Awards given to 41 by Harvard Foundation

In a ceremony honoring students and faculty for exceptional contributions to improving intercultural and race relations, the Harvard Foundation presented 40 students and one faculty member with awards at the annual Harvard Foundation Student/Faculty Awards Dinner on May 4 in Quincy House.

David G. Mitten, James Loeb Professor of Classical Art and Archaeology, was honored with the 2009 Faculty of the Year Award for his long-standing support of the Harvard Foundation’s mission and for his contributions to Harvard’s intercultural life as a student group faculty adviser. “The students and faculty of the Harvard Foundation are delighted to present the Distinguished Faculty Award to Professor David Mitten for his more than 40 years of service to students at Harvard College,” said S. Allen Counter, director of the Harvard Foundation. “He has been a source of great support and inspiration to the foundation and our mission to improve intercultural and interreligious understanding at the University. We hope that even in his retirement, he will continue to offer his much-appreciated advice and guidance to the Harvard Foundation.”

Faculty, administrators, House masters, and students nominated the student award recipients, who were then chosen by the faculty and student advisory committee of the Harvard Foundation. Students who have shown a commitment to improving intercultural life at Harvard during the course of their undergraduate years received the Distinguished Senior Award. The Distinguished Senior Awards for Excellence in Leadership went to the following members of the Class of 2009: Sadia Ahsanuddin, Bianca Caban, Matthew Clair, Petros Egziabher, Layusa Isa-Odidi, Vikas Mouli, and Lumumba Seegars. Isa-Odidi was also elected by students to receive the Harvard Foundation Peer Recognition Award.

The 2009 Harvard Foundation Insignia Awards for outstanding contributions to intercultural and race relations were given to students who have displayed a sustained effort to improving racial harmony at the College. Recipients included Ola Aljawhary ’09, Nworah Ayogu ’10, Matthew Bresnahan ’09, Raul Carrillo ’10, Kameron Collins ’09, Jaqueline Hairston ’10, Amanda Mangaser ’10, Robert Raviv Murciano-Goroff ’09, Michelle Kellaway ’10, Jarell Lee ’10, Kelsey Leonard ’10, Kevin Liu ’11, Christopher Magliozzi ’11, Emily Owens ’09, Ravi Parikh ’09, Richie Serna ’10, Kemeyawi Wahpepah ’09, Susan Yao ’09, and Joyce Zhang ’09.

The foundation also recognized underclassmen who have made notable contributions to the intercultural life at Harvard College with Certificates of Recognition. These recipients were Jessica Ch’ng ’12, Elizabeth Eze ’11, Miguel Garcia ’12, Bronwen O’Herin ’12, Olamide Oladipo ’12, Fabian Poliak ’11, Alexandra Rahman ’12, Julia Tartaglia ’11, Marvin Urzua ’11, Nwamaka Uzoh ’11, and Sara Zaidi ’11.

Graduate students who served as designated House Race Relations Advisers were also recognized, including Sherry Deckman (Adams House), Jennifer Kan Martinez ’05 (Dunster House), Brendan Randall (Ivy Yard), and Cameron Van Patterson (Lowell House).