Graduates of Distinction

A group of accomplished undergraduate and graduate students in the College of Letters and Science at UC Santa Barbara have been selected to receive awards for outstanding academic achievement. They will be recognized at commencement exercises June 14-16.

Cassidy Pyle, who is graduating with bachelor of arts degrees in communication and in film and media studies with a minor in feminist studies, will receive the Luis Leal Social Sciences Undergraduate Award for outstanding interdisciplinary achievement in the social sciences. The award was established in honor of the late Don Luis Leal, a distinguished visiting professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies, whose presence and scholarship greatly enriched the Santa Barbara campus.

Rachel Chan, who is graduating with a bachelor of sciences degree in biopsychology, will receive the Francis Colville and Terry Dearborn Memorial Award for outstanding academic achievement as an honors student majoring in the sciences. The award was established in memory of Francis M. Colville and Terry H. Dearborn, associate professors of physical education at UC Santa Barbara.

Thomas Steel, who has completed bachelor of arts degrees in medieval studies, classics and linguistics, will receive the William R. Reardon Undergraduate Award for outstanding academic achievement in an arts or humanities discipline. The award is named for William R. Reardon, a professor emeritus of dramatic art and former associate dean in the College of Letters and Science.

Zenzile Riddick, who is graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in history, will receive the Deans’ Outstanding Senior Award in recognition of her outstanding scholarship and contributions to the campus community. The award is given on behalf of the deans of the College of Letters and Science.

Hannah M.L. Goodwin, who has completed her Ph.D. in film and media studies, is the recipient of the Winifred and Louis Lancaster Dissertation Award for Humanities and Fine Arts.

Nicole Yishi Leung, who has completed her Ph.D. in biomolecular science and engineering, is the recipient of the Winifred and Louis Lancaster Dissertation Award for Biological and Life Sciences.

In addition, recipients of the Dixon-Levy Graduate Student Association Service Award include Donna Anderson and Nora Kassner, Ph.D. pre-candidates in history; Brett Yurash, a Ph.D. candidate in chemistry and biochemistry; Yukari Okamoto, an associate professor in the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education; and Lana Smith-Hale, a career services graduate advisor.

Receiving honorable mentions are Avi McClelland-Cohen, a Ph.D. candidate in communication, and Mark Patterson, graduate advisor in the Department of Economics.

Named for UC Santa Barbara graduate students Travis Dixon and Alan Levy, the award recognizes service to the university through Graduate Student Association elected office as well as through other forms of advocacy for graduate students.

The Graduate Student Excellence in Teaching awards are presented presented in three categories: sciences, social sciences and humanities. Recipients in the sciences include Ashlee Keolalaulani Kalauli, a Ph.D. pre-candidate in mathematics; Elliot Ihm, a Ph.D. candidate in psychological and brain sciences; Seth Koren, a Ph.D. candidate in physics; and Bharat Monga, a Ph.D. candidate in mechanical engineering.

Social science award recipients are Julien Labarre, a Ph.D. pre-candidate in political science, and Adenari Zarate, a Ph.D. candidate in Chicana and Chicano studies.

Recipients in the humanities include Julissa Peña, a Ph.D. candidate in Spanish and Portuguese; Tyler Reece, a D.Mus.A. candidate in music; and Jo Palazuelos-Krukowski, a Ph.D. pre-candidate in theater and dance.

Receiving honorable mentions are Lan Liu, a Ph.D candidate in mathematics; Delwin Carter, a Ph.D. pre-candidate in the Gevirtz School of Education; and Christopher MacMahon, a Ph.D. pre-candidate in history.