2023 Rockville Honors and Awards Convocation

Ms. Ayesha Adnan is a remarkable individual whose bright, articulate, and open-minded personality is evident in every aspect of her life. Her unwavering commitment to leadership and passion for making a difference in the world has been a driving force in all her endeavors, inspiring those around her to follow in her footsteps. With her ambition, passion, and enthusiasm, Ms. Adnan has become an outstanding student leader, making a significant impact on the Montgomery College community. Her many accomplishments and contributions have earned her the recognition and respect of her peers, mentors, and the wider academic community.

Ms. Adnan was recommended by the Rockville Campus Director of Student Life, Ms. Lisa Hackley, who describes Ms. Adnan as a quintessential student leader whose remarkable achievements and contributions made her an outstanding candidate for the 2023 Presidential Academic Excellence Award. Ms. Hackley notes that Ayesha has a unique ability to connect with students, faculty, and staff creating a sense of community that is felt throughout the Rockville Campus where Ayesha's leadership and dedication to service have been integral to the success of many campus programs and initiatives.

As a Student Senator and Chair of the Rockville Student Activities Board (SAB), Ayesha has overseen a diverse group of students and worked tirelessly to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in programming. Under her leadership, the SAB has organized successful events and programs that have enhanced the student experience and fostered a sense of campus community. Additionally, Ayesha is Vice President of the Muslim Student Association, Co-Chair of the Community Service Committee, and Editor-in-Chief of the Montgomery Advocate, which highlights her commitment to building community and promoting cultural awareness.

Apart from her leadership positions, Ms. Adnan also worked as a student aide at the Rockville Campus Office of Disability Support Services and interned at the Library of Congress. Her academic achievements are noteworthy as an international studies major with a 4.0 GPA, recognition through her induction into the Phi Theta Kappa, and acceptance into the Renaissance Scholars honors program. Ayesha's academic excellence and leadership skills have been recognized through several awards, including the Excellence in Anthropology Award, Excellence in Equity Award, Dr. Harry Harden Jr. Student Academic Excellence Award, and runner-up for the 2023 Board of Trustees Academic Excellence Award.

Ayesha's passion, enthusiasm, and leadership skills have greatly enhanced campus engagement and have earned her the admiration and respect of her peers, faculty, and staff. Her commitment to making a positive impact on the community is reflected in her tireless efforts to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion. She has volunteered for various community service initiatives, demonstrating her commitment to serving others and giving back to the community. Her dedication to leadership, academic excellence, and service to the community have made a significant impact on those around her, and she is truly deserving of this recognition.

The Rockville Campus is honored that she is the recipient of the 2023 Presidential Academic Excellence Award. 

(Nominated by Professors Tanya Allison and Tara Wallace)

Sophie A. Evans 
Sophie has continually grown as a student. Throughout her studies she exhibits an interest in the subject matter and performs above average on her cartographic assignments and projects. 

Brooke Chrzan Rinn (Nominated by Professors Molly Kunselman, Chantal Vilmar and Julie Priddy)
Brooke adds valuable input to discussions and brings previous professional experience to her academics. She sets a valuable example for others.

Carol Edwards (Nominated by Professors Molly Kunselman and Chantal Vilmar)
Carol is persistent, determined, and driven by purpose. She is willing to take extra steps to achieve goals and be successful.

Helen Federline (Nominated by Professors Molly Kunselman, Chantal Vilmar and Julie Priddy)
Helen balances multiple priorities including sports and academics, maintains the highest grades.  She is attentive and eager to grow.

Kiera Gulley (Nominated by Professors Molly Kunselman, Chantal Vilmar and Julie Priddy)
Kiera is an excellent, dedicated and ambitious student.  She receives top marks and seeks involvement and opportunities.

Esther Gutierrez (Nominated by Professors Molly Kunselman and Chantal Vilmar)
Esther is passionate about building trades and hands-on finishing skills necessary to implement interior design projects. Meaningfully involved in the interior design industry.

(Nominated by Professor Sara Parent-Ramos)

Ella Akakpo-Montcho
Ella demonstrates an enthusiasm and diligence in their approach to their artistic investigations in ceramics. Ella pushes their work both conceptually and in terms of process, with a curiosity that is contagious and a readiness to exchange ideas with their classmates.

(Nominated by Professor Lucy Derickson)

Eliza Clegg
Eliza is an incredible student whose artwork will be used to promote the Art Department for years to come. Eliza is a supportive peer and a determined artist with a creative impulse to produce highly crafted work that embraces and celebrates the complexity of existence in this moment.

