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This month, the College honored the best and brightest during its 52nd Annual Curry College Awards Recognition Ceremony, which was held as a week-long social media campaign to honor the amazing accomplishments of the 2020-21 academic year. Beyond excelling in a year like no other, the award-winners were honored for their notable achievements in academics, athletics, arts, service, and social justice. While the 2020-21 academic year is one for the history books, so are these award-winners, for persevering with positivity despite the unprecedented challenges of the global health crisis.
The Intern of the Year, presented by the Center for Career Development, was awarded to criminal justice scholar Jenna McCarriston ’22, who persevered despite challenges when searching for an internship. When police departments stopped taking interns due to the coronavirus pandemic, McCarriston took matters into her own hands and created an internship that would contribute to her field of study. As a result, she created the Lynn Badges and Books Literacy Program, which strengthens the relationship between young children and the Lynn Police Department through collaborative storytelling. Patrick Bouthillette ’21 was also awarded Co-Intern of the Year for his success as a junior account coordinator at John Guilfoil Public Relations.
Michelle Ricci ’21 earned the WMLN-FM Graduating Senior Award after exceptional news coverage in a headline-filled year. She helped to create the News and Public Affairs Department for the station, which is tasked with reporting breaking news and covering major events, such as the 2020 Presidential Election.
Many students were awarded with excellence in their respective fields of study, including Sarah Tadman ’21, the Research Excellence Award in Biology recipient, and Rachel Dumond ‘21, the Academic Excellence and Leadership Award in Biochemistry winner. Hailey DeCoffe ’21 and Gwendolyn Kalian ’21, both of whom maintained nearly perfect GPAs while representing a group of scholars making a difference in the world of Education, received the Academic Excellence Award in Mathematics Education.
After a tough stint without a traditional athletics season, Andrew DeLeary ’20 MSA ‘21, Jake Stebbins ’20 MBA ’21, Jocelyn Dimond ’21 and Taylor Newcomb ’21 were awarded as the Curry College Athletes of the Year, while Head Athletic Trainer Kelly Melville and Sports Information employee Brandon Clay received the Colonel Pride awards.
This year was also notable for a national focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, and several Curry students were awarded for their forward-thinking campus initiatives. Katie Helger ’21 was honored with the Social Justice Award, while Zeno Williams ’24 was named the recipient of the Human Rights Award. Jacki Camiolo ’21 earned the Excellence in Women’s and Gender Studies Award for her commitment to feminist activism as a consent peer educator through the Title IX office.
“Feminism is about courage, empathy, and justice, values that Jacki demonstrates daily in her willingness to share her own experiences and to be outspoken in defense of others,” says Amanda Kennedy, associate professor of sociology.
And while the entire community successfully made it through one of its most challenging periods, this would not have been possible without the perseverance, patience, and positivity of the College’s Health Services team. Normally awarded to one faculty or staff member, the Person of the Year award is given to an individual who has made a significant impact on the lives of students and the Curry community as a whole. This year, the decision was made to give the award to a group of people: The staff of Curry College Health Services, for their unwavering commitment to Keep Curry Safe.
“The members of this team have worked tirelessly all year to keep us safe,” said student body President Lexi Sheehan ’21. “We are forever grateful.”