2023 Graduating Senior Awards & Recognition Program

On April 30, 2023, Drew Scholars staff, current students, alumni, family, and friends came together to celebrate our 2023 graduates at the Graduating Senior Recognitions & Awards Program at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center. This is an annual tradition to celebrate and acknowledge our graduating seniors, bringing together both their central family and their Drew family to honor and recognize their accomplishments

We began the ceremony with welcoming remarks from the director, Dr. Jerry Caldwell, who was then followed by the assistant director, Ms. Ariel Robbins, for The Occasion, which reflected upon the purpose of the gathering, celebrating our graduates.  Dr. Lynmarie Posey, the College of Natural Science Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education, also offered our graduates words of wisdom, congratulations, and well wishes.

 

Congratulations Class of 2023!

 

 

 

Alumni Keynote Address

After dinner, MSU alumnus and our keynote speaker for the afternoon, Dr. Stephen V. Carney, shared his journey and his research with all gathered.  He emphasized how his experience with Drew Scholars, R.I.S.E., and being involved in undergraduate research shaped the path ahead for him.  Each experience was pivotal in guiding him to discover his love for scientific discovery.  His love of and work in science discovery continued beyond his life on campus and has taken him on to study plant epigenetics in Dusseldorf, Germany, cortical brain development in neurodegenerative Diseases as a PREP scholar at Case Western Reserve University, and most recently, and notably, cancer biology as he earned a doctor in philosophy at the Univervsity of Michigan. 

 

Graduating Senior Speakers

 As with each dinner, we ask two outstanding students to share reflections on their time at MSU as they congratulate and encourage their fellow graduating class members.  This year's esteemed student speakers, Breanna Williams and Nick Schwartz shared authentically on the fullness of their MSU experience, including their joys, their fears, and their achievements.

Both highlighted that although students have their own individual college experience, they were united because as a collective, students go through many things together.  As MSU students, they conveyed how students' lives were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the tragic campus shooting, and from those events learned to rely on each other as Spartans. In recollecting all that Spartans went through and reflected on their time at MSU, they offered themselves and their fellow class members their heartiest felicitations and best wishes on the next chapter.

Breanna Williams & Nick SchwartzBreanna WilliamsNick Schwartz

Breanna Williams & Nick Schwartz

Breanna Williams

Breanna Williams is graduating with honor from MSU with a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology and minor in Health Promotion from the College of Natural Science and the Honors College.

From the beginning of her time as a Spartan, she has desired to engage on every level of her college experience, she has sought to grow her skillset and capacity through engaging in many varied experiences on and off campus. She began her leadership development as both the president of the Minority Association of Premedical Students (MAPS) and the lead office assistant for Drew Scholars. She continued her leadership development and training as the president of the Delta Zeta Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, which she joined as a sophomore in Spring 2021.

She has maintained involvement with multiple student clubs and volunteer organizations where she has demonstrated her commitment to academic excellence and community service. Rewards for Breanna’s dedication, persistence, and ingenuity has earned her over $100,000 in scholarship funding throughout her undergraduate education.  

Following graduation, Breanna will begin her medical doctor education at the Michigan State College of Osteopathic Medicine where she will officially begin her journey to become an obstetrician-gynecologist (OBGYN)!

Nick Schwartz

Nick Schwartz is graduating with honor from MSU with a Bachelor of Science in Physics and a minor in Data Science from the College of Natural Science and the Honors College.

During his undergraduate career, he served as an Undergraduate Learning Assistant for multiple courses including PHY233B and ISP215, and was a research assistant for two years at the Physics Education Research Lab (PERL).

His career goals are to pursue a PhD in Computational Science, Mathematics and Engineering (CSME), centering around computational education to aid students in the future.

Upon graduation, Nick will be joining the CSME department right here at MSU in the Computational Education Research Lab (CERL).

 

Drew Graduate Cording and Recognition Award

Following the insightful comments of our speakers, the graduating seniors were presented with their Drew Graduate Recognition Award plaque and graduation cords. The plaque and cords signifies their completion of the program and provides them with something from Drew to have with on the day of their graduation.

Dr. Caldwell cords Leslie Ramirez.

Emma Force with her Recognition Award.

---

 

Charles Richard Drew Outstanding Student Awards

The Charles Richard Drew Outstanding Student Awards recognizes students who exemplifly the example of Dr. Drew in the following ways:

Exemplar

Awardees have demonstrated outstanding academic scholarship, research, service to their community, and continuous contributions to the strengthening and well-being of the Charles Drew Science Scholars program and its student scholars.

Scholarship

Awardees have demonstrated outstanding academic scholarship, scholarly endeavors, such as authentic research, service to community, and continuous contributions to educational enrichment and the advancement of knowledge in service to human health and wellbeing.

Leadership

Awardees have demonstrated outstanding leadership in activities, services and organizations for the well-being, advancement, and general benefit of their fellow students, the university, the community, and the Charles Drew Science Scholars program and its student scholars.

Service

Awardees have demonstrated outstanding service towards their fellow students, the university, the community, and the Charles Drew Science Scholars program and its student scholars for their success, upliftment, and well-being.

 

Award Recipients

Outstanding Graduating Seniors AwardeesExemplarScholarshipLeadershipService

Outstanding Graduating Seniors Awardees

Exemplar

Ebube Okpechukwu	Nick Schwartz	Breanna Williams

Scholarship

Keyana Blake	Toriona Day	Andrew Decker	Charla Jackson

Leadership

Alexis Smith

Service

Carcia Young	Samara Zinnerman

2023 Program and Photos