(Nominated by Professor Judy Stone)

Tess Perez
Tess Perez is a very talented student with exceptional artistic skills, great imagination, outstanding patience, and superb work ethic, who strives to explore and innovate when working with different materials. Tess continues exploring and altering her design until she is completely satisfied with the composition, proportions, and forms.

(Nominated by Professors Molly Nuzzo)

Nicolle Corvacho
Nicolle is a thoughtful, curious, and driven artist, whose deep commitment to her art-making is evident in her high level of skill. In addition to her outstanding work, she has made notable contributions to the department through taking leadership roles within the classroom to help fellow students and in her involvement with the Student Art League.

(Nominated by Professor Sumita Kim)

Antonio Santiago-Perez
While enrolled in Painting I, Antonio excelled by absorbing instructions with a deeply perceptive mind and a tremendous level of intellectual curiosity. His work conveys powerful emotions and exceptional beauty.

(Nominated by Professor Amanda Miller)

Kyra McDonald
Kyra addresses all her Woodcut assignments with imagination and enthusiasm, developing thought-provoking visual imagery while exploring the expressive qualities of relief carving. Her finished projects show creativity, innovation, and technical sophistication, and her editions are printed with exceptional levels of craft and professionalism.  

(Nominated by Professor Zdeno Mayercak)

Katherine Sarah Meiselman
Sarah is a motivated, self-directed student with an extraordinary work ethic and an exceptional ability to concentrate on her artwork, tirelessly striving to improve her projects. She sets a standard of excellence in all her classes - actively engaged in group critiques and offering her insightful observations and valuable suggestions to her classmates.

Brianna Rose Brown (Nominated by Professor Ali Alavi)
Brianna is a driven, intelligent and agile business student with an excellent academic record. 

Hsiao-Chen Cheng (Nominated by Professor Brian Baick)
Amy has flourished in and out of the classroom. She a member of Montgomery College Enactus and contributes her time in and out of the classroom to help others.

Matthew M. Hassett (Nominated by Professor Richard Gottfried)
Matthew has stellar academic performance while tirelessly serves his communities.

Madeline G. Hishmeh (Nominated by Professor Ali Alavi)
Madeline is an outstanding business student. She has a passion for helping her community. She has excellent communication and interpersonal skills and exceptional academic performance. 

Amira F. Johnson-Taylor (Nominated by Professor Margaret Tabiri)
Amira’s performance in the class has been stellar, and she is an excellent contributor.  She currently has a 4.0 GPA majoring in Business with 39 GPA hours under her belt.

Nimesh S. Mahamalage (Nominated by Professor Brian Baick)
Nimesh is an outstanding student who excelled in accounting. He has been active in the Grounds to Ground project at the MBI Café, which is a program aimed at repurposing used coffee grounds to be used as fertilizer in our community.

Bryan C. Monteiro (Nominated by Professor Hoa Nguyen)
Bryan has stellar academic performance while tirelessly serves his communities.

Damilare Mumuney (Nominated by Professor Ali Alavi)
Damilare is a hardworking, intelligent and agile business student. She works very well individually and as a member of a team. She has worked at the student-run MBI café at the Rockville campus and participated in several outreach projects at MC.

Vartkaes Pamboukian ((Nominated by Professor Hoa Nguyen)
Vartkaes has stellar academic performance while tirelessly serves their communities.

Mariana Pinzon (Nominated by Professor Brian Baick)
Mariana has not only excelled academically but in service to the community.  She is Co-leader of the One Hen Project, which funds microloans to entrepreneurs in need around the world.

Kethaka S. Senerath Muhamdiramge Yattogoda (Nominated by Professor Brian Baick)
Kethaka has an exceptional academic record, and he has made great contributions to the campus community.  He is President of the Student Investment Club, and serves as a student member of the Montgomery College Foundation Board.  

Madison N. West (Nominated by Professor Ali Alavi)
Madison is an intelligent and driven business major. She shows a passion for learning. She has partaken in many extracurricular activities at MC. She has consistently demonstrated academic excellence throughout her studies at Montgomery College. 

Kevin Zheng (Nominated by Professor Richard Gottfried)
Kevin has stellar academic performance while tirelessly serves his communities. 

Rhamzy I. Achmad (Nominated by Professor Ali Alavi)
Rhamzy is an excellent business student. During his time at Montgomery College, he has actively participated in several extracurricular activities. Rhamzy currently serves as a MC Enactus co-president. In fall 2022 and spring 2023, he served as a Raptor Tank Business project co- leader.  

Rebecca Fuchs (Nominated by Professor David Youngberg)
Rebecca has stellar academic performance while tirelessly serves her communities.

