IRSC Recognizes Student Achievement with Virtual Awards Ceremony

IRSC Recognizes Student Achievement with Virtual Awards Ceremony

April 30, 2020 Robert Lane

While the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented many events typically held at the close of the Spring semester, the College found an innovative way to celebrate the achievements of Indian River State College (IRSC) students. A virtual Student Awards ceremony, organized by IRSC Student Affairs, can now be found on the IRSC YouTube channel recognizing students’ scholastic achievement, community service, leadership, and more:

STUDENT AWARD PRESENTATIONS:

IRSC Distinguished Scholars: Awarded to 150 students, nominated by their instructors or College administrators or staff members, whose academic standing and participation in extracurricular activities are decidedly above average.

“Superlative” Distinguished Scholars: Conferred to an IRSC Distinguished Scholar who is the most outstanding in their particular Meta Major: Kristina Simon of Stuart for Arts, Humanities, Communications and Design; Charlise Oberholzer of Wellington for Business; Gavin Joyce of Biloxi, Mississippi, for Public Safety; Linda Singletary of Sebastian for Education; Leah Dunn of Longwood, Florida for Health Sciences; Jennifer Dowell of Fort Pierce for the Honors Program; Jason Ng of Port St. Lucie for Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM); Nicole Wilson of Vero Beach for Social & Behavioral Science and Human Services; and Anthony McEnry of Port St. Lucie for Industry, Manufacturing, and Construction.

2020 All-Florida Academic Team: Selected for their outstanding academic achievement, leadership, and service to their communities: Savanna Best of Capetown, South Africa; Sarah Boyle of Vero Beach; Leah Dunn of Longwood, Florida; Neydi Hernandez of Westbury, New York, Eric Jjombwe of Sebastian; Gavin Joyce, Biloxi, Mississippi; Crystal Mitchell of Jersey City, New Jersey; Dorian Moure of Sebastian; Olivia Nicholas of Crystal River, Florida;  Emily Phillips of Port St. Lucie; and Gianna Reyes of Maracaibo, Venezuela.

Academic Award: Presented to Emily Phillips of Port St. Lucie—Associate in Arts recipient—and Justice Widman of Port St. Lucie—Bachelor’s Degree recipient—for superior academic achievement plus outstanding qualifications in such areas as intellectual curiosity, responsiveness to the challenges of learning, interest in research, and the ability to use an association of ideas to stimulate personal thinking.

Emily Phillips enrolled as a full-time student at IRSC in the Fall of 2018 earning a spot on the Dean’s List for the past three semesters—maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA. Emily graduates with her Associate Degree this Spring and intends to pursue her Bachelor’s Degree in Education at IRSC this Fall towards her ultimate goal of becoming an Elementary Education teacher. Emily is the President of IRSC’s Academy of Future Teacher’s Club, a member and President of Phi Theta Kappa, a member of the All-Florida Academic Team, and was recently chosen to be a Gold Scholar for Coca Cola’s 2020 Academic Team—which includes a $1,500 scholarship.

Justice Widman earned his Associate in Arts Degree taking most of his classes at the Chastain Campus in Stuart. One of his instructors recognized Justice as an intellectually curious student, noting his frequent after-class visits to discuss points of interest and challenges on the discussions that day and his enthusiasm to help other students—forming study groups, offering help with classwork, and leading group test responses. After completing his A.A. Degree at IRSC, Justice enrolled IRSC’s academically rigorous Bachelor’s Degree in Biology program where he continued to impress his instructors with his interesting, thought-provoking questions and comments. Justice completes his degree this Spring with Highest Honors. He is a member of the National Adult Education Society, volunteers in local hospitals, works as a reader and scribe for disabled students, and as a tutor for the Adult Education program. He aspires to be a Doctor of Emergency Medicine.

Community Service Award: Awarded to Christina Tatarnic of Port St. Lucie, who has successfully performed meaningful service in the off-campus community. Enrolling at IRSC Christina found comradery among her fellow students in the Science Club, and became a positive influence on the club to engage in community service projects. Through Christina’s encouragement and hard work, the Science Club built relationships including the Ocean Research and Conservation Association, St. Lucie County Parks, Oxbow Eco-Center, Harbor Branch, and the Smithsonian Marine Station. Christina’s contributions aided the club’s growth, development, and involvement in the community; today, when local research organizations have projects they readily seek out the Science Club’s participation. Christina completes her final semester of the Medical Laboratory Technology program this spring and looks forward to her career in the medical field.

General Excellence Award: Presented to Mario Lancieri of Port St. Lucie, a part-time student in the Criminal Justice program who has done outstanding academic work, contributed meritorious service to the community and set a fine personal example. Mario is not only an excellent student, but is a father of two daughters, a husband and a successful business owner. Between running his business and his schoolwork, Mario’s days are filled, but that does not stop him from setting high goals. Mario spends many hours with the Academic Support Center (ASC) doing homework and utilizing available tutor assistance to better understand topics in class, and is always willing to volunteer time to tutor his fellow students. Mario works with classmates to ensure they understand course materials. He helps other students simply to support their learning—Mario genuinely cares about his classmates’ success.

Leadership Award: Awarded to Emma Van Camp of Fort Pierce, for her demonstration of exceptional leadership both in and out of college. Emma graduated high school in just three years, earning her Associate in Arts Degree in Nursing as a dually enrolled student at IRSC. After completing high school, in January 2018, Emma enrolled in the Nursing Program and started work with Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital. She completed the Nursing Program in December 2019, passing her NCLEX-RN in January 2020. She was immediately hired as a Registered Nurse (R.N.) at Cleveland Clinic. On her second day working as an R.N., Emma earned a Daisy Award—an honor given by a patient to a nurse who provides exceptional patient service. She has additionally been awarded seven Clover Awards for outstanding service at Cleveland Clinic. An accomplished IRSC student, Emma is a graduate of the Emerging Leader’s Program, President of the National Student Nurses Association, a Campus Coalition Government Representative, and is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Today, Emma continues her education at IRSC in the Bachelor of Science Nursing program, as she pursues her ultimate goal—to earn her Doctorate of Nursing and become a Family Nurse Practitioner.   

Special Achievement Award: Awarded to Eric Jjombwe of Sebastian, who, through personal initiative, has achieved special recognition and commendation locally and at the state and national level—overcoming odds to persevere through his education goals. Eric comes to IRSC from his native Uganda, where at age seven he lost his father. His mother was jobless and could not support him or his siblings, and Eric had to stop going to school. A Florida-based not-for-profit, Imani Milele Children, helped Eric get the resources and education he needed. Through this agency, he joined a choir that raises funds for orphaned and at-risk children in Uganda—and by the time he completed his last tour in 2017, he performed in more than 20 states to help raise funds for more than 3,000 children. It was during this last tour that Eric learned about IRSC. where he soon enrolled as an international student. Eric completes his Associate in Arts Degree this Spring and will be attending Texas Christian University in the fall. He aspires to be an international lawyer to advocate for socio-economic reform and human rights in developing countries like Uganda.