Leadership and Service Awards honor students

Mount Holyoke College students were honored at the annual Leadership and Service Awards ceremony for their contributions to the community.

Students and student groups have multiple leadership roles on the Mount Holyoke College campus, and on April 26, they were honored by the community.

Marcella Runell, dean of students and vice president of student life, said at the annual Student Leadership and Service Awards ceremony, “Leadership at Mount Holyoke comes in many forms, in and out of the classroom. It is about taking risks and being bold. It is also about growing, learning and challenging ourselves and one another to create and support the programs, events, organizations and experiences that we want to see on campus.”

Students who participated in two pilot programs were also honored: Project Connect and Engage MHC. Project Connect is an in-person, peer-facilitated, five-session program. Mount Holyoke ran the program in the fall semester with 21 participants and 10 student facilitators and also the spring semester with 45 participants and 10 student facilitators. Engage MHC is a cocurricular program that provides students with the advising, resources and tools to track, reflect upon and apply what they have gained and learned from on-campus experiences. Twenty-one students successfully completed the program.

This year a new award was unveiled: the Beverly Daniel Tatum ABC Award, which was established to celebrate leaders who have done extraordinary work in affirming identity, building community and cultivating leadership while at Mount Holyoke.

The Complete List of Honorees:

Individual Awards

Given to the students with the highest grades in their class who ranked as Sarah Williston Scholars their sophomore or junior year.

  • Nafeesah Ahmed-Adedoja ’23
  • Carolina Alvarez ’23
  • Lucy Anderson ’23
  • Dushma Badr ’23
  • Isabel (Izzie) DiBiasio-Hudson ’23
  • Maya Frey ’23
  • Julia Griffin ’23
  • Isabela Haskell ’23
  • Ansley Keane ’23
  • Rebecca Kilroy ’23
  • Marlena Klein ’23
  • Lauren Leese ’23
  • Grace O'Rourke ’23
  • Nicole Tripp ’23
  • Anne (Annie) Williams ’23

To the top senior, based on performance through the junior year, who ranked as a Sarah Williston Scholar in their sophomore or junior year.

  • Isabela Haskell ’23

Established in 1915 by the 1890 class of Mount Holyoke College, this award honors a student who has demonstrated commitment to promoting debate on campus.

  • Klara Grygo ’23

Conferred by the Alumnae Association to recent alums (graduated 15 years ago or less) who demonstrate exceptional promise or sustained achievement in their life, profession or community and whose work embodies the humane values that Mary Lyon exemplified in her life and inspired in others.

This award is presented to the resident assistant who best fulfilled the spirit as well as the letter of their position during the previous academic year. They have demonstrated excellence in programming, role modeled care for others and built up their staff, building and campus community.

  • Milena Insalaco ’23

This award is presented to the residential fellow who has excelled in all areas of their position during the previous academic year. Their supervision skills, ability to handle difficult situations and relationships they built among their staff and building have made them a role model to the Mount Holyoke community.

  • Aya Schraam ’24

In recognition of their service and commitment to the Office of Residential Life throughout their time at the College.

  • Mackenzie Windus ’24

This award, inaugurated in 2022, is offered by the Religious and Spiritual Life program within the Office of Community and Belonging to a senior who has advanced interfaith leadership, literacy, community building and spiritual justice action during their college education.

  • Mariam Fatima ’25
  • Nina Baran ’25

This award recognizes students who have positively influenced a program or organization from behind the scenes with a positive attitude, a willingness to help in whatever capacity necessary and a commitment to excellence. The student cannot have served in an executive board position of a student organization, committee, class board and so on.

  • Cindie Huerta ’25
  • Meredith Becher ’23
  • Emi Wilson ’24

This award honors two students in their first or second year at the College who show leadership promise through their contributions to student life and community building. Their commitment can be seen in their involvement in campus committees, student organization, student government, class board, residential life or community service.

  • Amanda Adams ’25
  • Serynn Nowlin ’25

Established by the family of Frances H. Williams ’19 in 1981, this award is presented to students who passionately pursue their goals of academic excellence, social justice or service to others.

  • Qianna Pierre ’23
  • Tahin Osborne ’23

This award was established in 1978 by Irma L. Rabbino ’53 to honor her father by recognizing students who have made a significant contribution to the life of Mount Holyoke College.

  • Shanthini Ragoonaden ’24
  • Maille Romulus ’24

This award honors students who demonstrate a high level of personal commitment to the community beyond the campus.

  • Charlotte Cai ’24
  • Nafeesa Ahmead-Adedoja ’23

Established in 1979 by Helen Warren Smith, class of 1908, this award honors a senior student whose interest, involvement and service to the Mount Holyoke College community have been outstanding.

  • Lasya Priya Rao Jarugumilli ’23

This award honors students who have consistently given their time, energy and talents to promote positive change and growth in the Mount Holyoke community and, in so doing, have motivated others to do the same. These students will have demonstrated dedication and depth of experiences.

  • Ana-Maria-Nicoleta Stan ’24
  • Emily Mock ’24
  • Ewura Esi Yankah ’23
  • Laura Mutti-Montigny ’24
  • Maahi Jaiswal ’24
  • Maddy McAlexander ’23
  • Ramatou Sanogo ’23
  • Sky Cho ’25
  • Yeahne Kim ’24

The Braun award was established by the dean of students division in 2010 to recognize leaders who have done extraordinary work creating a diverse and inclusive community.

  • Micah Reiter ’23
  • Valeria Serna-Solis ’23

This award celebrates leaders who have done extraordinary work in affirming identity, building community and cultivating leadership while at Mount Holyoke.

  • Kelechi Ezeugwu ’23

This award recognizes students who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to raising awareness on campus of critical global issues.

  • Sohini Bhati ’23

For students who have demonstrated excellence in engaging the Mount Holyoke community on topics of sustainability and environmental justice and who have supported the Miller Worley Center’s mission to create a greener and more equitable world.

  • Alejandra German Chavarin ’23
  • Adrienne Baxter ’23

Honors students who have demonstrated leadership across campus, with a particular commitment to Weissman Center for Leadership activities and events.

  • Lauren Brook ’24
  • Jen Thornquest ’24
  • Grace Thompson ’24
  • Ansley Keane ’23
  • Rebecca Kilroy ’23

Honors students who have demonstrated leadership across campus, with a particular commitment to Community-Based Learning activities and events.

  • Autumn Marley ’24
  • Steph Gomez ’23
  • Toni-Ann Williams ’23

Group Awards

This award recognizes a student organization or committee for its exceptional creativity, planning and execution of a campus-wide program. Criteria upon which decisions are based include appeal to a broad cross-section of the College community, originality and participation by members of the organization during all phases of the effort. The program must have been administered and managed by an organization in which students are significantly, if not completely, involved with the decision-making, planning, implementation and presentation of the program.

This award honors recognized student organizations and their distinguished level of contribution to the MHC community through planned events and programs on campus. Student organizations that receive this award are recognized for their exceptional success in motivating and organizing fellow students to enhance campus life and for their collaborative efforts with other organizations or departments to achieve objectives to improve student life. In addition to enriching the campus life, they have co-sponsored with other organizations or groups in order to bring together different facets of campus, which served to build and strengthen the campus community.

This award recognizes the student organization that has done extraordinary work creating a diverse and inclusive community. It is presented by the MoZone social justice peer education program. The award honors a recognized student organization that has demonstrated a significant commitment to diversity and inclusion throughout the academic year.