Undergraduate Awards – celebrating academic success at its finest

January 29, 2024

The winners of the 2022-2023 undergraduate awards were announced at the annual celebration, held this year on the evening of January 25.

Presiding over the award ceremony were Undergraduate Director & Associate Chair Rebecca Kingston, and Interim Chair Kanta Murali. Randy Boyagoda, Vice Dean of Undergraduate Affairs, Faculty of Arts and Science, also attended the event on behalf of FAS Dean Melanie Woodin, as well as donor and Professor Ron Deibert, political science faculty and staff, and the proud family and friends of award winners.

Professor Boyagoda, an English scholar, began by highlighting the allure of studying political science saying: “One of the great things about political science is the combination of learning about how human beings have organized themselves into societies over millennia, and then making sense of political arrangements in the here and now. That duality has a permanent relevance both conceptually and academically, and also in terms of how we understand ourselves and our lives today. The fact that you’re all doing this with such excellence is a great credit to you, to your faculty members, and to the courses we offer here in arts and science through the political science department. I just want to say congratulations and thank you for your excellent work!”

Interim Chair Kanta Murali began by thanking donors for their generosity and commitment to the undergraduate program, stressing the importance of the annual celebration. “These awards are very special. It’s a chance for us to recognize our amazing students and as faculty, it reminds us of our commitment to the undergraduate program which is at the core of the mission of this department. It’s a privilege to be able to celebrate all your achievements here today. To each of the prize winners here, I would just like to offer some context to your achievements. Political science is a very large program. Currently, we have 1,970 students so I think each of the 52 award winners should recognize how special your achievements are. That scale alone should make you proud! We’re tremendously privileged to have you as students, and I want to thank you for your hard work and perseverance. You make our jobs worthwhile and it’s a pleasure to teach you.”

Professor Kingston also thanked the undergraduate awards committee which includes Michael Donnelly, Madison Schramm, Kanta Murali and Elizabeth Jagdeo, who also organizes the annual event.

A list of the 52 award winning students is posted here.