May 6, 2019

Top students to be recognized during 2019 commencement

Olivia R. Glowacki Olivia R. Glowacki
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University will honor some of its highest academic-achieving graduating seniors May 10-12 during commencement ceremonies.

The university’s top female and male students are Olivia R. Glowacki from the College of Health and Human Sciences and Justin L. Couetil from the College of Agriculture and the Honors College.

Glowacki, of Michigan City, Indiana, who majored in human services, has received the 2019 Flora Roberts Award. This award is presented annually to an outstanding senior woman for her scholarship, leadership, character and service to the university community. The award is made possible through a bequest from Flora Roberts, a member of the Purdue class of 1887. The recipient receives a $2,000 award, a medallion and her name inscribed on the award marker on Purdue Mall.

Justin L. Couetil Justin L. Couetil
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Couetil, of West Lafayette, Indiana, who majored in biochemistry, has received the 2019 G.A. Ross Award. This award is presented annually to an outstanding senior man who has demonstrated high standards of academic achievement, outstanding leadership, strength of character and has made a contribution to Purdue. The award is made possible through a gift from G.A. Ross, a 1916 Purdue graduate. The recipient receives a $2,000 award, medallion and his name inscribed on the award marker on Purdue Mall. 

Glowacki and Couetil, along with the following student award recipients, will be recognized at the May 2019 commencement ceremonies.

The France A. Córdova Award for Leadership in Action was awarded to Brandon C.M. Allen, of Lafayette, who majored in youth development and agricultural education in the College of Agriculture, and Nelyan Lὀpez Pérez, of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, who majored in materials engineering in the College of Engineering. This award honors graduating students who have demonstrated exceptional leadership during their time at Purdue. The students must have held successful leadership roles, working in partnership with staff and faculty to move the university forward, while maintaining a minimum 3.0 grade point average. The award winners receive a certificate, a cash award and their name inscribed on a plaque.

The Martin C. Jischke Outstanding International Student of the Year Award was awarded to Mukul Ujwala Sunil Sawant, of Nashik, India, who majored in mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering. Established by President Emeritus Martin C. Jischke, this award honors an international Purdue student who has attained a minimum 3.0 grade point average, demonstrated leadership qualities, achieved academic accomplishments through further research, publications or presentations and participated in service projects. The recipient receives a cash award along with their name inscribed on a plaque in Schleman Hall.

The Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts was awarded to Elena Helvajian, of Pasadena, California, who majored in multidisciplinary engineering in the College of Engineering and theatre design and production in the College of Liberal Arts; Angel Upshaw, of Fort Wayne, who majored in mass communication in the College of Liberal Arts and the Honors College; Greg Dieter, of McKinney, Texas, who majored in environmental and ecological engineering in the College of Engineering; and Alec McKeska, of Woodridge, Illinois, who majored in aeronautical and astronautical engineering in the College of Engineering. The prize is awarded to outstanding seniors who have demonstrated excellence and the highest standards of proficiency in the visual or performing arts. This award is endowed by the late Louis Sudler, a Chicago businessman and supporter of the arts. The recipients receive $1,000 and a certificate.

The 13 students who were awarded the Charles O. McGaughey Leadership Awards are:

  • Natalie K. Boger, of Indianapolis, who majored in accelerated nursing in the College of Health and Human Sciences.
  • Jennifer M. Booher, of Fishers, who majored in hospitality and tourism management in the College of Health and Human Sciences.
  • Robert Davis, of Fishers, who majored in industrial engineering in the College of Engineering.
  • Silenze Esquivel-Benjamin, of West Lafayette, who majored in natural resources and environmental science in the College of Agriculture.
  • Brittany N. Griggs, of Carmel, who majored in the Doctor of Pharmacy Program in the College of Pharmacy and the Honors College.
  • Rushabh R. Jajodia, of Vadodara, India, who majored in industrial engineering in the College of Engineering.
  • Will G. Kaufman, of Madison, Wisconsin, who majored in UX design in the Polytechnic Institute.
  • Sydney L. Keenan, of Boulder, Colorado, who majored in economics honors in the School of Management.
  • Varun Raju, of Exton, Pennsylvania, who majored in industrial engineering in the College of Engineering.
  • Christopher R. Schorr, of Liberty Township, Ohio, who majored in chemical engineering in the College of Engineering and the Honors College.
  • Jessica Stone, of Cloquet, Minnesota, who majored in cell, molecular and developmental biology in the College of Science and the Honors College. 
  • Jirah Taylor, of Gary, who majored in aeronautical engineering technology in the Polytechnic Institute.
  • Annalee Witte, of Wilkinson, who majored in sales and marketing in the College of Agriculture.

McGaughey, a 1939 Purdue graduate, established the awards to honor students for leadership potential. To be eligible for these awards, students must have completed a minimum of two years of full-time study at Purdue and achieved at least a 3.0 graduation index. Recipients are selected on the basis of their contributions to Purdue and the community. Each honoree receives $3,345 as an acknowledgement of their superior leadership abilities, scholarship and appreciation of basic American values.

The five students who received the Amelia Earhart Scholarship are Farhat Alucozai, of West Lafayette, who majored in accelerated nursing in the College of Health and Human Sciences; Adam Cullers, of Greenwood, who majored in public relations and strategic communications in the College of Liberal Arts; Olivia Glowacki, of Michigan City, who majored in human services in the College of Health and Human Sciences; Matthew Kortepeter, of Indianapolis, who majored in industrial engineering in the College of Engineering; and Abhipri Mishra, of Evansville, who majored in interdisciplinary engineering studies in the College of Engineering.

This scholarship was reinstituted in 1999 after Doreen Buranich Simmons, a 1971 Purdue graduate, committed to see the scholarship return to Purdue after learning of its demise in the 1970s. Her gift became a catalyst for Joan Russell Dudding to honor the university and Amelia Earhart by funding the scholarship on an ongoing basis. The Amelia Earhart Scholarship is awarded to a junior or senior with a minimum 3.2 grade point average who demonstrates leadership, determination, ability and the potential in academic and/or community activities.         

Writer: Matthew Oates, 765-496-2571, oatesw@purdue.edu, @mo_oates

Source: Christine DeHahn Pass, dehahn@purdue.edu 

Note to Journalists: For media credentials/commencement passes, please contact Matthew Oates, Purdue News Service.

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