Foreign language students earn $46,000 in awards
July 9, 2002
KALAMAZOO -- Fifty-seven Western Michigan University students were honored for achievement this spring by WMU's Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures.
The department awarded scholarships totaling more than $46,000 at its Honors and Awards Day in April, an annual celebration that recognizes the achievements of outstanding students of foreign languages and literatures.
Benito Acosta, of Portage, Mich., was awarded the Premio Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, an award given to a student who demonstrates overall excellence in the study of Spanish language and literature.
Meghan Alberts, of Coopersville, Mich., was awarded a $2,000 President's Scholarship for Study Abroad, an award given to a foreign language major to study abroad for at least one semester. To receive the award, Alberts was required to have a minimum 3.0 overall grade point average and a 3.50 GPA in her German major.
Lindsay Baker, of Kalamazoo was chosen as the Western Michigan University Presidential Scholar in Foreign Languages and Literatures, a University distinction awarded to students who demonstrate the most outstanding classroom performance. An exemplary student of both French and Latin, Baker also was the recipient of the Prix d'Honneur de l'Ambassadeur de France, an award given by the French Embassy to the outstanding student of French in the graduating class.
Cheryl Benko, of Dearborn, Mich., was awarded the Frances E. Noble Prize for Excellence in French, an award given to the student with the highest grade point average in French courses among graduating French majors. Cheryl, an excellent student in both French and Spanish, also was awarded the Premio Octavio Paz, an award given to a student who demonstrates exemplary academic achievement in the study of Spanish language and literature.
Ellen Brinks, of Gobles, Mich., was awarded the Margaret H. Brooks Award, an award given to an exemplary student of French to continue his or her language studies.
Laura Brunink, of Rockford, Mich., was awarded a $1,100 Ruth Y. Kirby Scholarship Award in Spanish. The award provides financial assistance for Spanish majors and was made possible through a donation by the late Kirby, who taught Spanish in the Kalamazoo community.
Tracy Chandonnet, of Muskegon, Mich., was awarded a $600 Department Travel/Study Abroad Award to pursue her studies in Spanish.
Lindsey Cherry, of Saginaw, Mich., was awarded a $2,000 President's Scholarship for Study Abroad, an award given to a foreign language major to study abroad for at least one semester. To receive the award, Cherry was required to have a minimum 3.0 overall grade point average and a 3.50 GPA in her Spanish major.
John Cosby, of Portage, Mich., was awarded the Premio Antonio de Nebrija, an award given to a student who demonstrates overall excellence in the study of Spanish language and literature.
Brian Cote, of Greenville, Mich., was awarded a $1,000 Hermann E. Rothfuss Award for Excellence in German, an award given to a student who demonstrates outstanding academic performance in the study of German language.
Allison Danforth, of Kalamazoo was awarded a $1,100 Ruth Y. Kirby Scholarship Award in Spanish. The award provides financial assistance for Spanish majors and was made possible through a donation by the late Kirby, who taught Spanish in the Kalamazoo community.
Greg Delgoffe, of Menominee, Mich., was awarded an Excellence in Russian Award, an award given to a student for exemplary academic achievement in the study of first-year Russian language.
Casey DeLong, of DeWitt, Mich., was awarded a $1,100 Ruth Y. Kirby Scholarship in Spanish. The award provides financial assistance for Spanish majors and was made possible through a donation by the late Kirby, who taught Spanish in the Kalamazoo community.
Alison Forbes, of Okemos, Mich., was awarded the Sue C. Mardis Scholarship in French. The award provides financial assistance to an undergraduate student for study in a French-speaking country and was made possible through a donation by the family of the late Mardis, who was a high school language teacher.
Elizabeth Foster, of Onekama, Mich., was awarded a $600 Department Travel/Study Abroad Award to pursue her studies in Spanish.
Laura Ginn, of Clarkston, Mich., was awarded an Excellence in Russian Literary Study Award, a prize given to a student for exemplary academic achievement in his or her study of Russian literature.
Nathaniel Goding, of Kalamazoo was awarded a $2,000 President's Scholarship for Study Abroad, an award given to a foreign language major or minor to study abroad for at least one semester. To receive the award, Goding was required to have a minimum 3.0 overall grade point average and a 3.50 GPA in his Russian minor.
