This week, the College of Liberal Arts made a very special stop on the road to graduation. On April 29th, 2025, the CLA Baccalaureate Ceremony was held in Mazur Hall, recognizing year’s Baccalaureate Award winners. Recipients were accompanied by a chosen faculty mentor who was instrumental in their success.
The Baccalaureate Awards are among CLA's highest honors. As Dean Richard Deeg noted in his opening remarks, the College of Liberal Arts has approximately 3,500 undergraduate students, but only about 100 Baccalaureate Award winners.
This year’s student address was delivered by English major and first-gen college student Natalie Knox, who also won the Anne and Harold Zimmerman award. A Student Coordinator for the Barnette and Irvine Cherry Pantry and Managing Editor of the Lunar Journal, Knox’s speech celebrated the Temple Made tenets she and her fellow Baccalaureates share — drive, determination and aspirations bigger than themselves.
She implored her peers to soak in this moment and “hug it, pick it up, spin it around and kiss it even if you want, because I know I will be.”
Congratulations to all of this year’s Baccalaureate Award recipients. You can see a gallery of the ceremony and scroll down for a full list of this year’s winners.
- Imanee Adisa - Robert P. Liversidge, III Memorial Award
- Razeen Akbar - German Professor's Prize
- Hunter Allan - Naomi Zelnick Award
- Elizabeth Allendoerfer - Dr. Arthur N Cook Award in History
- Daniela Andrade Rozo - Doris Grabosky Award in Criminal Justice
- Sofia Angelucci - Marthe Lavallee-Williams Excellence Award
- Joseph Armstrong - Neysa and Arlin Adams Prize for Excellence in Pre-Law Studies
- Ava Austin-Spooner - Political Science Advisory Board Internship Award
- Sophia Balis - Geography and Urban Studies Award
- Jessie Ballard Miller - Bernard Radoff Scholarship
- Arielle Baril - Africology & African American Studies Award
- Giavanna Barone - Chief Inspector Vincent J. Greene, Sr. Memorial Award in Criminal Justice
- Dariel Benton-Updike - Diaz-Valenzuela Award
- Steve Binod - Sam Collington Internship Award
- Lucas Bowerman - William Allen Jones Award for Experiential Learning
- Grace Brazunas - Carolyn Adams Award in Geography and Urban Studies
- Jumira Brooks-Justice - Dr. Clifford M Kliger Memorial Award
- Jules Budlow - Robert Merton Award by Leonard Mellman
- Karam Burjas - Outstanding Graduating Senior in Arabic
- Cameron Coleman - Sara M. Halpen Award in the Humanities
- Cameron Coleman - Jane D. Shenton Award
- Saijatu Conteh - Marthe Lavallee-Williams Excellence Award
- Madeline Depiano - Carolyn Karcher Prize
- Tirzah Duncan - Milton Moses Memorial Award in Anthropology
- Leen Elamin - Robert K. Merton Prize
- Alejandro Falah - Michael V. Gallagher Memorial Award in Criminal Justice
- Jada Fenner - Criminal Justice Service Award
- Ava Fitzgerald - Patrick Stocking Memorial Prize
- James Foley - Patrick Stocking Memorial Prize
- Sadie Frame - Naomi Zelnick Award
- Elizabeth Franciamore - Marthe Lavallee-Williams Excellence Award
- Olivia Franz - Professor Edward R. and Essie Baron Memorial Award
- Rachelle Gamboa - Psychology Prize
- Jeanne Gilliard - William Allen Jones Award for Experiential Learning
- Gianna Giorgio - Outstanding Graduating Senior in Japanese
- Mary Greenberg - The Mary Procida Prize in Gender and History
- Eli Greenstein - Outstanding Graduating Senior in Arabic
- Gillian Haldeman - Benjamin and Irma Robboy Award in Sociology
- Caroline Heins - Henry N. Michael Prize in Geography and Urban Studies
- Alexis Henegan - Dr. Clifford M Kliger Memorial Award
- Alexis Henegan - Africology & African American Studies Award
- Kirana Horn - German Professor's Prize
- Syeda Hussain - Dr. Marks and Emma Kohn Memorial Award
- Vivek Iyer - Ronald C. Schwarzkopf Award in Political Science
- Janis Jojo - William Allen Jones Award for Experiential Learning
- Samuel Ketterman - MLW French Club Leadership Prize
- Natalie Knox - Anne and Harold Zimmerman Award
- Henry Koonce - Loretta C. Duckworth Prize In English
- Julia LaFrance - Ira Lawrence Scholarship
- Julia LaFrance - Neysa and Arlin Adams Prize for Excellence in Pre-Law Studies
- Julia LaFrance - Sara M. Halpen Award in the Humanities
- Julia LaFrance - Mary L Fink Award
- Massin Larbi - Outstanding Graduating Senior in Chinese
- Wendy Liu - Political Science Award for Excellence
- Jamie-Nicole Luistro - Claude C. and Mary Carson Bowman Award
- Jamie-Nicole Luistro - Irving J. Leder and Beatrice Deglin Leder Award
- Mallorie Marsan - Political Science Advisory Board Internship Award
- Wesley Martin - Neysa and Arlin Adams Prize for Excellence in Pre-Law Studies
- Wesley Martin - Claude C. and Mary Carson Bowman Award
- Wesley Martin - Political Science Scholastic Prize
- Laura McAneney - Francis Hodgins Prize in French
- Laura McAneney - Marthe Lavallee-Williams Excellence Award
- Bradley McEntee - Randy & Samantha Deglin Award
- Dru McIver-Jenkins - Neysa and Arlin Adams Prize for Excellence in Pre-Law Studies
- Resilda Memushi - Marthe Lavallee-Williams Excellence Award
- Bella Mena - Rose Kibrick Katz Student Advisor Award
- Lillian "Lily" Menichiello - Criminal Justice Excellence Award
- Tyler Mergen - Kristina Joanne Chelius Award
- Eric Miller - Political Science Award for Excellence
- Anvi Nair - Political Science Advisory Board Internship Award
- Ruby Podeschi - Geography and Urban Studies Department Award for Outstanding Achievement
- Elizabeth "Lizzie" Rawa - Psychology Service Award
- Neveah Robinson - Sociology Prize
- Miles Satlof - Ira Lawrence Scholarship
- Miles Satlof - Thomas Meyer Award
- Myrthe Schuilenburg - Criminal Justice Phoenix Award
- Tegan Schultz - Outstanding Chinese Major
- Julia Schumacher - Henry N. Michael Prize in Geography and Urban Studies
- Reeya Shah - Delaware Valley Geographical Association Award
- Reeya Shah - Sigma Delta Prize
- Maggie Shaver-Wilson - John S. Kramer Memorial Award
- Michael Shehata - Dr. Tess Sandra Singer Memorial Award
- Carley Sibick - Marthe Lavallee-Williams Excellence Award
- Jasmine Chanel Smith - Africology & African American Studies Award
- Gracia Sproles - Othella R. Vaughn Award
- Gabija Stewart - Thomas Meyer Award
- Erica Stone - Political Science Scholastic Prize
- Abby Tascone - Marthe Lavallee-Williams Excellence Award
- Emily Thanh Hang - Marthe Lavallee-Williams Excellence Award
- Aalana Vasquez - William Van Wert Award
- Kristina Vo - Political Science Merit Prize
- Lily Waxler - James H. Dunham Award
- Lexi Wu - Outstanding Graduating Senior in Japanese
- Lauren Yost - Kenneth E. Williams Award