College Notes: April-May 2021
EZ Stride, left, was one of three innovations that won Grinspoon Spirit Awards at the Draper Competition at Western New England.
Aberdale, attending the College of Engineering, and College of Business students Kyra Palumbo of Albany, N.Y., and Sami Dion of Wilbraham developed EZ Stride, a self-tightening sneaker that helps adults with limited mobility increase independence, confidence, and self-sufficiency when dressing. EZ Stride has earned a position in the Draper Competition semi-finals and has been awarded a Grinspoon Spirit Award. This project has continued as a College of Engineering Senior Design project.
"This year we have representation from both business and engineering students who honed their innovative skills through the university's Product Development and Innovation course, which features cross-functional teams who take an idea through to a limited functional prototype in one semester," said associate professor of marketing and entrepreneurship Mary Schoonmaker.
Anthony Arace of Pittsfield, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, was a member of a student team that recently completed an intense research project titled "Locating and Valuing Available Wood Sources" in Princeton with London Project Center. At WPI, undergraduates are required to complete a research-driven, professional-level project that applies science and technology to addresses an important societal need or issue.
Elizabeth Bona, a Lasell University student from North Adams, recently earned the designation of "Certified Hospitality Department Trainer." The professional certification recognizes hospitality professionals for their knowledge and skills in training employees within any vertical of the hospitality industry.
Hannah Walton of Lenox was accepted into the spring 2021 class at Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington.
Maria Povtin of Stamford, Vt., and Caraline Sprague of Readsboro, Vt., were recognized at the 12th annual Vermont Technical College Honors Celebration. These students were selected for having demonstrated the hard work, commitment and dedication needed to succeed in rigorous programs, and soon will be leaders in their professions, according to the college.
Potvin received the Vermont Nursery and Landscape Association Student Merit Award, the Female Scholar Athlete of the Year for Women's Cross Country, and the USCAA Academic All-American and YSCC Academic All Conference, also both for women's cross country.
Sprague was recognized for Alpha Delta Nu and Phi Theta Kappa.
Adam Hall of Williamstown was honored at Union College's annual Prize Day celebration. Students at the Schenectady, N.Y., were honored for achievement in academics, research, service and governance. Hall, a graduating senior, was honored with the Ethel Kirchenbaum Memorial Prize and the Mortimore F. Sayre Prize. A total of 116 prizes were awarded.
Madeleine Soudant of Great Barrington
Soudant framed her one-minute speech around the idea of her versatility and the top question asked during an interview, "tell me a little bit about yourself." Soudant declares, "I thought, 'What is the best thing about me,' and I realized this -- I am a Swiss Army Knife, adaptable, flexible, resilient, and I am not this way by nature but by instinct."
Being part of the competition was a valuable experience, says Soudant. "Honestly, it boosted my confidence a lot. Being a freshman is hard in the first place but then COVID-19 on top of it has made it hard to meet people. Doing the competition made me feel that if I can do this in front of a crowd of people, then I can talk to someone at a lunch table."
Watch Soudant's full speech here starting at the 43-minute mark.
Hamilton College's annual Class & Charter Day took place on May 11. The following local residents were named among the students honored in this year's outdoor, socially-distanced ceremony in Clinton, N.Y.:
Samuel Dils of Williamstown was named the recipient of the Frank Humphrey Ristine Prize Scholarship. Dils, a junior majoring in literature, is a graduate of Mount Greylock Regional High School.
Riley Nichols of Pittsfield was named the recipient of the Babcock Prize in Philosophy and Pedagogy. Nichols, a senior majoring in philosophy, is a graduate of Pittsfield High School.
Taylor Cornell of North Adams received the Up & Comer Award from Nichols College in Dudley. This award is presented to a first or second year student who has contributed significantly to the campus and has shown academic success in the classroom and leadership in the community.
Steven Crouch of Adams, a senior, was named to the Phi Beta Kappa chapter at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y.
Graduations
Jessie Tobin of Pittsfield graduated from the University of Tampa in Florida on Saturday, May 8. Tobin graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in advertising and public relations. The virtual commencement ceremony included 1,781 undergraduate and graduate candidates. The ceremony included remarks by UT President Ronald Vaughn, James S. MacLeod, chair of UT's Board of Trustees, the deans of UT's four colleges and student challenge speakers. Additionally, each graduate received a personalized video commemorating their achievement.
