It’s the time of year, with the end of classes and commencement approaching, where all manner of achievement is being recognized. In a special ceremony that looked beyond academics, athletics or professional development, the ACPHS Center for Student Success feted students on April 18 for extraordinary acts of support for their colleagues – as peer tutors, peer mentors and writing center consultants.
To a Panther, the support provided by students filling those roles may sound ordinary. In truth, it is anything but that, as ACPHS President Toyin Tofade pointed out in her opening remarks at the Recognition Banquet. Not all colleges have formalized programs to engage students in support of each other. And it is an extraordinary student indeed who rises to support their fellows like a Panther does.
“This room is filled with leaders,” President Tofade said. “You’ve chosen to say, ‘I can give back to somebody else.’”
Virtually every student in attendance, when asked why they participated in these programs, said they were paying it forward. Especially as first-year and transfer students themselves, they were able to find their way in their new homes through the help of someone who had gone before them. They wanted to do the same.
Writing Program Director Anna Eyre described their work as a snowball: “All of the acts of listening and compassion you display snowball out to the community as a whole.”
See the full list of students recognized below. And read about four who received top accolades.
Peer Tutor Awards
- Rising Star Award: Amrintaj Shaik
- Supervisor Super Star Award: Kaylee Stewart
- Extra Mile Award: Karol Wroblewski
- Peer Tutor of the Year – Honorable Mention: Ashley Monette
- Peer Tutor of the Year: Alexander Tow
Writing Center Honors
- Writing Center Excellence: Ellis Simerly
Peer Mentor Awards
- Peer Mentor of the Year: Diana Byk
- Transfer Peer Mentor of the Year: Ayomide Kumapayi