And the winner is: Year-end awards honor nursing and public health students and faculty
Decker College divisions celebrate academic excellence and community engagement
˿Ƶ University’s Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences held two year-end awards ceremonies in May to recognize graduating students. Additionally, three Decker nursing students participating in the Educational Opportunity Program were honored at an EOP event in March.
Division of Public Health
The Division of Public Health recognized students from the Class of 2025 at an 11 a.m. ceremony on May 14 in the University’s Health Sciences Building in Johnson City, which is home to Decker College.
“You are the future of public health, and you are the force that will drive transformative change to create our vision – a world where well-being is prioritized and health equity is achieved,” said Decker College Dean Mario Ortiz.
The awards presented were:
- Capstone Scholar Award: Godwin Cyril Agbesi and Jessica McCarthy
- Excellence in Community Engagement Award for the project “Harm Reduction in Practice: Community Engagement Around Methamphetamine Use in ˿Ƶ, New York”: Godwin Cyril Agbesi, Nicole Keibel, Jennifer Mahram ’23, Cole Margarites ’24 and Meredith Smith ’11
- Public Health Leadership Award: Meredith Smith ’11
“These individuals have not only met the requirements of a rigorous and challenging program but also distinguished themselves as public health professionals, scholars and leaders,” noted Yvonne Johnston, associate professor and founding director of the Division of Public Health. “We are immensely proud of all our program graduates.”
Division of Nursing
Decker’s Division of Nursing, comprising the Decker School of Nursing, held a ceremony recognizing undergraduate and graduate students at 4 p.m. on May 14 at the Health Sciences Building. The event also included a presentation of faculty awards and the induction of 13 students into the Zeta Iota Chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) Honor Society of Nursing.
“The Decker School of Nursing is blessed with extraordinary faculty who guide, cajole and push our students to outstanding achievement,” Ortiz said. “Graduates from our programs are sought after by some of the finest health organizations in the country, and for this, I recognize our exceptional faculty and staff.”
Undergraduate awards
- American Nurses Association New York Future Nurse Leader Award: Matthew Roach ’24
- Decker Foundation Award for Academic Excellence: Elisabeth Rivera ’24
- Decker Foundation Award for Clinical Excellence: Abraham Sangeap
- Decker School of Nursing Academic Excellence Award: Sierra Devlin, Katie Kaufman, Mariella Michitti and Victoria Yu
- Dennis Jimenez Memorial Award: Sophia Bodack
- Heidi and Joel Thirer Award for Leadership and Community Service: Nhyira Abeka Johnson, Nicole Kingsley, Anthony Lyons and Katyanna Noble
- Jessica Mally Memorial Award: Sarah Choi (traditional program) and Abraham Sangeap (accelerated program)
- Martha Harnick Bress Memorial Award: Omar Al-Masri
- Mary Pillepich Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice: Emily Sarosy
- Registered Professional Nurse Baccalaureate Award: Karolina Lubecka
- Sara Ainspan Memorial Award: Anthony Ferrara
- UHS Professional Nursing Practice Award: Paige Oliveira ’12
Graduate awards
- Excellence in Advanced Nursing Practice Award in Adult Gerontological Nursing: Tamara Macinski
- Excellence in Advanced Nursing Practice Award in Community Health Nursing: Stephanie Manning ’23
- Excellence in Advanced Nursing Practice Award in Family Nursing: Brooke Maietta ’22
- Excellence in Advanced Nursing Practice Award in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: Aida Melendez
- Excellence in Advanced Nursing Practice Award, Doctor of Nursing Practice Program: J’Adore Larosa-Mattis
- Excellence in Advanced Nursing Practice Award, Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing: Allison Roma ’18, ’19, MS ’22
- Excellence in Advanced Nursing Practice Award, Post-Master’s Certificate Program: Marjorie Menardy Magloire
- Geraldine M. Dowling Award in Gerontological Nursing: Maria Panlilio-Ortiz, MS ’12
- Jose Reichel Research Fund Award: Danielle Ongondo ’11, MS ’14
Faculty awards
- Faculty Award from Graduate Students: Betsy Perry ’12, MS ’17
- Faculty Award from Undergraduate Students: Alison Dura
- Faculty Peer Award: Lori Sprague ’95, MS ’09, PhD ’17
Sigma Theta Tau Zeta Iota Induction Ceremony
- Kathryn Alliger
- Ashley Berg
- Genna Borrino
- Kelsey Campbell
- Lindsey Dorsainvil
- Alize Hurtic
- Luka Jijieshvili
- Tamara Macinski
- Christina Mattocks
- Shakeira Reese
- Abraham Sangeap
- Sydney Tse ’22
- Tianna Wawrzusin
Educational Opportunity Program (EOP)
The following awards were announced at the University’s EOP Senior Recognition Brunch and Awards Ceremony on March 31 in downtown ˿Ƶ:
Madelin Denteh, Nana Gyamfi and Marshia Mizan, seniors majoring in nursing, received SUNY Outstanding Academic Achievement Awards. These awards are given by the SUNY Chancellor’s Office of Opportunity Programs to EOP students who achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Denteh and Mizan also received the Westley Van Dunk Eminence Award, which is presented to a graduating senior in the nursing program who demonstrates exceptional academic excellence and overall achievement. This award is named in honor of Westley Van Dunk, a ˿Ƶ EOP alumnus who served as an EOP counselor for over 40 years.
Additionally, Denteh was awarded the EOP Research Scholars Award, which recognizes a senior who has shown significant engagement in undergraduate research, investigation, or creative exploration in their major or area of interest.