2015 Faith Davies Awards honors six students, two faculty members and three student organizations
The annual Faith Davies All-University Leadership Awards Ceremony is a beloved Commencement-week tradition, which takes time to recognize members of the Pacific community and student organizations who have made significant contributions to the University and the quality of the student experience and exhibit extraordinary leadership, mentoring and philanthropy. The following were honored at the 2015 awards ceremony held on Friday, May 8.
The Podesto Award for Excellence in Student Life, Mentoring and Counseling
Louise Stark, Associate Dean and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, was this year's recipient of the Podesto Award. The Podesto Award recognizes members of the Pacific community who have played a significant role in enriching the student experience. Recipients are educators, staff, or faculty, who significantly support whole-student learning through direct advising and mentoring of students. Stark has been the faculty advisor for the Pacific Society of Women Engineers since she came to Pacific 1992 and was named Faculty Advisor of the Year in 2010 by the SWE national organization for her outstanding leadership.
Outstanding Student Organization Advisor Award
Cary Bricker, Professor of Lawyering Skills and faculty advisor for the McGeorge Criminal Law Society, was the recipient of this year's award, which recognizes an advisor who has provided significant assistance toward advancing the goals and mission of a registered student organization. Bricker was selected for her dedication in developing the Criminal Law Society and guiding its participants to tangible growth and development and a focus on events such as the Student and Practitioner Mixer, that help ensure practice-ready graduates.
Elizabeth Griego Outstanding Student Leader Award
Nasser Bahzad '15, a double major in Business Administration and Economics, was the recipient of this year's Outstanding Student Leader Award, which recognizes a graduating senior who has made significant and sustainable contributions to the student experience at Pacific. Bahzad promoted student success through tutoring in various business and economics courses. He was a strong advocate and mentor for the international student population and served as president of the Council of Social Entrepreneurs. He is also a member of the Mortar Board, Beta Gamma Sigma, Phi Kappa Phi and Omicron Delta Epsilon societies.
Jesse Marks Co-curricular Award
Nicole Cherry '15 was the recipient of this award, which recognizes a graduating senior who has made significant and outstanding contributions to the University. Cherry has a self-designed major with a Humanities concentration. She has held multiple positions with the Center for Community Involvement, including Community Tutor, AVID classroom assistant, Individual Tutor, and Saturday Partners in Education Manager. She also worked for Rec Sports and was a One Word Team Member. She also is a member of the Theta Alpha Phi theatre arts fraternity.
Dochterman Outstanding Junior Scholarship Award
Aroosa Ahmed '16 was the recipient of this award, which recognizes a student with junior standing who has made significant contributions to the University. Ahmed is a Psychology major with a Sociology minor. she isa student advisor with the Student Academic Support Services, where she plays an important role in delivering academic services that are vital to the goal of student success at Pacific. She also served as a member of the Career Resource Center student staff team and was an Orientation Leader in 2014. She is a founding member of Delta Epsilon Iota, a career-related honor society.
Shayda Anasari '16 was a recipient of the 2015 Dochterman award. A Business Administration major in the Eberhardt School of Business, Ansari served as president of Pacific's Student-Athlete Council, and advanced the role of the group significantly. Ansari has turned the PSAC into a proactive organization which has increased social events among all student-athletes, and planned a variety of service events. She also serves as the PSAC Digital Media and Video Coordinator.
She also earned WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention in 2014 and was unanimously voted Most Inspirational Player by her women's soccer teammates.
Karen DeRosa Outstanding Graduate Student Leader Award
Felina Kelly '15 was the recipient of this award, which recognizes a graduate student who has completed a Master of Arts in Educational Administration with a specialization in Student Affairs and has demonstrated leadership in the classroom and made a significant and memorable contribution to the co-curricular student experience at Pacific. Kelly is a Residence Director in Housing and Greek Life. She served as an intern in the Women's Center and as director of the Vagina Monologues production. She served on the Student Affairs mock Interview Day committee and helped plan the Student Affairs Bay Area Round Table Conference.
Anderson Y Community Service Award
The Council of Social Entrepreneurs was the recipient of this award, which recognizes an outstanding registered student organization engaged in Pacific and the surrounding local community. The CSE encourages Pacific students to ethically help resolve societal problems via the use of creative business solutions. In 2015, the CSE hosted their annual hunger banquet, a fundraiser event that generated more than $1,800 to fight global hunger and poverty. Additionally, the CSE raised funds to fight HIV in Africa by hosting its annual Grassroots Soccer event, a barefoot soccer tournament on Brookside Field, and sent two students to Panama to help those in the developing world plan and start their own small businesses.
Student Organization of the Year Award
The McGeorge Criminal Law Society was the recipient of this award, which recognizes a registered student organization that has made a lasting impact on the Pacific community and provides quality programs, services and experiences to its members and the campus community. The Criminal Law Society is a forum for the discussion and furtherance of criminal law education. They hosted a three-part practitioner series in collaboration with the Federal Bar Assocaition club and the Career Development Office aimed at helping students get a glimpse of real practice.
Pacific Fund Philanthropy Award
The Muslim Student Association was the recipient of this award, which recognizes a registered student organization, club or council that demonstrates outstanding commitment to charitable giving and has achieved excellence in fundraising for a nonprofit or civic group during the current academic year. The groups annual charity banquet for Gaza refugees raised more than $18,000. The group partnered with a local nonprofit to provide more than 500 meals to the homeless of Stockton. Also in collaboration with Bon Appetit, the group hosted the annual "Swipes Against Hunger" campaign that allows students to use their extra meal plan money to make food donations to local charities.
Spirit of Pacific Recognition
Gena Johnson '15 earned the Spirit of Pacific Award, given by the Alumni Association in recognition of personal integrity, leadership, impact on the campus community, and enhancement of Tiger Spirit through hard work and determination. Johnson, a women's basketball player earning a degree in sport pedagogy, earned multiple All-Conference awards on the basketball court, helping the Tigers to their best season ever in 2013. Following an off-season auto accident, Johnson underwent multiple surgeries and put in hundreds of hours of rehab to walk again, let alone play Division I basketball. Johnson returned to the court for Pacific 14 months after her accident, playing her senior season as a fifth-year player. She appeared in 22 games for Pacific, and finished her career in the Tigers' Top 20 in points, assists and blocked shots. "Gena Strong" became a rallying phrase for both the Pacific and Stockton communities.
Congratulations to all the faculty, staff and student award recipients upon receiving this well-deserved recognition.