Christina M. Jervay (Nominated by Professor Ali Alavi)
Christina is an exemplary MC student. During her time at MC, Christina has participated in many experiential learning activities and community service initiatives. She co-created the Barista Skills Training Course for the student-run MBI Café at the Rockville campus.  

Alana R. McCarthy-Light (Nominated by Professor Hoa Nguyen)
Alana has stellar academic performance while tirelessly serves her communities.

Deepica Premaratne (Nominated by Professor Brian Baick)
Deepica is an exceptional student.  She also held multiple leadership roles at the College; she was Co-leader of Raptor Tank for two years, and she was also the MC Student Trustee.

Renzo R. Rodriguez (Nominated by Professor David Youngberg)
Renzo has stellar academic performance while tirelessly serves his communities.

Aidan L. Uffelman (Nominated by Professor Brian Baick)
Aidan thrived in his business courses.  Outside of the classroom, he served as Co-President of MC Enactus, a Raptor Tank Co-leader, and as an officer in PTK.

Hollis X. Zimmerman (Nominated by Professor Hoa Nguyen)
Hollis has stellar academic performance while tirelessly serves his communities.

(Nominated by Professor Arthur Grinath)
The following students are very knowledgeable, write clearly and are engaged in classroom discussions.

• Noemi Emily Albarracin 
  
• Jessie Yuyang Feng
  
• Leonie Anna Mast

(Nominated by Professor Harry Singleton)
Outstanding academic performance. Has maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA.

• Allie Anindita
• Linda Monacelli

(Nominated by Mr. Steve Lang, Director, Macklin Business Institute)
The following students are awarded the MBI Scholar Award for excelling in the Macklin Business Institute's academic and experiential learning requirements.  MBI Scholar Award recipients must maintain above a 3.5 GPA and take a minimum of 16 honors credits, while also contributing over 100 total hours per semester to MBI initiatives such as the MBI Cafe, MC Enactus projects, and weekly non-credit seminars.

(Nominated by Professors Michael Gurevitz)

Tara S. Estrada
Tara has perfect academic performance, especially in Accounting courses.

Kurt B. Liming
Kurt has perfect academic performance, especially in Accounting courses.

(Nominated by Professor Nevart Tahmazian) 

Samiya Farhin 
Samiya is an intelligent, hard-working, highly organized, and polite student. As a new mother, she has perfect attendance and does a wonderful job multitasking and collaborating with others.

(Nominated by Dr. Tom Watt)

Arman Sagmanligil
Arman was an outstanding student in CHEM 132 in Fall 2022. His score of 68/70 on the ACS final exam places him in the 99th percentile of students nationwide.

(Nominated by Dr. Sripriya Seetharaman)

Behnam Alimohammadinafchi
The Wiley Chemistry award recognizes excellence in organic chemistry.  Behnam was a top student in Organic Chemistry I, earning an A in the course. He is a very bright student and currently taking CHEM 204.  

(Nominated by Dr. Rachel Ndonye)

Thi Van Thanh Thai
The Julius White Chemistry award recognizes overall achievement across the chemistry curriculum. Thi Van Thanh Thai is a Biological Science Major with a 4.0 GPA. She has earned As in all the chemistry courses and her score in the ACS exam in Organic Chemistry II placed her in the 98th percentile of students nationwide. 

(Nominated by Drs. Lan Xiang and Helio Zwi)

Alex Levy
Alex demonstrated an excellent performance in physics during the General Physics I and II courses. Both are university-level, calculus-based, very demanding physics courses. Alex demonstrated a very deep understanding of the material and of the way to present it in all course assessments, and also proved an exemplary student conduct, not only by attending every class, but mostly by actively participating, by answering questions and asking relevant ones.

(Nominated by Drs. Lan Xiang and Helio Zwi)

Sebastian Ashcallay

Sebastian Ashcallay, a winner of the Frank L Verwiebe Award, is a self-motivated student.  He works hard in studying and learning, always answers question quickly, correctly and thoroughly.  He is a person who can be successful in every position in the future. 

Phuong Calc Nguyen
Phuong Calc Nguyen, a winner of the Frank L Verwiebe Award, is always well-prepared and very serious about the learning.  

Willhelm Solorzano
Willhelm Solorzano, a winner of the Frank L Verwiebe Award, is a very intelligent and self-motived student.  He works hard himself and always helps his classmates whenever it's needed.

Laura Andrea Vargas Munoz
Laura Andrea Vargas Munoz, a winner of the Frank L Verwiebe Award, is high in academic performance and always performs her work at an exemplary level. 

Ange Patrick Yao
Ange Patrick Yao is a winner of the Frank L Verwiebe Award. He demonstrated outstanding academic achievement in Computer Engineering and his genuine love of learning and support for others. 

