Student Awards

The Student Commencement Speaker for one of the two commencement ceremonies was our own Ben Jacobs, for the College of Arts & Sciences.

The 2022 Institute of Leadership & Service (ILAS) Calling and Character Student Prize
was awarded to Nick Skrobul.

The Valparaiso University Alumni Association (VUAA) Distinguished Student Award recognizes graduating seniors from each of Valpo’s undergraduate colleges who model scholarly achievement, leadership, service, and character. Jakob Wiegand was selected to represent Christ College. Another pair of dual citizens of CC, Maddie Henry and Cassandra McMorrow, were both selected to represent the College of Arts & Sciences. Finally, one more dual citizen, Dakota Kampmeier, was selected to represent the College of Nursing and Healthcare Professions.

The Student Affairs Outstanding Leadership and Service Award recognizes the depth and breadth of the leadership and service provided to the university and/or local community by graduating seniors. CC awardees were Ben Jacobs, Dakota Kampmeier, Sarah Messerschmidt, and Dawson Penshorn.

The Calling and Purpose in Society (CAPS) Fellowship Award recognizes students’ commitment to service in community and to understanding their vocation as a way to better the world. The CC awardees include Philip Bolton ‘23, Katharina Depenthal ‘22, Isabella Dietrich ‘24, Katie Endres ‘23, Emily Fletcher ‘24, Tobias Hill ‘23, and Isabelle Kalil ‘23. All fellows will do reflective internships with service organizations this summer.

The Dr. Robert D. Palumbo Award for engineering research and commitment to the arts was given to Chris Ruble.

Eleanor Wegener was awarded a Fulbright grant for the next academic year and will serve as a English Teaching Assistant to Germany. Ben Jacobs was named a semi-finalist and alternate for an English Teaching Assistantship to France.

Payton Hodson has been selected as an Orr Fellow for 2022-2024.

Finally, many CC students were selected for the most respected national honor societies—one technology-focused and the other emphasizing the humanities:

Tau Beta Pi
Founded in 1885, Tau Beta Pi is recognized as the preeminent, national engineering honor society and the only one representing all engineering fields and disciplines.  Christ College senior inductees included David Engstrom, Chris Ruble, and Jakob Wiegand.

Phi Beta Kappa
As America’s most prestigious academic honor society, Phi Beta Kappa has celebrated excellence in the liberal arts & sciences and championed free thought since 1776.  Senior CC inductees were Vicki Arevalo, Maddie Henry, Payton Hodson, Alyssa Jarabek, Zoe Lucas, Julia Marhenke, Sarah Messerschmidt, Eleanor Wegener, and Claire Weseman.

Two of the six Student Commencement Speakers are from Christ College: Jenna Rifai, for the College of Arts & Sciences, and Anna Raimondi, for the College of Engineering.

The Valparaiso University Alumni Association (VUAA) Distinguished Student Award recognizes graduating seniors from each of Valpo’s undergraduate colleges who model scholarly achievement, leadership, and character.  Jenna Rifai and Jenna Johnston were selected to represent Christ College.  Another dual citizen of CC, Jacob Nadolsky, was chosen to represent the College of Arts & Sciences.

The Student Affairs Outstanding Leadership and Service Award recognizes the depth and breadth of the leadership and service provided to the university and/or local community.  CC awardees are Brennan Dettmann, Jacob Nadolsky, and Taylor Nesselroad.

The Calling & Character Student Essay Prize, sponsored by the Institute for Leadership and Service, was awarded to Miranda Engholm, with Jacob Nadolsky earning an honorable mention.

The Calling and Purpose in Society (CAPS) Fellow Award recognizes students’ commitment to service in community and understanding their vocation as a way to better the world.  Miranda Engholm and Jacob Nadolsky are CC senior awardees, who will do reflective summer internships with service organizations.

Finally, many CC students were selected for the most respected national honor societies—one technology focused and the other humanities focused:

Tau Beta Pi
Founded in 1885, Tau Beta Pi is recognized as the preeminent, national engineering honor society and the only one representing all engineering fields and disciplines.  Christ College senior inductees include Anna Raimondi, Lindsey Tryban, and Drew Witte.

Phi Beta Kappa
As America’s most prestigious academic honor society, Phi Beta Kappa has celebrated excellence in the liberal arts & sciences and championed free thought since 1776.  Senior CC inductees are Anna Bedalov, Grace Biermann, Sarah Bortz, Noelle Canty, Raquel Chavez, Brennan Dettmann, Miranda Engholm, Jenna Johnston, Monique Le Donne, Maria Marzullo, Jacob Nadolsky, Marie Dix, Emily Friedman, Lexi Gault, and Ella Speckhard.