Recognizing Community Leadership

By Stephen Wilson

Landis Center for Community Engagement celebrated the work of student leadership, campus volunteers, community partners, and faculty-driven community-based learning and research at its annual expo.

In a typical year, the campus community would have gathered together to see recipients earn awards and engage students in a poster session that illustrated their work, research, and commitment.

But this year, the center turned the expo into a weeklong virtual celebration, using its website and social media accounts to hold up the various teams and projects that have occurred despite the global pandemic.

Award winners collected certificates at designated times at the center where the Landis crew could also grab a photo.

Landis staff, including Art Kney, director of the Landis Center and professor of civil and environmental engineering, Chelsea Cefalu, associate director, Melissa Ash (Mash), assistant director of student engagement and civic leadership, Christine Cohen, coordinator for leadership and service, Diana Larkin, volunteer coordinator, Sarah Morgan, background check and clearance assistant, and Mary Foulk, office assistant, are pleased to announce the following awards and recognitions: 

Jeremy Saxe Award
Kelsey Nies ’21

This prize is awarded annually to a senior who best exemplifies the ideals of academic achievement and intellectual curiosity, personal engagement in the community, and a commitment to making the world a better place.

Eleanor Winkey Prize
Brooke Paccione ’21

Awarded annually to the senior selected by Landis Center for Community Engagement who has been most committed to service and the residents of the Easton area community.

Community-Based Learning and Research Prize
Brooke Paccione ’21 and Kimberly Manalang ’21

This award is given annually to a senior(s) who has made significant contributions to the community through course projects, an honors thesis, EXCEL scholar work, and/or some other form of academic community engagement. 

Community Partnership Award
Ross Marcus from Easton Area Neighborhood Center

This award recognizes a community partner for outstanding collaboration with Lafayette College students/faculty. Recipients of this award demonstrate an institutional commitment of community-based learning by providing meaningful student experiences and facilitating mutually beneficial outcomes for students, faculty, and their own organizations.  

Volunteer of the Year Award 
Abigail Schaus ’24

This award recognizes a first-year student who demonstrates significant commitment to community engagement activities through participation in Landis Center for Community Engagement programs.

Class of ’97 Community Service Award 
Alisha Gangadharan ’21

This award recognizes a senior who demonstrates sustained commitment to community engagement activities through participation and leadership in multiple Landis Center for Community Engagement programs.

Landis Legacy Award: Landis Values 
Stefano Mancini ’22 and Sam Scott ’22

This award is given to students who not only understand the Landis Center values but also embody them in their daily lives. These students represent the values of action, commitment, reciprocity, and innovation both within their course work at Lafayette as well as within the Easton community.

Landis Legacy Award: Social Advocacy 
LuLu Kirtchuk ’21

This award is given to the student who has displayed an extreme passion for a social justice topic overlapping with his or her direct service in the community. He or she has been able to take his or her experience from service and elevate this knowledge to the campus by building awareness through education.

Landis Legacy Award: Experiential Learning 
Eleanor Griffiths ’22

This award is given to the student who has demonstrated growth in community-based learning and reflection. He or she not only exemplifies the ability to reflect on their experiences but also encourages and fosters learning for other Lafayette students in the same capacity.

Landis Legacy Award: Civic Leadership
Gam Pham ’22

This award is given to the student who best exemplifies dedication and commitment to direct service within the Lafayette and the greater Easton area community. He or she has enriched our community partnerships between Lafayette and our surrounding community.

Landis Legacy Award: Social Innovation 
Camille Carthy ’23 and Samantha Riebesell ’23

This award is given to the students who meld the spirit of innovation with the spirit of the community. These students have developed and/or implemented an effective solution to a challenging issue within the community. 

Josiah Henry Frank ’26 Endowed Scholarship
Yordanos Mengistu ’22

This award is given to a qualified student who demonstrates academic achievement and involvement in community service in a manner that reflects genuine commitment and the prospect of continued service after college.

Faculty Award for Distinguished Leadership in Community-Based Teaching and/or Research 
Mark Crain, Simon Professor of Political Economy and chair of policy studies
Fluney Hutchinson, associate professor of economics

This award recognizes a tenured faculty member(s) who has provided Lafayette students with innovative and transformative learning experiences by engaging them in projects that address community-identified needs. The recipient has demonstrated a sustained commitment to community-based teaching and/or research and a willingness to assume a leadership role in advancing academic community engagement at Lafayette. 

Faculty Award for Excellence in Community-Based Learning Pedagogy 
Jonathan Bloom, assistant professor of mathematics
This award recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated a commitment to engaging in best practices in the field of academic community engagement. The recipient has worked with community organizations to form mutually beneficial partnerships, ones that have provided Lafayette students with exciting and challenging learning experiences and opportunities to hone their skills as engaged citizens.