(Nominated by Professor Teri Hurst and Dr. Marianne Szlyk)

Aymen Abdella
Aymen showed significant growth in his ability to choose an interesting topic, develop a full-length argument essay, and support his argument with strong, library research. The differences between his first argumentative essay and the final draft of his final essay are remarkable, starting with his choice of a timely, interesting topic related to his Cybersecurity major but not ending there.

(Nominated by Professor Teri Hurst and Dr. Leah Sneider)

Eleanor Cook
Eleanor demonstrates not only excellent literary analysis skills but also sophisticated application of contextual knowledge that exceeds her peers.

(Nominated by Professor Teri Hurst and Jane Fidler)

Mariia Shakhova
The culmination of Maria’s writing was her Descriptive essay of her birth city, Kiev, which she wrote with tears streaming down her face as her country was being decimated. She made her beloved Kiev come alive, even in the midst of rubble and destruction. Maria’s growth in mastering writing skills in a language not her own is a tribute to her strength and resilience.

(Nominated by Teri Hurst and Susan Simpson)

Melissa J. Garcia
Melissa never misses class, is kind to everyone, and will help anyone if they are behind on their work because they were absent. She has the determination and grace of a very successful student.

(Nominated by Professor Teri Hurst and Jarvis Slacks)

Harry Holden Brown
Harry's writing shows the dedication and seriousness needed for anyone to pursue the art of fiction. Harry's gift of style and voice, along with their excellent and lyrical descriptions, show a talent far beyond their years.

(Nominated by Professor Teri Hurst and and Dr. Swift Dickison)

Naomi K. Louie
Naomi's gift is in grasping the apt metaphor and seeking oblique truths through resonating imagery; moreover, she possesses that rarity among emerging poets: a mature sense of tradition. Her poems find emotional terrain through moving and potent pathways, whether she is probing her personal history or drawing upon iconic moments in art and literature.

(Nominated by Professor Teri Hurst and Dr. Marianne Szlyk)

Jennyfer Simon
Jennyfer wrote an outstanding argument paper to a pro-life medical organization in an attempt to convince them to moderate their views.

(Nominated by Professor Diego Hernandez)

Gong Yu
Gong demonstrated extreme motivation throughout the semester by visiting my office hours at least once a week for the second half of the semester and always coming prepared with questions.  She was also often the only student to email me questions about ungraded homework assignments, sometimes going back and forth with me repeatedly as she tried to master grammar or word use topics we had covered in class. 

Sydney Babb (Nominated by Dr. Andree Betancourt)
Sydney was in my COMM 204 Interpersonal Communication class in the fall, and she's in my COMM 220 Small Group Communication class this semester. She's an amazing team member, and she's very creative and known for her fun PowerPoint designs!

Jacob Feingersh (Nominated by Dr. Andree Betancourt)
Jake was in my COMM 204 Interpersonal Communication class in the fall, and he's in my COMM 220 Small Group Communication class this semester. He's a dedicated team member, and he brings his unique life experiences into the classroom!

Pius Kitengie (Nominated by Professor Eman Shurbaji)
Pius was a student in my accelerated COMM 108 course this Spring 2023. He worked hard on his speeches and the Group Project Paper, and had excellent attendance. His contributions to class discussions were interesting and engaging. It was a pleasure having him in class.

Michaela Meek (Nominated by Professor Dean Schleicher)
Michaela’s perseverance in the face of adversity is commendable.  She is most deserving of recognition.

Emily Owens (Nominated by Professor Janet Zeide)
In addition to being an incredible team player, always offering help, guidance, and empathy to her fellow students, Emily is an enthusiastic learner and leader, who gives her all to every assignment.  For example, her informative speech this semester was presented with poise, tremendous verve and charm. The content was researched, well worded, relatable and insightful, and more!

Zara "Addie" Poulsen (Nominated by Dr. Andree Betancourt)
Addie was in my COMM 204 Interpersonal Communication class in the fall, and she's in my COMM 220 Small Group Communication class and my COMM 108 Foundations of Human Communication this semester. She's a hard-working team member, and she's very organized and creative!  

Maxwell Salzman (Nominated by Dr. Andree Betancourt)
Max is in my COMM 204 Interpersonal Communication class in the fall, and he's in my COMM220 Small Group Communication class this semester. He's an enthusiastic team member, and he's always smiling and ready to share a great example in class!

Jack Steggles (Nominated by Dr. Andree Betancourt)
Jack is in my COMM 204 Interpersonal Communication class in the fall, and he's in my COMM 220 Small Group Communication class this semester. He's a loyal team member, and he always adds humor to the class and a colorful British perspective.

