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Award winners, left to right: Cassandra Pingree, Michelle Cowin-Gantz, Lori
Marchessault, Elizabeth Waverly-Tinsley, Llyod Duck, Carolyn Taylor, Michael Anziloti,
and Corinne Kosbob.
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Alumni Celebration Recognizes Outstanding Students and Faculty
By Kiley Cogis
Each year, the George Mason University Alumni Association honors its outstanding members and also presents scholarships and awards to deserving students at its annual Celebration of Distinction. On Tuesday, April 2, the following students were honored at a dinner in the Johnson Center Sid and Reva Dewberry Hall.
Cassandra Pingree, a communications major, received the Senior of the Year
Award for her integrity, high ethical standards, and leadership qualities. For
more on Pingree, see Spotlight On Graduates.
The Peter C. Forame Student Leader Scholarship was awarded to Lori Marchessault,
a second-year integrative studies major with a concentration in dance therapy
and women's studies. She has taken on leadership positions in the Pride Alliance
and on the advisory committee for SafeZone project, a prejudice reduction and
tolerance program for the university. As a member of the Body Image and Eating
Disorder Task Force, she produced and directed Reflections, a show emphasizing
body image. She is also a resident advisor, plays on George Mason's field hockey
team, and serves on the Student Senate.
Elizabeth Waverly Tinsley, a first-year foreign language major, received the John C. Wood Scholarship. Tinsley, who works part time to raise money for her tuition, is committed to improving herself through education. She is a member of the National Honor Society and the German and Math Honor Societies, and a volunteer for Al Gore's presidential campaign, the Women's Center, and Pride Alliance. She plans to become an interpreter and hopes to travel the world.
Michelle Cowin-Gantz, a graduate student in the Counseling and Development Program in the Graduate School of Education, was awarded the John C. and Louise P. Wood Graduate Scholarship for her independence and resilience in confronting adversity. A single mother of three young children, she has excelled academically while battling recurring bouts of cancer. She is active in the George Mason community, involved with the Women's Coalition, the Women's Studies Program, and the Health and Wellness Center. She has volunteered for the Prince William County Office on Youth and Office for Women and the West Gate Headstart Program.
Other student awardees that evening were Catherine Sevcenko, the Dean Engle Memorial Scholarship; Sunjeet S. Randhawa, the School of Law Alumni Chapter Scholarship; Diana Green and Myra Ceasar, New Century College Outstanding Internship Awards; Frouzan Kabiri, the Marie Gillman Nursing Scholarship; and Hiromi Akaya Robinson, the Malawer-Paden International Commerce and Policy Award.
In addition to recognizing outstanding students, the Alumni Association also
sponsors the Faculty Member of the Year Award. This year's recipient, Lloyd Duck,
is an associate professor in the Graduate School of Education. He joined George
Mason in 1973 and served as coordinator for secondary teacher education from 1984
to 1994. Duck has been a member and chair of the National Council for the Social
Studies' Religion in the Schools Committee, a vice president of the Virginia Educational
Studies Association, and an editorial advisory board member for the journal, Religion
and Education. He was honored for providing leadership, great teaching, and
genuinely caring advising for 28 years.
Another faculty member honored that evening was Rita M. Carty, dean of and professor in College of Nursing and Health Science (CHNS). For her leadership and for helping to establish the college's global reputation, she received the CHNS Alumni Chapter Honorary Alumna Award. |
