Outstanding Student Awards

Denise Geier was born and raised in the Dayton area and graduated from Fairborn High School. She always had a love for art, and eventually decided it was time to follow her dream of going to college to study it formally.

Carissa Ferrell is the youngest of three children to a father in law enforcement and a mother in social work. In high school, she spent a lot of time participating in choir and varsity discus for the track and field team.

Madeline Stewart is a Geography student at Wright State University pursuing her Bachelor of Arts degree.

Ryan Staats graduated from Lebanon High School in 2017 and, shortly thereafter, enlisted in the United States Army. Ryan later began his college education at Ohio University where he studied in the War and Peace Program for two and a half years.

Jordan Landis is a dual Spanish/French major and is earning his Teaching Licensure in World Languages. He spent a semester abroad in Spain and is making plans to study abroad in France, this summer.

Krista Long was born and raised in Rockingham, NC, where she graduated from Richmond Senior High School in 2002.  Krista served in North Carolina and California Army National Guard units from 2003 to 2006.

Grace Beckman is from Columbus, Ohio, and double majoring in stage management and mechanical engineering. She has accepted a job post-graduation at Elford Inc. as an Assistant Project Manager.

Lauren Randall is a graduate teaching assistant and will earn her MA in English Literature this spring. Before that, Lauren worked as a secretary, a server, a bookseller, and an amateur gardener-for-hire.

Dayton native Shaun Gunter began classes at Wright State in 2012, a non-traditional student whose academic career was preceded by a short career as a touring musician.

Nicki Crellin is originally from Defiance, Ohio, and is a 1998 graduate of Wright State University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications.

From Pickerington, Ohio, Hunter Minor is your everyday, midwestern, charcuterie-loving, older brother, who happened to fall in love with the world of Theatre.

Morgan Laprete graduated with her BA in Women’s Studies and has gone on the University of Florida as a grad student studying Health Education and Human Behavior.

Magdalen E. Meyer is a perfect choice to represent the Departments of Religion, Philosophy, and Classics as its outstanding graduate for 2021.

Jackson Riffle graduated with a major in Percussion and Piano Performance. He is an active performer, educator, composer, and arranger.

Kaylee Arbogast is this year’s Outstanding Graduating Senior from International Studies. Kaylee was nominated for this honor by her professors, who described Kaylee as a true pleasure to teach.

Tionna “Tia” Clyburn completed a bachelor’s degree in Media Studies at Wright State University and will start work as part-time Digital Content Producer for the Springfield News-Sun.

Emma Smith was born and raised in Tipp City, Ohio. She attended Tippecanoe High School and, following graduation in 2017, enrolled at Wright State University to pursue her passion for art.

Karen Alena Knight is the African and African-American Studies program’s Outstanding Graduating Senior, Class of 2021.

Joe Connelly began his history studies at the University of Cincinnati prior to joining the military in 2003. He spent 12 years in the Marine Corps and went on two deployments to Iraq, as well as leading NATO training exercises in the Balkans.

Lauren Randall is a graduate teaching assistant and will earn her MA in English Literature this spring. Before that, Lauren worked as a secretary, a server, a bookseller, and an amateur gardener-for-hire.

Dayton native Shaun Gunter began classes at Wright State in 2012, a non-traditional student whose academic career was preceded by a short career as a touring musician.

Nicki Crellin is originally from Defiance, Ohio, and is a 1998 graduate of Wright State University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications.

A double-major in Trumpet and Voice, Anna Ruckman has been an essential member of the WSU Wind Symphony for four years and of the Collegiate Choral for three years. Her talents have been recognized with scholarships in both trumpet and voice.

A Dayton native and first-generation college student, Victoria Coleman chose Wright State because it was close to home and says her time at Wright State has transformed her, particularly the appreciation of diverse perspectives that she has develo

Adam Ai-Masri became interested in financial analysis at a young age and recognized how influential political developments were on the performance of domestic and international equities.

Leslie Marsh returned to Wright State to complete her B.A. in 2018 after raising a family and pursuing a career in nonprofit marketing communication.