(Nominated by Dr. Maureen Edwards)

Paige Weidemeyer
Paige is an excellent student who demonstrates the fundamental skills necessary for success in the field.  She is organized, compassionate, has great interpersonal skills and is able to problem solve effectively.

(Nominated by Dr. Joanna Kilby)

Peyton Reynolds
Peyton has grown and developed during her time in the Community Health Program. She was accepted into the SJILI and presented an outstanding project. She has just been awarded the Women’s and Gender Studies Scholarship.

(Nominated by Professor Lakisha Nickens-Gaither)

Kristin N. Klemann
Kristin is an exemplary student that has demonstrated outstanding academic achievement and leadership.

(Nominated by Professor Petula Alvaradous-Phillander)

Nahum R. Iraheta
Nahum is an excellent student who demonstrated leadership through his services to the Montgomery College.

(Nominated by Dr. Nathan Zook)
The award is given to students who excelled in the Political Science Human Rights course in a manner that promoted peace studies.

• Yasmine Abdelkarim
• Jonah Albert

(Nominated by Dr. Michelle Moran)

Josephine Faulk
Josephine is an outstanding student who consistently has shared her insightful historical analyses in both class discussions and engagingly written papers. She was selected to present her work at the MC Humanities Students’ Cherry Blossom Conference this past April.

(Nominated by Dr. Nathan Zook)

Stephanie Garcia
An international studies major, Stephanie Garcia has excelled in both history and political science coursework, including Political Ideologies, Comparative Government, and US and World Affairs.

Giuditta Herber
Giuditta is a native of Switzerland and an International Studies major, and has performed superbly in a variety of history and political science courses including Middle Eastern History, International Studies, and Politics in action.  She served on MC's Model UN team.

Bianca Pinheiro
Bianca Negri Pinheiro is an international study major who has excelled in her political science and history courses including Latin American History, International Relations, and Politics in Action.  She was a member of MC's Model UN team.

Karen Gallego Ulloa
An international studies major, Karen Ulloa has performed admirably in a wide variety of history and political science coursework including Human Rights, International Relations and Politics in Action.  She was a member of MC's Model UN team.

(Nominated by Professor Ingrid Brown-Scott)

Abigail Guevara
Abigail’s presence in the classroom is a valuable addition to the learning environment, she is able to grasp difficult mathematical concepts and ideas quickly, and is a person of high character.

Luis F. Lujan
Luis Lujan has demonstrated a real intuitive understanding of linear algebra concepts, and in this way, he contributes greatly to the class during class discussions. It is a pleasure having him as a student.

(Nominated by Professor Ingrid Brown-Scott)

Ben Milstein
Ben is a wonderful example of a student who doesn’t discover their passion for, and ability in, mathematics until reaching college, but then takes full advantage of everything our program has to offer – and in Ben’s case, it really is almost everything. 

Andre K. Achee
Andre was a very dedicated student. He participated in all class activities with enthusiasm. Andre’s academic performance was among the best.

(Nominated by Professor Ingrid Brown-Scott)

Josephine H. Lunsford
Josephine started the course with the attitude that she would hate it.  As the course progressed she realized how useful statistics is in life.  The many real-world examples made her understand that numbers can be manipulated to show just about anything.  She became a much more critical thinker by the end of the course.

James Bulleit (Nominated by Professor Joanne Carl)
James has worked to learn the technology and the design involved in media production. He is always willing to help other students too.

Pius Kitengie (Nominated by Professor Joanne Carl)
Pius is a leader in all his media production courses. He asks the right questions and puts his skills to use. Pius gets the "Team Player" award.

Karter McLean (Nominated by Professor Chris Koch)
Karter has a creative eye and uses that design sense to create videos that are appealing and engaging.

Gracie A. Rosenbaum (Nominated by Professor Chris Koch)
Gracie creates top-notch videos that entertain and engage the audience. We can't wait to see what's next for her. 

Miguel A. Umana (Nominated by Professor Joanne Carl)
Miguel takes advantage of every opportunity to better his skills in media production.

Blue Leaf Von Muller (Nominated by Professor Joanne Carl)
Blue Leaf has excelled at media production and has a keen sense of design. She raises the bar for other students in TVRA.

Brandon Wong (Nominated by Professor Joanne Carl)
Brandon is always prepared. Because of this his video productions run smoothly and can be more exciting and engaging.

(Nominated by Professor Martha Vaughan)

 Alexandro W. Ascencio
Alexandro has achieved outstanding academic success in the graphic design program. He has also served the MA&T Department and Montgomery College and underserved communities as a student aide and a volunteer.

