Leading with their values

Mount Holyoke College students are scholars and leaders who are active in the community and unstoppable in their work. At the annual Leadership and Service Awards, held on April 29, 2026, students, student organizations and alums were honored for their dedication to their community and each other. 

“Congratulations to each and every one of you that have been nominated today. We had over 100 nominations this year,” Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Marcella Runell said. “That’s the most we’ve had since before the pandemic. That’s pretty impressive that you, all your peers, your faculty and staff, took the time to make so many thoughtful nominations.” 

“Over the last few years, I’ve seen you in your leadership, rising in your leadership, working in your leadership,” President Danielle R. Holley said. “We have to lead with our values, to gather all the information that we can and make the best decisions to advance the values that you share with your organization or your family, whatever you are leading. It’s impossible to be a leader without a guiding set of values.” 

Below is the complete list of honorees.

Individual awards

Sarah Williston Prize

This award is given to students with the highest grades in their class who ranked as Sarah Williston Scholars during their sophomore or junior year.

• Maimoona Abdaal ’27
• Grainne Beltramo-Dolan ’27
• Naomi Biber-Bishop ’27
• Genevieve Breen ’27
• Audrey Brogna ’26
• Hailey Brooks ’27
• Lilly Brown ’27
• Demi Budd ’27
• Minh-An (An) Bui ’27
• Olivia Campbell ’27
• Sofia Charest ’27
• Vaani Chopra ’27
• Lindsay Clark ’26
• Eden Copeland ’27
• Mira Crane ’27
• Olivia Curtis ’26
• Isabella (Bella) Delmonte ’27
• Lynn Do ’26
• Anja Eriksen ’26
• Maya Evans ’26
• J Farrington ’26
• Shenny Feng ’26
• Sofia Francisco ’27
• Sophie Frank ’26
• Isabella Gallo ’26
• Maya Goldwasser ’26
• Lina Gougil ’27
• Sarah Grinnell ’26
• Katrina Holbrook ’26
• Lei Hsin ’26
• Anna Induni ’26
• Kaliher (Kali) Johnston ’26
• Allison Kee ’27
• Elaine Kennedy ’27
• Anushka Kharel ’27
• Yewon Lee ’26
• Rose Martin ’27
• Ryanne McCann ’27
• Virginia Middleton ’26
• Elizabeth Mobley ’26
• Natasha Nagarajan ’26
• Huyen Linh (Linh) Nguyen ’27
• Dru O’Brien ’27
• Isabella (Bella) Olinger ’27
• Adwoa Owusu ’27
• Nana Ozaki ’27
• Janna Parrot ’26
• Jade Pham ’27
• Amelia Potter ’26
• Meena Relyea-Strawn ’27
• Amelia Ringor ’26
• Meg Ross ’26
• Sydnee Schilling ’26
• Ruby Shaw ’26
• Quinn Suomala ’26
• Adalaide (Ada) Tholen ’27
• Mary Torgerson ’27
• Clara Tupitza ’26
• Bao Khanh Vu ’27
• Wenjie (Serafina) Wang ’26
• Yiru Wang ’27
• Sarah West ’26
• Emiri White ’27
• Grace Wieselquist ’26
• Zoey Zhu ’27

McCulloch Center Global Engagement Award

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

• Dana Chateauneuf ’26

Miller Worley Center for the Environment Sustainability and Justice Engagement Award

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

• Zoey Pickett ’26

Apple Award for Leadership in Campus Sustainability

The award is given for exemplary work related to addressing a campus sustainability challenge through service and community engagement.

• Elle Mader ’26
• Audrey Brecher ’26

Weissman Center for Leadership Award for Excellence

This award is given to students who have demonstrated leadership throughout the College with a particular commitment to Weissman Center for Leadership activities and events.

• Amelia Anderson ’26
• Diana Perez ’26
• Molly Malloy ’26
• Imari William ’26
• Rebecca Sandoval ’26
• Olivia Toomey ’26
• Asmi Shrestha ’26
• Tanisha Liang ’26

Weissman Center for Leadership Award for Excellence — Community-Based Learning

This award recognizes students who moved beyond standard leadership models and leaned into concepts of restorative and conscious leadership to serve our on- and off-campus communities.

• Shambavi Tewari ’26 
• Madeline Greenberg ’26
• Xiomara Leriche ’26
• Genevieve Zahner ’26

Weissman Center for Leadership Award for Excellence — the Speaking, Arguing and Writing Program

• J Farrington ’26
• Coco Chen ’26

Resident Advisor of the Year Award

This award is presented to the community advisor who best fulfilled the spirit and the letter of their position over the previous academic year. They have demonstrated excellence in programming, role-modeling care for others and strengthening their staff, building and campus community.

