Loyola Marymount University’s 2022 academic awards, including Scholar of the Year, Valedictorian, Ignatian and Marian award designees, were conferred during a convocation on April 21, 2022, in University Hall’s Roski Dining Room.
“While our trust in their enormous potential is the truest reward we can extend to them, we are here today to recognize their scholarly achievements and their contributions to the university in the service of faith,” Associate Provost José I. Badenes, S.J., said of the awardees. Father Badenes filled in for Provost Thomas Poon, Ph.D., who was serving jury duty and sent his congratulations to the students and his regrets he could not be there.
Scholar of the Year, LMU’s most prestigious academic honor, was awarded to Michelle Chernikova, a psychology and theatre arts double major. Scholar of the Year is awarded to an undergraduate chosen from the college and school scholars who entered the university as a first-year student and has achieved the highest grade point average and the most outstanding academic record of the Class of 2022.
The 2022 valedictorian is Christian H. Jackson, an entrepreneurship major in CBA. The valedictorian achieves a minimum 3.7 grade point average after at least 60 graded semester hours in residence at the university, and is selected on the basis of a speech presented to the Valedictorian Selection Committee, a delegation of faculty, administration, and students representative of the university.
The Marian Award was presented to Nicole Hernandez, political science major. A tradition unique to LMU overseen by members of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, the Marian award recognizes one woman amongst the Presidential Citation awardees who has proven to be a model of service, leadership, and academic achievement.
The Ignatian Award, a tradition shared by many Jesuit educational institutions, went to Michael Robert Liu, a biology major. The award recognizes outstanding service in the Jesuit tradition. LMU’s awardee is chosen out of the distinguished men who are awarded a Presidential Citation, and is selected by a committee of faculty and administrators for selfless service, ethical leadership, and academic excellence.
The Arrupe DEI award recipients are Simone Patrice Butler, a political science major, and Lizbeth Ramales Arango, a Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies major. The Arrupe DEI Award is selected by the University Intercultural Council, which evaluates candidates based on the significance of academic contributions in DEI focused areas, how the student has furthered LMU’s understanding of DEI in the broader LMU community, and future and aspirational plans post-graduation. The award honors Jesuit Superior General Father Pedro Arrupe, S.J., who worked tirelessly for the promotion of justice in the service of faith.
The awards for LMU’s schools and colleges are:
Meara Grace Boughey, LMU College of Communication and Fine Arts
Kelly Kassis, LMU College of Business Administration
Michelle Chernikova, LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts – The Erlandson Award
Daniel Karl Giles, LMU Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering, Engineering
John Mauro, LMU Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering, Mathematics and Science
Emil Adan Sol, LMU School of Education Scholar of the Year
Simran Porwal, LMU School of Film and Television
Presidential Citations were awarded to:
Alyssa Drew Bobich
Brion Lewis Dennis
Kylie Mackenzie Francisco
Ethan Alexander Frisone
Harrison Aristorenas Hamm
Nicole Hernandez
Christian H. Jackson
Catherine Kennedy
Claire Anne Kosewic
Michael Robert Liu
Elena Sabdy Martínez
John Mauro
Simran Porwal
Lizbeth Ramales Arango
Kamilah Roca-Datzer
Leslie Sepulveda Ochoa
Emil Adan Sol
Malia R. Thornton
Alexa Danielle Walls
Erykah Iman Walton
Departmental awards were presented to:
Accounting – Ashley Leann Thi
African American Studies – Shanequewa Love
Animation – Marcella Maggio
Applied Information Management Systems – Jordan James Soldo
Art History – Lauren Ahlburg Rechner
Asian and Pacific Studies – Cady-Bree Abe
Bilingual Education – Crystal Campos
Biochemistry – Annie Jade Heckman
Biology (B.S.) – Julia Ellen Trudeau
Chemistry – Nicole Marie Kielba
Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies – Lizbeth Ramales Arango
Civil Engineering – Jayla Shizuko Ishikawa
Classics and Archaeology – David Jack Eisman
Communication Studies – Blake Elena Marquez
Computer Science – Zachary Irving
Dance – Tulsi Juhi Shah
Economics (B.A.) – Rose Isabel Williamson
Economics (B.S.) – Hayden D. Wheeler
Electrical Engineering – Ian Michael Green
Elementary Education – Margaret Irene Driscoll
English – Alyssa Drew Bobich
Entrepreneurship – Christian H. Jackson
Environmental Science – Rohan A. Sepahi
Environmental Studies – Michaela Marie Galeski
Film and Television Production – Kayla Marie Work
Film, Television, and Media Studies – Devyn Michelle MacEachern
Finance – Kelly Kassis
French – Hayley Ann Markum Dennings
Health and Human Science – Kayla Beth Stuckenberg
History – Nicole Jacqueline Keegan
International Relations – Declan James Tomlinson
Journalism – Accalia Christine Rositani
Liberal Studies – Caroline Wallace
Management – Juan Carlos L. Roxas
Marketing – Ashley Leann Thi
Mathematics (B.S.) – Ryan Michael Lane
Mathematics, Applied – John Mauro
Mechanical Engineering – Daniel Karl Giles
Modern Languages – Nina Perl
Music – Jeremy Matthew Lee
Philosophy – John Mauro
Physics – Alexander Richard Moore
Political Science – Riley J. McCoy
Psychology – Michelle Chernikova
Recording Arts – Guillermo S. Gonzalez
Screenwriting – Sofia Colette Miera
Secondary Education – Emil Adan Sol
Sociology – Lillianna Marie Slaughter
Spanish – Accalia Christine Rositani
Special Education – Cameron Kay Parra
Studio Arts – Lorenzo Chase Lizardi
The Jerome J. Korth Science and Engineering Core Award – Sarah AiLan Nguyen
The University Honors Program – Michelle Chernikova
The University Honors Program – John Mauro
Theatre Arts – Meara Grace Boughey
Theological Studies – AnaMichele Kirsten Morejon
Urban Studies – Daria Elizabeth Young
Women’s and Gender Studies – Jolie Venetine Brownell
