Illinois Valley Community College recently announced the 10 winners of its most prestigious academic honor: the Thomas J. McCormack Scholar award.
The scholars, among 132 students honored at the 47th annual student academic awards banquet in the gym, are Hannah Sons of Dalzell, Michaela Copeland of Granville, Marshal Hermann and Amy Weber of La Salle, Jeffrey Hamilton, Kelly McDonough, Joseph Sydlowski and Tyler Wallin of Peru and Alexander Groh and Leah Kuhn of Ottawa.
Sons, the daughter of Shawn and Janel Sons, plans to study speech pathology at Illinois State University next fall. Copeland, the daughter of Robin and Rollie Copeland, will join the Disney college program and later pursue a degree in special education.
Sydlowski, the son of Greg and Karen Sydlowski, will study engineering physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Hermann, the son of Anne Hermann, will also be at the U of I majoring in business.
Weber, the daughter of Sherrie Moore and Tim McPherson is undecided on her major. Hamilton, the son of Naomi Bealer of Arkansas and the late Donald Hamilton, will major in chemical engineering at the University of Iowa. Wallin, the son of Mark and Gena Wallin, will study civil engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. Mc-Donough, the daughter of Jeff and Vicky King, will study English at Roosevelt University in Chicago.
Groh, the son of Michael and Jennifer Groh, will pursue a petroleum engineering degree at Texas A&M University. Kuhn, the daughter of Steve and Shelly Kuhn, will be an art studio and education major at Illinois State.
To qualify for the distinction, students must maintain a minimum 3.75 grade point average in at least 14 semester hours over three consecutive semesters. The award honors Dr. McCormack, IVCC’s first president serving from 1924 to 1932.
Students recognized for earning GPAs of 3.75 or higher in 12 or more hours for three consecutive semesters are:
Dalzell: Alexandria Braboy, Sons;
Earlvlle: William Mast III;
Grand Ridge: Jacob Stricklin;
Granville: Copeland;
Hennepin: Duncan Brown;
La Moille: Teresa Lehr;
La Salle: Nathaniel Adcock, William Duncan, Maximilian Halm, Herrmann, Tyler Jakse, Helen Klabel, Maria Villalobos, Weber;
Leland: Carolann Wackerlin;
Marseilles: Tyler Alexander-Heintz;
Mc Nabb: Rachel Russell;
Oglesby: Jessica Kaszynski, April Kutz;
Ottawa: MacKenzie Alderman, Randi Clemens, Duncan Goodchild, Shannon Gould, Groh, Jared Jessen, Paul Jones, Kuhn, Lisa Lukkari, Jacob Martini;
Peru: Tylyn Chapman, Michayla Fassino, Hamilton, Amy Laurence, McDonough, Sydlowski, Wallin, Shawna Wilcox;
Princeton: Nadia Churchill-Gilstrap, Tori Clark, Gabriel Kelly, Emily Lund, Shelby Matthews, Lindsay Pierson, Jeffrey Pursell II, Cathryn Rhodes;
Seneca: Kayla Casey;
Sheffield: Chelsea DeVoss;
Spring Valley: Christopher Jacobsen, Johnna Schultz;
Streator: Jessica Clary, Candace Hall, Olivia Harcar, Madison Harms, Melissa Nink;
Utica: Jacob Aubry;
Wedron: Melissa Cristoffel.
Students achieving GPAs of 3.25 or higher in 12 or more hours for two consecutive semesters are:
Dover: Philip Denner;
Grand Ridge: Crystal Green;
Granville: Tomasz Augustyniak;
La Salle: Alice Buczkowski, Levi Ericson,
Joshua Heslet, Sandra Kuchar,
Zachary Repsel, Delaney Ridley, Jordan
Simpkins, James Strand, Michael Westerman;
Ladd: Jodi Fiocchi, Katherine Innis;
Lostant: Justin Rubley;
Malden: Brittany Bejster;
Manlius: Ivan Benavidez;
Mark: William Heinzeroth;
Marseilles: Brittany Terando;
Mendota: Jose Arteaga, Joseph Dimmig,
Maria Gomez, Ashley Rosales;
Oglesby: Valerie Garzanelli, Anna
Pleskovitch, Joshua Sarver;
Ohio: Eric Farrell;
Ottawa: McKaylah Bittner, Amanda
Brewer, Ashley Burant, Anthony Carlson,
Samantha Higgins, Charles Laury,
LaShundra Lindsey, Joseph Molfese, Ashlee
Morris, Gina Naumann, Sue Robertson,
Andrew Rowney, Matthew
Rutherford, Rebecca Sabo, Jason Sparks,
Casey Wheatland, Ashley Williams;
Peru: Morgan Brandner, Emma
Busken, Glenn Hall, Kristen Hall, Joshua
Hamilton, Kalee Kowalski, Taylor
Schmidt, Steven Selders, Denise Thompson;
Princeton: Kasey Fehlhafer, Bryan
Klass, Jacob Nord, Angela Peterson,
Katherine Stewart;
Seatonville: Amber Huffaker;
Seneca: Madison Shanks, Ashley
Terry;
Spring Valley: Joshua Doerle, Carlie
Quinn, Janelle Shrimplin, Sean Vermilyea,
Robert Wilson Jr.;
Streator: Alexander Danko, Jonah
Dimmig, Billie Goluba, Curtis Martin,
Moriah Parcher, Kyle Russow, Sandra Velazquez;
Toluca: Gregory Tutor;
Wyanet: Shaunessy Gatch.
Braboy and Harcar were also honored for being nominated as IVCC’s Phi Theta Kappa All-Illinois Academic Team, part of the larger All-USA Academic Team. Nominations are based on outstanding academic performance and service to the college and community.
Keynote speakers were English instructor Nora Villarreal, winner of the 2014 Stephen Charry Award for Teaching Excellence, and Honors Program student
Milda Willoughby of Mendota.
Mark Grzybowski, Interim Associate Vice President for Student Services, gave the introduction
President Jerry Corcoran gave the welcome. Approximately 150 people attended.