A ceremony in the First Amendment Forum recognized recipients of nineteen awards given to outstanding Downtown students, faculty and organizations, on Wednesday afternoon. The awards honored those who have contributed to the Downtown campus in significant ways.
Cassandra Aska, assistant dean of students and director of student engagement, opened the ceremony.
“This learning environment exists because of our students and what they want to accomplish,” she said. “Their success that will be recognized here today is only a minute insight into
what they will continue to do as individuals.”
Award Recipients
- Outstanding faculty: Jennifer Kitson and Michael Wong
- Sun Devil Spirit Award: Programming and Activities Board
- Social consciousness award: Student Nutrition Council
- Outstanding student organization award: Residence Hall Association
- Outstanding Student Employee: Marcus Jones (four nominators), education partnerships office since fall 2009
- Academic Champion: Emily Timm
- Collaborative program: Programming and Activities Board
- College of Nursing and Health Innovation Student Engagement: Jennifer Liscomb
- University College/School of Letters & Sciences: Erica Vera
- Individual Achievement in Service (Group): Student Nutrition Council
- Individual Achievement in Service (individual): Dustin Volz
- Outstanding New Student Organization: Student Nutrition Council
- Outstanding Annual Program: Programming and Activities Board
- Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication Student Engagement: Salvador Rodriguez
- Spark of All Trade (group): Associated Students of ASU, Programming and Activities Board, Innovative Breaks and the Radio Television Digital News Association
- Spark of All Trade (individual): Letecia Lerma, Chauncey Milbrandt, Jennifer Valenzuela, Rebecca Herrera, Ashley Sherman and Josh Frigerio*
- Outstanding Student Leader: Dustin Volz
- Trailblazer: Student Nutrition Council
- College of Public Programs Outstanding Student Leader: Edward Jensen
*Frigerio was not announced at the ceremony.
Aska praised the students, saying, “You as student leaders are the reason we are here and do the things we do … (you have contributed to) the development and building up of not only this campus, but all of Arizona State.”
Several organizations and students won multiple awards. The Student Nutrition Council was among them, winning five awards that included one for the organization’s founder.
The SNC has partnered with various groups in Arizona to further their cause, which is “to provide a framework for stimulating meaningful student involvement in all areas of nutrition within the university and the community.”
Partner groups include Agape Network, who packages food boxes for AIDS victims; Madison Simis Elementary School, where SNC taught lessons about nutrition; The Dairy Council; Arizona Nutrition Network; the Arizona Department of Education and the Arizona Department of Health Services.
The council is currently in the process of moving to the Downtown campus from the Polytechnic campus.
The Programming and Activities Board came away with three awards.
“Every event they do, they are always seeking out ways in which they are able to partner with other organizations,” Announcer Kim Keck said. “They work hard to ensure that students at ASU are able to experience the spirit, pride and tradition of being at the largest university in the country.”
Aska addressed the students in the audience: “We say yes. Continue to push the envelope. It is through the desires and dreams that you have that we are able to make a difference, to make an impact beyond the spheres of our individual influences.”
Contact the reporter at cassandra.strauss@asu.edu