(Nominated by Professor Katherine Hubley) 

Giusseppe Gonzales-Hurtado
Giusseppe has acted as radio station programmer and deejay. His production and engineering skills just compliment his creative spirit.

(Nominated by Professor Alvin F. Trask) 

Emiri Ohki
Emiri Ohki, an accomplished flutist, hails from Everett, Washington.  She has been offered a scholarship from University of Hawaii at Manoa to study music education and composition. 

(Nominated by Professor Alvin F. Trask)

Jaehong Ahn
Jaehong has been an outstanding jazz guitarist in the MC Jazz Ensemble and plans to attend UMD in College Park.

Karl Dittmann
Karl has been an exemplary student throughout his study at Montgomery College through his devoted personality and passionate pursuit of academia. His extraordinary manner guided him as a model student at Montgomery College and assisted in achieving outstanding academic success. 

(Nominated by Professor KenYatta Rogers) 

Megan Hook
Dedicated to learning and quite talented in front and behind the curtain, Megan has dedicated herself to the Theatre department in many ways. All to the benefit of the department and her classmates.

 Julia Huh
Talented and creative, Julia has contributed to the Theatre department in dynamic ways and has taken on responsibilities that benefit the department and her classmates. 

(Nominated by Professor Scott Hengen)

Skye Knight
Creative in vocal and acting talent, Skye has created characters that have been dynamic and memorable for Theatre Department productions and has served as a leader in Theatre Department casts and classes. 

Solis Pettitt
Creative in vocal and acting talent, Solis has created characters that have been dynamic and memorable for Theatre Department productions and has served as a leader in Theatre Department casts and classes.

The Mary Gallagher Award for Anthropology

(Nominated by Professor Kevin Gibbons)

Martin R. Siles-Diaz
Mr. Siles-Diaz has excelled in his anthropology studies at MC, routinely going beyond class requirements to connect anthropological concepts to other disciplines and events in the contemporary world.

(Nominated by Professor Ginger Robinson)

Anna-Kaye E. McDonald
Anna has maintained a near-perfect GPA while attending school full-time and working full-time. Her resilience, perseverance, and commitment to a socially just legal system represent the best of the criminal justice program while also embodying the essence of the College's mission.

(Nominated by Professor Katya Salmi)

Donyell  Harris
Donyell is a talented and bright young man who is determined to succeed in life. He is not afraid of working hard in order to achieve his goals and he willingly goes beyond what is needed from him in the sociology class. His assignments are thoughtfully written, researched, and presented. As Team leader for the sociology class team’s projects, he has shown not only great leadership but exemplified care and compassion for the other members.

Orly Miguelle Matene
A dedicated and self-motivated student with a thirst for knowledge in the field of sociology, Orly Miguelle seems to have mastered the field of sociology as is exemplified by the outstanding grades she receives on each assignment. A leader that other students do not hesitate in seeking her advice and encouragement.

Jazmyn Padmore
Jazmyn was an exceptional student in my online class, engaging critically with a wide variety of materials and leading classroom discussions, motivating fellow classmates to contribute high level discussions.

(Nominated by Professor Valerie Tanner)

Daniela Balcazar Munoz
Daniela is an intelligent and motivated student, with enthusiasm for the language and a commitment to learning.  Her excellent organizational abilities enable her to submit all assignments in a timely manner, and her analytical abilities enable her to ask thoughtful questions and achieve through understanding.

(Nominated by Dr. Khady Diene)

Juma Diop
Juma is an excellent student who has an excellent attendance record and is always motivated to learn French and improve her language skills.

(Nominated by Professor Miki Reed) 

Chanthalinna Beng
Ms. Beng has demonstrated great leadership in class, a student study group, and Japanese Culture Club. Her class performance is excellent, and her contribution to the student community is very much appreciated. 

Santina  Cannetti
Ms. Cannetti is a very outstanding student in class and has been actively involved in student study group and Japanese Culture Club. Her genuine interest in the language and her high-level achievement have had a positive influence on other students’ learning experience.

(Nominated by Professor Jin Choi)

Audrey Pope
Audrey's passion for Korean was shown not only through her assignments but also participation in class, online discussions and the cultural project.  She was a definite role model for everyone.

(Nominated by Professor Jin Choi)

Aashni Moorjani
Aashni is very highly regarded by her classmates not only on her work in the course but her leadership, enthusiasm and maturity.  She frequently works with others inside and outside of the class who are struggling with understanding concepts discussed in class. 

