Outstanding Student Awards

Karrin Updegrove achieved a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, and a Minor is the Spanish language at Wright State University.

Shelley Fisher, Miami County resident, and first-generation college graduate believes it is never too late to pursue your dreams.

Megan Chappie is a senior in the Literature concentration with minors in History and Classical Languages and Cultures.

Megan Henry is a lifelong history enthusiast who is grateful to Wright State for opening a pathway to turning that lifelong love into a career. She is excited to be going on to American University in Washington, D.C.

Tiffinnie Reed understands all too well the many challenges of students who juggle school with the demands of full-time employment.

Chris Lynch is a current Junior Music Education and Tuba Performance major.

Kayanna Adams graduated magna cum laude with her BA in Sociology and a minor in Crime and Justice Studies. She plans to attend WSU for her MA in their ABS program in the Fall of 2022.

Patrick Schmalstig has been an excellent student in Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies, completing their degree with a double major in Mass Communications and a 3.0 GPA.

Brittanie Jolly is a veteran who served 4 years in the Marine Corps as a radio communication specialist and programmer.

Amy Ackman joined the Wright State History Department after a decade-long career as an Archaeologist in Utah.

A graduate of Beavercreek (OH) Highschool in 1997, Doug Suazo joined the active-duty US Air Force as C-130 aircrew loadmaster then later a biomedical equipment technician.

Hanna Lacey started her Master’s degree in cello performance at Wright State in the fall 2020.

Hunter Johnson is from the Dayton region and says he is very glad he chose the Urban Affairs program at Wright State as it allowed him to grow in his passion for public service while also serving his community.

Alexandria Hines started her academic career about six year ago with the intentions of receiving an undergraduate degree in nursing.

Alex Bylczynski graduated from WSU with a double major in Liberal Studies and Sociology and has been selected as the Outstanding Graduate for both!

Taylor Ronnebaum is a Political Science graduate. Born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, Taylor first became interested in politics when Obama ran for office in 2008.

Megan McKarns graduated with majors in both Spanish and International Studies. Megan started learning Spanish in high school and grew not only a passion for the language but as well as the culture and the people who speak it.

Alexis Voisard is considered by the English faculty to rank among the very best students that they have taught in recent years.

Kennedy Fitzgerald graduated Spring 2021 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Crime and Justice Studies and a minor in Psychology. She transferred from Bowling Green University to Wright State in the fall of 2018.

Anna Fox graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in both Anthropology and Art, and aspires to earn a certificate in museum management as well as a master’s degree to become a Biological Anthropologist.

Ninad Inamdar earned his degree in geography at Wright State University, after transferring from Sinclair Community College.

Brittanie Jolly is a veteran who served 4 years in the Marine Corps as a radio communication specialist and programmer.

Amy Ackman joined the Wright State History Department after a decade-long career as an Archaeologist in Utah.

A graduate of Beavercreek (OH) Highschool in 1997, Doug Suazo joined the active-duty US Air Force as C-130 aircrew loadmaster then later a biomedical equipment technician.

Hanna Lacey started her Master’s degree in cello performance at Wright State in the fall 2020.

During Jacob Shade’s time in the dance program at Wright State University he has had the privilege of working with world renowned choreographers such as Dwight Rhoden, Ray Mercer, Christian Denice, and Lloyd Culbreath from the Fosse Legacy.

Petey Sanchez (he/him/his) believes majoring in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies was one of the best decisions he ever made, as it opened him to valuing everyone no matter their differences.

Graduating in May with a B.A. in Classical Languages and Cultures and a minor in International Studies, Lee Huntsberger has unflaggingly maintained his passion for Classics.

Abigail M. Lionberger earned a degree in French and a minor in Political Science while working two jobs and serving as French club president.

During her studies, Megan O’Connor developed a passion for investigating and telling the stories of ‘ordinary’ people in America’s past, especially through historical fashions and textile manufacture.

When a professor encouraged Sarah Cavender to get involved with the student newspaper everything came together.

After high school, native Daytonian Michael Krieger spent several years in New York City with street punks, squatters, and fringe artists, which helped steer him to take his passion for art and acquire formal education seeking a degree.

Uriah Anderson came to the Wright State MPA program looking for a change of career.

Rachel Canter will begin a PhD program in English Literature at George Washington University fall 2020. She is interested in late eighteenth and early nineteenth century novels and translation studies.

Macau native Ka-Lei (Emily) Au earned a master’s degree in piano performance.

Focusing on twentieth and twenty-first century German literature, including the works of Bertolt Brecht, Wolfgang Borchert, and the contemporary authors popularized during Germany’s reunification such as Thomas Brussig, Jill Jackson finds studying

Megan Barrett was born and raised in Dayton and graduated from Chaminade Julienne High School in 2014. In high school she was a member of the National Honor Society and took multiple AP classes, most of which were in History or Government.

Kelly Bledsoe has always loved making art, but his career interest turned to music as a junior high student when his school offered band but not art classes.

Joshua Chenault is a graduating Mass Communication major. He chose to enter the Mass Com degree program because working in the media industry has always been his main goal.

Michaela Kaiser came to Wright State as a transfer student with many different interests.

Francisco Marques-Vuelta obtained a degree in private investigation from the University of Barcelona and developed a career as a private detective in his native Spain.

Janice Sikon is completing a B.A. in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies as well as a B.S. in Chemistry.

In September 2014, Constantine Tolias graduated from United States Army Basic Training in Fort Benning, Georgia as an infantryman in the Ohio Army National Guard.

Brittany T. Williams is a 22 year old senior Theater Studies major with a minor in African and African-American studies.

Kathryn “Katie” Chaney is a graduate of both Wright State (International Studies) and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. Her M.A.

Katherine Margaret Peden was born and raised in Huber Heights, and graduated from Wayne High School, after which she attended Sinclair, completing prerequisites that would enable her to enroll at Wright State.

Dan Schack is graduating with a Master of Arts in English Literature and a certificate in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

Devonn Wood received her Bachelors degree in Organizational Leadership from Wright State in 2015, graduating Cum Laude, and entered the Master of Public Administration Program (MPA) in Fall 2016.

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.

Carole Ahossin is an international student from Benin, West Africa. She is a conscious, hard-working young lady, who strives to do her very best academically.

Hadley Drodge is an outstanding scholar in the classroom and an excellent teaching assistant; even more impressive is her service engagement with the broader community.

Brittany Jackson is an all-round student in the Master of Social Work program. She is reliable, punctual, and insightful in her contribution to course work as well as the larger field of social work.

Isaac Knapp began the M.A. program with a strong interest in Victorian literature, and while that interest still holds, he has also developed an affinity for postcolonial literature and modernist novels.