Two local students were among the more than 450 members of St. Lawrence University's Class of 2021 earned their degree following the commencement ceremonies, held Sunday, April 18, at Newell Field House in Canton, N.Y.
Julia R. Bronson of Monterey graduated cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in environmental studies. Bronson attended Monument Mountain Regional High School.
Katherine M. Smith of Great Barrington graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in English and business in the liberal arts. Smith attended the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Conn.
Lydia Barnaba of Great Barrington and Samantha El Saddik and Emma Sullivan, both of Pittsfield, were among the nearly 400 graduates who received a bachelor's degree during Assumption University's 104th commencement exercises on Sunday, May 9, at the DCU Center in downtown Worcester. Pulitzer Prize-winning and nationally syndicated Washington Post columnist George F. Will delivered what he called the "last Assumption lecture for which you will be a captive audience" to the class of 2021, in which he urged the graduates to live in the present while also imagining the past.
Patrick Curran Conlon of Lenox received his master of science in mechanical engineering from Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y., on Dec. 31, 2020.
The following students graduated from the University of New Hampshire in Durham over the weekend of Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23, with bachelor of science degrees: Devon Atwell of Becket, summa cum laude, environmental conservation and sustainability; Daniel Sheehan of Dalton, business administration and accounting; Connor Mathews of Dalton, cum laude, mathematics; and Hailey Kirchner of Pittsfield, magna cum laude, neuroscience and behavior.
Holy Cross in Worcester celebrated nearly 750 bachelor of arts degree candidates at its 175th commencement held in person on Friday, May 21, on the college's Fitton Field. Among the degree recipients were three Pittsfield graduates: Noah Shepardson, magna cum laude; Lauren Daury, cum laude, and Thomas Walchenbach. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a career diplomat and representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, delivered this year's address virtually to the Class of 2021 and received an honorary degree.
Academic Lists & Awards
Bard College at Simon's Rock has named Tate Coleman, Nevaeh Colon, Abdul Haseeb Hamza, Skylar Karp and Jack Massee, all of Great Barrington, and Julian Edelman of New Marlborough were named to the dean's for the fall 2020 semester.
Lily Kronick of Cheshire has been named to the Elmira (N.Y.) College dean's list for the winter 2021 term.
Senior Amaya Smith of Williamstown was named to the winter head of school scholar honors list at Pomfret (Conn.) School.
The following local students recently were initiated into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. They are Alexis Kays of Dalton and Shelby Davis of Dalton, attending the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and Chelsea Moser and Abigail Sondrini, both of Pittsfield, and Elizabeth Hunt of Williamstown, all attending the University of Massachusetts.
Lynn Clancy of Pittsfield has earned a spot on the dean's list for the fall 2020 at Goodwin University in East Hartford, Conn.
Samantha El Saddik of Pittsfield received the departmental award for elementary education at Assumption University in Worcester. The senior was one of 80 students with academic awards for excelling in their individual fields of study at the annual spring Honors Convocation.
Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester has named the following students to dean's list and president's list for the winter term of January through May.
Dean's List
Rebecca Drager of Dalton
Theresa Wehrle of North Adams
Mary Buckley of Pittsfield
Christopher Boulay-Russell of Pittsfield
Amy Gates of Pittsfield
President's List
Craig Kickery of Adams
Michael Bruneau of Becket
Joshua Ranson of Becket
Grace Van Buren of Becket
Dennis Moran of Clarksburg
Judith Trask of Dalton
Alexander Boyer of Great Barrington
Garrett Lison of Lenox
Joanna Perry of Lenox
Samantha Smith of Lenox
Megan Adams of North Adams
Brittney Dono of North Adams
Elizabeth Meiklejohn of North Adams
Elizabeth Arhin of Pittsfield
Stephanie Clark of Pittsfield
Keira Codey of Pittsfield
Jonathan Douglas of Pittsfield
Rebecca Hunter of Pittsfield
Amanda Lofink of Pittsfield
Rebecca Martin of Pittsfield
Jennifer Ortiz of Pittsfield
Jamie Parks of Pittsfield
Stephanie Ryan of Pittsfield
Sarah Spence of Pittsfield
Shannon Stephens of Pittsfield
Ashley LeBlanc of Pownal, Vt.
Jenna Blair of Stamford, Vt.
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