The wet weather didn't dampen the spirits of the hundreds of friends and family members gathered on Merion Green Saturday to witness Bryn Mawr's Class of 2018 receive their degrees.
A highlight of the day was the wide-ranging remarks by speaker Angela Davis, who told the graduates, "You, and those of your generation, represent a depth of knowledge that we have needed for a very long time. You now know how to protest hierarchical notions of race and gender as they are structurally and discursively produced and reproduced. What is extraordinary is that young people, your generational cohort, have accomplished so much in a relatively short period of time."
Bryn Mawr President Kim Cassidy was also among those to address the graduates, highlighting the importance of love in a meaningful life.
"It’s so important to love what you do, and to do what you love. Your academic success here, your professional success in the future, and your personal and communal happiness all benefit immensely from deep engagement in meaningful, fulfilling pursuits...The liberal arts, and Bryn Mawr, are based upon this fundamental commitment to love as the foundation of our ideals and our social contract: love as passion for learning and truth; love as commitment to the growth and well-being of all; and love as value and respect for our work, our fellow community members and ourselves.
"From the past to the present, and into the future, across the vast array of points in time and space from where we all come and are going, it is my hope that each of you–that all of you–continue the journey you have begun here at Bryn Mawr, and go forth to progress, through triumph and struggle, with the goal of succeeding in truth, and for the sake of love."
In addition to the speeches by Davis and Cassidy, Haverford College President Kim Benston gave brief remarks and the College's two highest undergraduate awards were presented.
The Gertrude Slaughter Fellowship, which is awarded for excellence in scholarship, was awarded to Lavender Zha, of Suzhou, China. Lavender graduated summa cum laude in biology with a minor in creative writing. Through a combined degree program between Bryn Mawr and the University of Pennsylvania, Lavender will earn her master’s degree in engineering with a concentration in biotech next year at Penn.
The European Traveling Fellowship has been awarded by the College each year since its first entering class graduated in 1889. It was presented to Ying Yan of Langfang, China. Ying graduated summa cum laude in three majors: history of art, mathematics, and physics. She will begin a Ph.D. program in physics at Harvard University this fall.
A number of faculty awards and honors were also presented.
On Friday, members of the Class of 2018 received a number of awards and recognitions at the Convocation ceremony:
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Awards
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Awards Community Honor Roll
Established in 2018, the Community Building Honor Roll honors students who have made important contributions to creating a sense of belonging, inclusiveness, and community on campus.
Andrew T. Clark of Pennsylvania
Elena Gittleman of Texas
Samantha Pezzimenti of New Jersey
Wyeth Fellowship at the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts
Awarded to a graduate student with a doctoral dissertation that concerns aspects of art of the United States, including native and pre-Revolutionary America.
Michelle Smiley of Pennsylvania
Kress Foundation Institutional Fellowship
Awarded to a promising young art historian for immersion in European cultures.
Arielle Winnik of Maryland
International Center of Medieval Art Travel Grant
Awarded to a graduate student to travel to Europe to visit the monuments, museum objects or manuscripts in support of the dissertation.
Nava Streiter of New York
Doris Sill Carland Teaching Fellowship 2017–18
Awarded to a graduate student based on faculty endorsements and teaching assistant recommendations.
Andrew T. Clark of Pennsylvania
Audrey E. Wallace of Vermont
Doris Sill Carland Award
Awarded to graduate teaching assistants for excellence in teaching.
Nina Blomfield of New Zealand
Mary Sexton of Pennsylvania
McPherson Award for Excellence
Awarded to a student for achievement and service to the community, within or beyond the campus.
Elena Gittleman of Texas
Isaac M. Craig of Wisconsin
Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research Awards
Community Honor Roll
Jacqueline Ann Cahill of Pennsylvania
Shahbanu Goldberg, M.S.S. ’00 Award
Awarded to a graduating GSSWSR student whose commitment to service to the School and Social Work profession reflects Ms. Goldberg’s deep caring values of justice and inclusiveness.
Melody Esi King of Pennsylvania
Kevin J. Robinson Award
Awarded to a student in recognition of extraordinary commitment to social justice.
Sara Elizabeth Barber of Pennsylvania
Kimberly Bridget Bonner of Pennsylvania
Michael Terence Byrne of Pennsylvania
Jacqueline Ann Cahill of Pennsylvania
Thomas Halsey Nailor of Pennsylvania
McPherson Award for Excellence
Kaamila Mohamed of Pennsylvania
Sarah Elizabeth Slates of Pennsylvania
Undergraduate Awards
Community Honor Roll
Alexandra María Acabá Berrocal of Puerto Rico
Mercedes Julin Aponte of Massachusetts
Jessica Ursula Breet of South Africa
Calla Jun Carter of California
Alisha Marie Clark of Pennsylvania
Carrie Anne Filion of Pennsylvania
Julius Honey of New York
Nolan Kelley Julien of Texas
Emily Anne Kampmeyer of Pennsylvania
Jillian V-Ying Li of New Jersey
Rachel Gillian Miller of California
Anita Ntem of New York
Cassandra Simone Paul of New York
Olivia Rose Porte of Massachusetts
Claudia Elizabeth Ruiz of Texas
Swati Narasimhadevara Shastry of Texas
Sanam Sheriff of India
Manroocha Kaur Singh of New Jersey
Azalia Ananí Sprecher Hidalgo of Texas
Josefine Ursel Striepen of Georgia
Thuy Tran of Vietnam
Maeve Brennan Siobhan White of Maryland
Marika A. Xifaras of Massachusetts
Amal Amin Yassin of Palestine
Lia Victoria Gaspar Yoo of Ohio
Watson Fellowship
A national fellowship that offers college graduates of unusual promise a year of independent, purposeful exploration and travel in an environment unfamiliar to them.
