into action when the hospital needed help with the mass NYS vaccination effort. They courageously spent their winter break helping the process of vaccinations across Long Island to prevent the spread of the virus, fighting a daily battle.
Nominated by Janet Galiczewski
School of Nursing
American Marketing Association
The American Marketing Association provided workshops, mentoring sessions and career development opportunities for students during a time where it was easy to feel disconnected due to the pandemic. Their sense of leadership and ability to foster community is commendable.
Nominated by Stacey Finkelstein
College of Business
Black Student Athlete Huddle (Steering Committee)
Members of the Black Student Athlete Huddle as well as the Steering Committee came together to organize the Black Lives Matter during times of heightened sensitivity to raise awareness on police brutality and systemic racism. They also formed partnerships across the University which fostered a greater community on campus.
Nominated by Isidro Fortuna
Athletics
Commuter Assistants
When the University transitioned into remote learning, forcing an unprecedented record of the commuter student population, the Commuter Assistants were one of the first people to provide communication, mentorship, support, and a sense of normalcy to the student population. They helped prepare PPE kits to students as well as make phone calls, becoming a reliable support system for students.
Nominated by Nicole Chiuchiolo
Student Life: Commuter Student Services & Off-Campus Living
The Inter-Fraternity & Sorority Council (IFSC)
During the pandemic, the IFSC hosted the annual "WolfieThon" virtually. Despite the pandemic, the students took leadership in helping the fundraiser take place, raising over $20,000 to be donated to families in need. In addition to the fundraiser, students in the IFSC continued to coordinate blood drives, food drives, host workshops and became exemplary leaders.
Nominated by Samantha Thompson
Student Engagement and Activities
International Peer Mentoring Program
The mentors in the International Peer Mentoring program overcame time and cultural differences to commit themselves in helping the international student community. Their resilience to help their mentees during times of uncertainty truly showed their character and their ability to adapt to every circumstance.
Nominated by Trista Lu
Office of Global Affairs
Medical Device Innovation Clinic: A Vertically Integrated Project Team
During the Spring of 2020, the Vertically Integrated Project Team created devices to improve the safety of healthcare providers as well as building a device to help paramedics practice stimulated diagnostic ultrasounds, improving the quality of medical attention patients receive.
Nominated by Lauren Maloney,
Emergency Medicine, Biomedical Engineering
Peer Mentoring
Throughout the past year, the Psychology Peer Mentors have played a vital role in helping to connect and welcome new students to the community. They helped to provide academic as well as social support, fostering relationships with social events as well as weekly office hours. These groups of students truly made a difference in bringing students together.
Nominated by Hoi-Chung Leung
Psychology
SASC Front Desk Staff
Over the past year, the SASC Front Desk staff have served as leaders, volunteers, and support systems within the community as they continued to manage SASC throughout the pandemic, developed workshops and help boost the morale of those around them.
Nominated by Thaddeus Nelson
Student Accessibility & Support Center
The Statesman
The Statesman were able to provide reliable news to the University and the Stony Brook community despite the difficulties of Covid-19. Their perserverance in story-telling during the pandemic showed their level of professionalism and courage.
Nominated by J.D. Allen
School of Communications
Student Engagement & Activities Event Coordinators
The Event Coordinators at the Student Engagement & Activities Center worked endlessly to commit themselves to student programs throughout the past year. They have created weekly programs while dealing with the pandemic. Their energy to serve the students and the team have been inspiring.
Nominated by Rebecca Seifter
Student Engagement & Activities Center