Alicia Gonzales, of Kalamazoo was awarded a $600 Department Travel/Study Abroad Award to pursue her studies in Spanish.
Arthur Hale, of Kalamazoo was awarded a $1,000 Mathilde Steckelberg Scholarship in French, an award given to a foreign language major who demonstrates outstanding academic performance and potential.
Jennifer Hall, of Allen Park, Mich., was awarded a $2,000 President's Scholarship for Study Abroad, an award given to a foreign language major to study abroad for at least one semester. To receive the award, Hall was required to have a minimum 3.0 overall grade point average and a 3.50 GPA in her Spanish major.
Tara Hawkins, of Grand Haven, Mich., was awarded the Premio Suzanne M. Wheatley, named in honor of a WMU Spanish major killed in a 1988 accident and awarded to a student on the basis of academic performance and an interest in traveling to Spain.
Scott Herle, of Twin Lake, Mich., was awarded a $2,000 President's Scholarship for Study Abroad, an award given to a foreign language major to study abroad for at least one semester. To receive the award, Herlein was required to have a minimum 3.0 overall grade point average and a 3.50 GPA in his Spanish major. Herlein, an excellent student in both Spanish and French, was also the recipient of the Prix de l'Alliance Française, an award given to a student who demonstrates exemplary student involvement in French activities.
Laura Hills, of Hopkins, Mich., was awarded a $1,000 Mathilde Steckelberg Scholarship in Spanish, an award given to a foreign language major who demonstrates outstanding academic performance and potential.
Sarah Hodge, of Battle Creek, Mich., was awarded a $2,000 President's Scholarship for Study Abroad, an award given to a foreign language major to study abroad for at least one semester. To receive the award, Hodge was required to have a minimum 3.0 overall grade point average and a 3.50 GPA in her French and Spanish majors.
Amanda Kinney, of Grand Rapids, Mich., was awarded a $2,000 President's Scholarship for Study Abroad, an award given to a foreign language major to study abroad for at least one semester. To receive the award, Kinney was required to have a minimum 3.0 overall grade point average and a 3.50 GPA in her French major.
Lori Kreuze, of Holland, Mich., was awarded the Premio María Moliner, an award given to a student for excellence in the study of Spanish language and literature.
Matthew Kurta, of Ironwood, Mich., was awarded an Excellence in Russian Award, an award given to a student for exemplary academic achievement in his or her study of the Russian language.
Kristin Lukasik, of Kalamazoo was awarded a $500 Herb B. Jones Scholarship in Spanish, an award given to a student who demonstrates overall excellence in written and spoken Spanish.
Kimberly Lund, of Portage, Mich., was awarded the Special Award in French. This award recognizes the outstanding academic record of a advanced student in the study of French language and literature.
Aaron Maddox, of Tecumseh, Mich., was awarded an Exchange Program Scholarship to the Free University of Berlin to pursue his studies of German language and literature.
Anastacia Magnuson, of Kalamazoo was awarded a $1,100 Ruth Y. Kirby Scholarship Award in Spanish. The award provides financial assistance for Spanish majors and was made possible through a donation by the late Kirby, who taught Spanish in the Kalamazoo community.
Melanie Manis, of Scotts, Mich., was awarded the Preis der Bundesrepublik, an award given to a student who exhibits outstanding work in the study of German.
Joseph Marble, of Galesburg, Mich., was awarded the Premio Jorge Luis Borges, an award given to a student who demonstrates overall excellence in the study of the Spanish language.
Kate McCarthy, of Grand Rapids, Mich., was awarded the Sue C. Mardis Scholarship in Spanish. The award provides financial assistance to a graduate student for study in a Spanish-speaking country, and was made possible through a donation by the family of the late Mardis, who was a high school language teacher.
Rhonda McDanie, of Kalamazoo was awarded a $1,000 Mathilde Steckelberg Scholarship in Latin, an award given to a language student who demonstrates outstanding academic performance and potential.
Hillary Molengraff, of Holland, Mich., was awarded a $1,100 Ruth Y. Kirby Scholarship Award in Spanish. The award provides financial assistance for Spanish majors and was made possible through a donation by the late Kirby, who taught Spanish in the Kalamazoo community.
Hannah Northey, of Portage, Mich., was awarded the $2,500 President's Award for Study Abroad, an award given to a foreign language major to study abroad for at least one semester. To receive the award, Northey was required to have a minimum 3.0 overall grade point average and a 3.75 GPA in her German major.