Aiyana (Kai) Tucker
Kai is an exemplary student to others by demonstrating be a motivated, dedicated, mature and passionate individual.  All of these characteristics are shown through his bright smile, to start with, active and attentive discussions and his outstanding work.

(Nominated by Professor Erika Bucciantini)

Levi Lampert
Hailing from his home state of Alaska, Levi comes to Montgomery College after his retirement from an active-duty career in the U.S. Air Force. The top Latin 101 student this term, he brings his passion for history and travel to the Latin classroom where he supplements his love for lectures with additional knowledge gleaned from history podcasts and extensive reading. Always one to appreciate a well-timed pun or archaic pop culture reference, Levi amiably engages in every activity and discussion, asks thoughtful questions, and embraces Latin grammar as the path to the art of digression.

(Nominated by Professor Erika Bucciantini) 

Keela Daniels
A budding actress, after Montgomery College Keela has her sights set on college at Cambridge where she plans to produce faithful re-enactments of the Ides of March while nurturing her interest in Celtic Studies, linguistics, and history. As a student, Keela is punctual and punctilious, possessing a lively personality and a keen mind. She scrupulously studies Latin grammar and also offers insightful analyses of her independent research. Her Cultural Presentations over these last two terms have focused on Mithras, the Mithras Cult of the Roman Empire, the Basilica of San Clemente, and the connection with Christianity.  

Rachel Ledley
Maryland born, Rachel's passion for the intersection of history and culture has led her to the study of Latin at Montgomery College. A pleasure to have in class, Rachel deftly employs Latin grammar and syntax on our weekly assignments, draws frequent connections between the ancient Roman world and modern manifestations, and is always ready to contribute a thoughtful recontextualization of our Smithsonian course materials. Her in-depth research on the Lupa Capitolina has spanned both Latin 101 and 102 and made for excellent presentations in both. She is additionally our reigning Kahoot! champion and provides a loving home for rescued animals in her spare time. 

William Bouley (Nominated by Professor Charlotte King)
Excellent attendance, punctuality, presentation and an A average. Enthusiastic about using his Spanish. Excellent presentation on Cuevas de Altamira. 

Khanh Vi Doan (Nominated by Professor Charlotte King)
Excellent attendance, participation, very thorough, and an A average student.

Allison Hiller (Nominated by Professor Charlotte King)
Excellent attendance, participation, and grades, Dual Enrollment... Always on time and completes assignments ahead of time, an A average student.

Lauren Hockaday (Nominated by Professor Charlotte King)
Complete attendance and participation, very enthusiastic participant and excellent presentation, always completes assignments ahead of time, very attentive and cooperative, an A average student.

Milena Negussie (Nominated by Professor Roberto Hurtado)
Milena has proven to be a model student in my SPAN 101 class. She stands out by always asking questions, following up on assignment feedback, and being proactive about understanding her grade and making up missed work.

(Nominated by Professor Jin Choi)

Lila Saidi
Lila is a self-motivated student who drives herself to be the best yet does not hesitate to reach out to others who need assistance in understanding the materials.  She is dedicated, disciplined, motivated, focused and her accomplishments have never been anything but OUTSTANDING!

(Nominated by Professor Ivonne Bruneau-Botello) 

Mohamed Kamara
Mohamed Kamara is an outstanding student who is clearly committed to the course and to applying the Spanish language when needed. In fact, he volunteered as a Spanish language translator while him and his MC peers were recently in Puerto Rico, during the alternative Spring Break program. He mentioned it was a great moment for him to be able to help with his Spanish language expertise. Recently, he attended the MC Confluence Translation Conference, where he demonstrated his interest of the language application on the translation and interpretation field.

Azariyas Tafesse
Azariyas Tafesse is an extraordinary Intermediate Spanish language student. He has superior preparation for class and completes all assignments accurately and ahead of time. He managed to stay on top of the class assignments while participating on the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars Program.

Stella L. Biles (Nominated by Professor Chris Collins)
Stella completed Philosophy 101, 140 and 190 with a zeal for the material, insights into complex problems and care for her fellow classmates.  Stella has musical talent as well as academic talent. She has a bright future ahead in any area she chooses to concentrate on.

Marco A. Lapcevic (Nominated by Dr. Benjamin Arah)
Marco is the most studious, disciplined, diligent, highly self-motivated, personable, ambitious and outstanding student whom I have had the opportunity to both teach and learn from since coming to MC many years ago. He takes so much joy and invests so much of himself in learning, owns his education, and sees a rewarding future in his education. He plans to pursue data science and analytics with an interest in possible dual studies with philosophy at the University of Maryland College Park Campus.