• Elizabeth Oluwasuyi ’26

Living-Learning Community Resident Advisor of the Year Award

This award is presented to the Living-Learning Community resident advisor who best fulfilled the spirit and the letter of their position over the previous academic year. They have demonstrated excellence in programming, role-modeling care for others and strengthening their staff, building and campus community.

• August Owens ’26

Residential Fellow of the Year Award

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

• Rosemary Osafo-Kwaako ’26

Irma Rabbino Outstanding Service in Residential Life Award

This award was established in 1978 by Irma L. Rabbino ’53 to honor her father by recognizing a resident advisor or fellow who has made a significant contribution to life at Mount Holyoke through their service and commitment within the Office of Residential Life.

• Serynn Nowlin ’26

Interfaith Leadership Award

This award, inaugurated in 2022, is offered by the Office of Community and Belonging’s Religious and Spiritual Life Program to a student who has advanced interfaith leadership, literacy, community-building and spiritual justice action during their years at the College.

• Fati Yakubu ’26

Golden Lyon Award

This award recognizes students who have influenced a program or organization from behind the scenes with their positive attitude, willingness to help in whatever capacity necessary and commitment to excellence.

• Myra Zia ’26
• Sarah Plotkin ’26

Emerging Leader Award

This award honors students in their first or second year at the College who show leadership promise through their contributions to student life and community-building.

• Bei Jia Viggiano ’28
• Marri Shaeffer ’29

Frances Harriet Williams Class of 1919 and H. Elizabeth Braun Catalyst for Change Award

This award, established in 1981 by the family of Frances Harriet Williams and updated in 2024 to also recognize H. Elizabeth Braun, honors leaders for their extraordinary work in creating a diverse and inclusive community while pursuing their goals of academic excellence, social justice and service to others.

• Naoise Grybko ’26
• Karoline Bastien ’26

Helen Warren Smith Class of 1908 Award

Established in 1979 by alum Helen Warren Smith, this award honors a senior student for their outstanding interest in, involvement with and service to the Mount Holyoke community.

• Manuela Ribas ’26

Beverly Daniel Tatum ABC Award

This award was established in 2023 by the Division of Student Life to recognize the honoree’s extraordinary work in affirming identity, building community and cultivating leadership at Mount Holyoke.

• Nathania Amadi ’26

Dean’s Outstanding Service Award

This award recognizes exemplary dedication and service to the Mount Holyoke community. The Dean of Students presents it to students who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to fostering a supportive and inclusive campus environment through their leadership and initiative. The recipients embody the values of service, compassion and collaboration. They make positive contributions to the campus community and inspire others to do likewise.

• Lily Rood ’27
• Andrea Kekula ’26
• Valentina Rubio Lopez ’26
• Peggy Chen ’25

Student Group Advisor of the Year

• Director of Student Involvement Laura Sattler

Leadership and Service Award

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 motivated others to do the same. The honorees have demonstrated dedication and depth of experience.

• Antara Tripathi ’26
• Domenica Salazar ’26
• Emma Quirk ’26
• Emma Harrison ’26
• Umnia Hameed ’26
• Miki Lin ’27
• Natasha Nagarajan ’26
• Ashh Pokharel ’26
• Cindi Ooi ’28
• Mikayla Esquilin ’26
• Natalie Eve Werthamer ’26

Group awards

Kelly Sottile Community Service Award

• 2026 undergraduate teaching cohort

The Excellence in Artistic Expression Award

• Scraps

Excellence in Programming Award

• Five College Model United Nations

Distinguished Student Group Award

• Mount Holyoke African and Caribbean Student Association

MoZone Community Builders Award

• Asian American Students in Action
• Mi Gente LLC

Alum Awards

Mary Lyon Award

This award is conferred by the Alum Association of Mount Holyoke College to recent alums who graduated 15 years ago or less. The honorees have demonstrated exceptional promise or sustained achievement in their life, profession or community. Their work embodies the humane values that College founder Mary Lyon exemplified in her life and inspired in others.

• Genesis Berlanga ’11
• Fitsum Anley Gelaye ’15

Dean’s Outstanding Service Award

This award recognizes the honoree’s service and commitment to the Office of Residential Life throughout their time at the College.

• Peggy Chen ’25