Sanam Sheriff of India
Fatoumata Yasine Sylla of Connecticut
Boren Scholarship
A national award that provides funding for U.S. undergraduate students to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad.
Marie Janice Mach of Virginia
Frederica de Laguna Award
Awarded to seniors for their meritorious academic work in Anthropology.
Kayla Marie Patton of Pennsylvania
Maeve Brennan Siobhan White of Maryland
Bolton Senior Award
Awarded to an undergraduate majoring in the Growth and Structure of Cities for excellence and creativity in global urban studies.
Rebekah Rosemary Gallop of California
Xinyi Huang of China
Margaret Mayeda Petersson Prize in Asian Studies
Awarded for achievement in the study of East Asia.
Cheng Mun Chang of Singapore
Jeanne Quistgaard Memorial Prize
Awarded to a senior for excellence in economics.
Stella (Yaxi) Hu of Japan
Emma Osborn Thompson Prize
Awarded to undergraduates in the department of Geology.
Helen Anne Whitty of Pennsylvania
Yezi Yang of China
Katherine Stains Prize Fund in Classical Literature
Awarded to an undergraduate student for excellence in Greek literature, either in the original or in translation.
Briana Lee Grenert of Hawaii
Mary Catherine Sweeney of New Jersey
Elisabeth Duane Gillespie Fund for Scholarships in American History
Awarded for work of distinction in American History.
Azalia Ananí Sprecher Hidalgo of Texas
Helen Taft Manning Essay Prize
Awarded to a senior in the Department of History.
Meagan Elizabeth Mulkern of Massachusetts
Gridley McKim Smith Award
Awarded to a student in any field for excellence of work related to Latin American, Iberian and Latina/o studies.
Azalia Ananí Sprecher Hidalgo of Texas
Linguistics Thesis Award
Awarded to the student with the most outstanding linguistics thesis in the Tri-College Consortium on a topic related to applied linguistics.
Lyra Fort Piscitelli of Massachusetts
Awarded to the student with the best thesis in the Tri-College Consortium on a topic related to descriptive linguistics.
Kathryn Elizabeth Goldberg of Maryland
Awarded to the student with the best thesis in the Tri-College Consortium on a topic related to theoretical linguistics.
Ziting Shen of China
Mary Louise Cookson Prize in Mathematics
Awarded to a graduating mathematics major in recognition of their exceptional service that has contributed to the life of the department. Jillian V-Ying Li of New Jersey
Rachel Gillian Miller of California
Rachel Ann Terry of California
Charlotte Angas Scott Prize
Awarded to an undergraduate in the department of Mathematics.
Boyang Su of China
Anna Pell Wheeler Prize
Awarded to an undergraduate for excellence in Mathematics.
Sarah Kathryn Gift of Pennsylvania
Gail Ann Schweiter Prize
Awarded to a science or mathematics major who has shown excellence in both her major field and in musical performance.
Manroocha Kaur Singh of New Jersey
Milton C. Nahm Prize in Philosophy
Awarded to the senior Philosophy major whose thesis is judged most outstanding.
Leonor Beatriz Suarez of Florida
Elinor Nahm Prize in Intermediate Italian
Awarded for excellence in the study of Italian language at the intermediate level.
Brittany Nadine Pena of California
Elinor Nahm Prize in Italian Language and Literature
Awarded for excellence in the study of Italian language and literature.
Francesca Agnello of New Jersey
Emilia Anna Otte of New York
Elinor Nahm Prize in Russian Language and Linguistics
Awarded for excellence in the study of Russian language and linguistics.
Marie Janice Mach of Virginia
Elinor Nahm Prize in Russian Literature and Culture
Awarded for excellence in the study of Russian literature and culture.
Kate Rowan Edwards of Pennsylvania
Subramanian-Linden Academic Achievement
Awarded to a senior for a distinguished record of community service related to study in sociology.
Alisha Marie Clark of Pennsylvania
Micala Hotra-Schubert of Pennsylvania
Alexandra Peschka Prize
Awarded for the best piece of imaginative writing in prose, either fiction or nonfiction.
Emma Caroline Wu of Texas
Seymour Adelman Poetry Award
A fellowship that supports the study, writing and publication of poetry.
Sanam Sheriff of India
Senior Essay Prize
Awarded to a senior for distinction in writing.
Emilia Anna Otte of New York
Hester Ann Corner Prize
Awarded for distinction in literature.
Keana A. Bloomfield of Pennsylvania
Awarded for distinction in literature for foreign language.
Alexandra María Acabá Berrocal of Puerto Rico
Hester Ann Corner Prize in Foreign Language
Awarded to a senior for distinction in writing a thesis in a foreign language.
Meghna Patny of New Jersey
Richard Lattimore Prize for Poetic Translation
Awarded for the best translation of poetry from another world language into English.
Marie Janice Mach of Virginia
Nicole Alexandra Westerduin of New Jersey
Dr. Hayley S. Thomas Prize in Diversity
Awarded to students who exemplify life-long learning around diversity, demonstrate a commitment to and advocacy for inclusion, and the ability to inspire others in action.
Mercedes Julin Aponte of Massachusetts
Alisha Marie Clark of Pennsylvania
Carrie Anne Filion of Pennsylvania
McPherson Undergraduate Award for Excellence
Awarded to graduating seniors in recognition of their academic distinction and community service accomplishments.
Anita Ntem of New York
Cassandra Simone Paul of New York
Olivia Rose Porte of Massachusetts