Caleb T. Murphy (Nominated by Professor Chris Collins)
Caleb completed Philosophy 101, 140 and 190 with a zeal for the material, insights into complex problems and care for his fellow classmates.  Caleb has a passion for social work and will do excellent work when he transfers to a four-year institution and then plans on attending graduate school. 

Elizabeth Vela (Nominated by Professor Auksuole Rubavichute)
Elizabeth's academic performance in PHIL 212: Women in Philosophy I and PHIL 205: Philosophy in Literature is outstanding. She is an invaluable contributor to the discussions and overall learning. Her academic work reflects dedication to the pursuit of knowledge and a deep care for her fellow students and the community.

(Nominated by Professors Rebecca Eggenschwiler and Dr. Andree Betancourt)

This award recognizes students who have completed at least 12 credits of honors coursework in at least two disciplines and maintained at least 3.6 cumulative GPA through the fall 2022 semester.

STEM Scholars Honors Student of the Year Award

(Nominated by Professor Zhou (Jojo) Dong) 

Luiz O. Mata Lopez
Luiz exhibits personal excellence in academics and actively participates in activities to promote the Honors Program within Montgomery College and beyond.

(Nominated by Dr. Michelle Moran)

The PPHI recognizes the following students for excellence in undergraduate research in Honors 275, for academic and intellectual growth in the PPHI Honors Internship Program, and for assistance they provided to researchers at the Kluge Center of the Library of Congress.

Gnei Muthaliff (Nominated by Dr. M. McLean)
Dedicated Student. Outstanding behavior. Support classmates in class.

Natasha Nenadovic (Nominated by Dr. Jeannie Ho)
Active involvement of class activities. Willingness to help classmates.

Luping Peng (Nominated by Dr. Jeannie Ho)
Outstanding learning behaviors. Able to support teammates in class.

Yolande Moorman (Nominated by Dr. Jeannie Ho)
Active involvements of class activities, excellent grades, able to help classmates.

(Nominated by Dr. Brandon C.S. Wallace)

Noah K. Agboyibor
This award is given for Noah's impact throughout the campus community, including opportunities to share and present a culturally and linguistically diverse educational efficacy.

Tavon T. Chase
This award is given due to exemplary participation in the college-wide Educators Rising initiative, as well as partnering with Bowie State University's School of Education to successfully transfer for the purposes of becoming a teacher of record. 

Kharengton T. Coleman
This award is given for exemplary participation in college-wide Educators Rising Imitative, as well as her empathic and formidable commitment to the field of education as a student and scholar.

Anthony A. Padilla
This award is given to Anthony for his passion to pursue to continue his education, as well as visible improvements to work ethic and professionalism during his time at Montgomery College.

Tatiana Y. Reyes
This award is given due to superior marks on education coursework, as well as her relentless pursuit to deeply understand the constructs of pedagogy within education.

(Nominated by Dr. Glenda Hernandez Tittle)

Noah Agboyibor
Excellence in academics and social justice advocacy and contributions to the community.

Carmen Ramirez-Zamora
Excellence in academics and social justice advocacy and contributions to the community.

(Nominated by Professor Genevieve Carminati and Dr. Leah Sneider)

Mehley N. Agnero-Dreesen
For high achievement and valuable contributions to the classroom and the discipline.

Liyou M. Benyam
Liyou's participation in class demonstrates her deep commitment to classwork and homework and to understanding the ideas of others.

Lillianne Cassamajor
Lillianne is a thoughtful and serious scholar who works to keep current in her research.

Isabella J. Gilmore
Isabella is actively concerned about social justice and working for fairness, which comes through in her assignments and class participation.

Michaela D. Meek
Michaela was an impressive student who engaged thoroughly in the class material offering many insightful contributions.

Ani Mosinyan
Ani is active in-service organizations and brings her experience to the classroom to share with her peers. 

Justine Kanza Nguiagaing Djenou
Justine has amazingly created her own nonprofit organization to help women in her native country, while being dedicated to her studies.

Nicole C. Poisson
For high achievement and valuable contributions to the classroom and the discipline.

Josephine A. Rakow
Josephine is curious and thoughtful, and her outside research contributes to enriching class discussions.

Devin M. Seek
For high achievement and valuable contributions to the classroom and the discipline.

Lili Sipos
Lili brings curiosity and scholarship in her approach to all assignments.

Genesis A. Thompson
Genesis examines her ideas in consideration of what she is learning and is willing to change her mind as her education presents her with new information.

Claire A. Vermilyea
Claire brings energy and good humor to class and understands how to debate fairly and respectfully.

Dnarra S. Wilson
Dnarra works to understand materials fully through close reading and thoughtful examination and brings meaningful questioning to class discussions.