The following represents a collection of press releases about local student achievements.
•The University of Alabama awarded some 5,860 degrees during its spring commencement ceremonies April 30-May 2. Among those receiving degrees were Kelli Kuharich of Selbyville, who received a Master of Business Administration, and Hayden McWilliams of Fenwick Island who earned a Bachelor of Science in Commerce & Business Administration.
•Brooke Mask of Berlin, an honors student at Wor-Wic Community College, is this year’s faculty honors scholarship winner.
Selection is based on scholastic achievement and an essay competition judged by the honors program committee at Wor-Wic. Applicants were required to write a three- to four-page research-based argumentative essay that addresses whether programs like SpaceX should continue to focus on space exploration/colonization or should be abandoned for more pressing concerns at home. Mask’s award-winning essay called “To Mars and Beyond” argued that we already have programs exploring our world and working on bettering it, and we are doing no harm by further researching the universe.
A dean’s list student, Mask said she has had the opportunity to see people who were a part of the honors program grow immensely, and she wanted to be able to see that change in herself as well.
“I feel that the honors program is pushing me to reach my full potential,” she said. “The work can be challenging at times, but it is quite rewarding, and I feel that anything worth having requires hard work. This program has been beneficial to me in so many ways … being surrounded by peers who share the same goal-oriented mindset, being able to see what I am capable of, and of course, the generous scholarship opportunities. Having the privilege of being a part of the honors program has demonstrated that hard work and determination do pay off.”
After receiving her associate degree from Wor-Wic, she plans to transfer to a university to earn her bachelor’s degree in psychology and then pursue a career as a therapist, psychologist or behavioral analyst.
•A total of 1,466 students have been named to the Dean’s List at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania (ESU) for the Spring 2021 semester of the 2020-2021 academic year, including Sean Vandervelden of Ocean City.
•McDaniel College awarded nearly 600 bachelor’s and master’s degrees during the 151st commencement ceremony on May 22, including Amy Lauren Wright of Ocean City, who earned a master’s degree in School Librarianship; Beau Williams of Berlin who earned a master’s degree in School Librarianship; Jackson Mumford of Ocean City who earned a master’s degree in Teaching; Andrew S. Gottfried of Berlin who earned a bachelor’s degree in Cinema; and James Wyatt Church of Ocean City who earned a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies.
•The College of Charleston recently awarded undergraduate and graduate degrees during Spring 2020 Commencement ceremonies. The following local students earned degrees: Seth Lewis of Berlin graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Commercial Real Estate Finance; and Max Bisaha of Berlin graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.
•Zachary Tucker of Fenwick Island, Del., is one of nearly 440 Lebanon Valley College students in the Class of 2021 undergraduate and graduate programs who celebrated their educational and personal accomplishments during three Commencement ceremonies this weekend.