Andrea Palleschi, of Troy, Mich., was awarded the Excellence in Italian Award, an award given to a student in recognition of academic achievement in the study of second-year Italian.
Katherine Perrin, of Kalamazoo was awarded a $2,000 President's Scholarship for Study Abroad, an award given to a foreign language major to study abroad for at least one semester. To receive the award, Perrin was required to have a minimum 3.0 overall grade point average and a 3.50 GPA in her French major.
Matthew Peterson, of Kalamazoo was awarded a $1,100 Ruth Y. Kirby Scholarship in Spanish. The award provides financial assistance for Spanish majors and was made possible through a donation by the late Kirby, who taught Spanish in the Kalamazoo community.
Casey Pierce, of Northport, Mich., was awarded a $600 Department Travel/Study Abroad Award to pursue her studies in Spanish.
Laura Reinert, of Kalamazoo was awarded the Eunice E. Kraft Award in Classics, an award given to an outstanding student studying Latin or Greek.
Dacia Reinhold, of Williamsburg, Mich., was awarded a $600 Department Travel/Study Abroad Award to pursue her studies in Spanish.
Adeya Richmond, of Minneapolis, was awarded the Premio Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, an award given to a student to recognize excellence in the study of Spanish language and literature.
Paul Santi, of Clinton Township, Mich., was awarded the Excellence in Italian Award, an award given to a student in recognition of academic achievement in the study of first-year Italian.
Sarah Sauvage, of Northport, Mich., was awarded a $2,000 President's Scholarship for Study Abroad, an award given to a foreign language major to study abroad for at least one semester. To receive the award, Sauvage was required to have a minimum 3.0 overall grade point average and a 3.50 GPA in her French major.
Esther Schoenherr, of Richland, Mich., was awarded a $1,000 Mathilde Steckelberg Scholarship in German, an award given to a foreign language major who demonstrates outstanding academic performance and potential.
Chad Thorner, of Kalamazoo was awarded an Excellence in Russian Award, an award given to a student for exemplary academic achievement in the study of second-year Russian language.
Mary Truitt, of Kalamazoo was awarded the John B. Dorstewitz Award in French, named in honor of a WMU French major who died in an 1997 accident. This award is given to a student who demonstrates excellence in the study of French language.
Jack VanEngen, of Mattawan, Mich., was awarded the Premio Alfonso X el Sabio, an award given to a student who demonstrates overall excellence in the study of Spanish language and literature.
Valerie Wahl, of Clinton, Mich., was awarded a $1,100 Ruth Y. Kirby Scholarship in Spanish. The award provides financial assistance for Spanish majors and was made possible through a donation by the late Kirby, who taught Spanish in the Kalamazoo community.
Stephanie Wallace, of Belding, Mich., was awarded the Excellence in Italian Award, an award given to a student in recognition of academic achievement in the study of first-year Italian.
Lisa Wharton, of Vicksburg, Mich., was awarded the Premio Rosalía de Castro, an award given to a student who demonstrates overall excellence in the study of Spanish language and literature.
Sarah Wickey, of Sturgis, Mich., was awarded the Premio Joan Coromines, an award given to a student who demonstrates exemplary academic achievement in the study of Spanish language and literature.
Michelle Wiest, of Grand Rapids, Mich., was awarded a $2,000 President's Scholarship for Study Abroad, an award given to a foreign language major to study abroad for at least one semester. To receive the award, Wiest was required to have a minimum 3.0 overall grade point average and a 3.50 GPA in her Spanish major.
Heidi Wolbrink, of Holland, Mich., was awarded the Elizabeth Giedeman Award in Classics, an award given to an outstanding student studying Latin or Greek.
Mikela Zhezha, of Kalamazoo was awarded a $1,100 Ruth Y. Kirby Scholarship Award in Spanish. The award provides financial assistance for Spanish majors and was made possible through a donation by the late Kirby, who taught Spanish in the Kalamazoo community. An exemplary student of Spanish, Zhezha also was the recipient of the $1,500 Lori Beth Pattison Scholarship for Literature in Spanish, an award named in honor of a WMU alumna and teacher of Spanish who died of cancer in 1999.
Media contact: Tonya Hernandez, 269 387-8400, tonya.hernandez@wmich.edu