Honors student, English major ambassador, and student organization president, Ryan Oates has been accepted into several prestigious graduate programs.

Kendra Thibaut majored in Crime and Justice Studies with a minor in Sociology. She completed her degree in just three years and plans to attend the police academy and pursue a career in law enforcement.

While completing her bachelor’s degree in Anthropology with minors in Political Science and Classics, Justina Fileccia has worked with local charities and organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity, Amigos for Christ, The Hudgens Center for the A

Nick Higgins graduated from Miami University (Ohio) in 2015, with a degree in Philosophy and Eurasian Studies. He completed an M.A.

Tylar O’Neal-White began her MSW program in the fall of 2016 on a 4-year track because she worked full-time in a non-profit agency.

A lifelong love of visiting museums led Anna Helmig to earn her BA in History and Religion in 2018, which in turn led her to pursue a master’s degree in Public History.

As a graduate student in the Applied Behavioral Science program, Megan Creviston has been a peer mentor for other students and a graduate teaching assistant, in Sociology and Anthropology.

Maggie Beck is eager to graduate this year with a dual B.A. in Social Work and Urban Affairs.

If there's anything you want to know about F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel The Great Gatsby just ask Rachel Canter, who has made it the centerpiece of her honors project.

As a senior getting ready to graduate from Wright State, Hanna Fortney wants to give thanks to her alma mater and the Criminal Justice program.  She has been provided many opportunities throughout her four years at Wright State, from receiving an

Jordan Kingsley has been recognized by the faculty for her dynamism and professionalism, her respect for others, and her openness.

Alyssa Stark will be graduating magna cum laude with a B.A. in Anthropology. During her time at Wright State, she has focused on archaeology and museum studies.

Vicky Hei Man Tong is a senior, majoring in Piano Performance and studying under Dr. Jackson Leung. At Wright State, she serves as pianist for the Symphonic Band and has represented Wright State in numerous recitals within Ohio and in Asia.

Samantha Wood is a rare student who exemplifies the model of effective service learning. Not only is she an outspoken and hard-working student in the classroom, she also improves the lives of her fellow students with her work on campus.

Jennifer England graduated from Wright State with a B.A. in French and a minor in German in 2011. She began volunteering and working on projects for the Florida Park Service and Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park in Key West, Florida.

Elizabeth Procopio is majoring in percussion performance and is a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the School of Music.

Patrice Washington is a retired respiratory care practitioner, a practicing licensed social worker, and graduate Master of Social Work student who works with people to support and empower them.

Shelby Frideger transferred to Wright State from Edison and then Ohio State. She took courses in a number of areas before chancing upon Anthropology and clearly finding her passion.

Camilla Herring has excelled in all of her classes, particularly English, and has been an active force in establishing the successful new national journal of creative writing, Mad River Review, based at Wright State.

Eva Lewis was born in Beaverton, Oregon and raised in Dayton. As far back as she can remember, she has always been involved in art.

Jacob Miller spent an entire academic year in Lyon studying abroad, where he developed fluency and cultural competency in French. He is a dual French/International Studies major.

Ryan Pignatiello is graduating from Wright State with a 3.84 GPA in Crime and Justice Studies.  While attending Wright State, Ryan averaged 14 credit hours each semester, and completed a Political Science minor and a Middle Eastern/Islamic Studies

Emma Towe is completing a dual major in International Studies and Spanish with a 3.9 GPA. She was listed on Dean’s list for High Honors from 2014-16. In 2015, Emma spent a semester abroad in Buenos Aires, polishing her Spanish.

After working at The Vandalia Youth Theatre Company for 13 years, Artistic Director Michael Wadham decided to return to school and obtain a degree in Social Work.

Bethany York graduated summa cum laude and was a member of the Model United Nations team. She is described by her professors as driven and dedicated, polished and professional.

Nick Angelis is in his 12th year as the University of Cincinnati Bearcat Bands Assistant Band Director and is completing his Master of Music from Wright State this semester.

Megan Holly received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Political Science from Muskingum University. She began the Masters of Public Administration program in Fall 2015.

Martin “Marty” Kalfas is a graduate of Ohio State University. He recently defended his M.A.