Four Students Receive Prestigious SUNY Chancellor’s Award

Four SUNY Rockland Students Receive Prestigious SUNY Chancellor’s Award

Suffern, NY - Four Rockland Community College students were recognized by the highest honor bestowed upon a student in the State University of New York for their integration of academic excellence with other aspects of their lives, including leadership, career achievement, community service, creative and performing arts and/or personal achievement.

The students will receive the awards from Chancellor Nancy Zimpher on April 6 at the Empire State Convention Center in Albany. Each recipient will receive a framed certificate and medallion, which is traditionally worn at commencement. RCC students receiving this honor are:

Paola García Cárdenas; Santa Ana High School, Costa Rica; A.S.: Computer Information Systems; GPA 3.8

An international student from Costa Rica, Paola Garcia Cardenas of Suffern is the RCC 2009 Hispanic Heritage Achievement Award winner in Leadership Activities. An athlete, she is a former member of the Professional Soccer League in Costa Rica (2004-2006) and represented her town, Nicoya, at the National Games in 2006. At RCC, she played for the women’s tennis and basketball team. García Cárdenas is a member of the honor societies Alpha Beta Gamma, Phi Sigma Omicron and Phi Theta Kappa and was awarded 2010 All-New York Academic Team. She is employed by the College Library and Computer Lab and says the faculty and staff at the College have made her feel "at home."  García Cárdenas plans to transfer to a four-year college in the U.S. and major in Computer Science.

Honey Katzman’09; A.S.: Liberal Arts and Science; GPA 4.0

Honey Katzman of Monsey, a returning adult student, realized she wanted to earn a college degree after taking the training course to become a Skywarn Spotter for the National Weather Service.  Formerly the office manager for a group optometry practice, she earned her associate’s degree in only three semesters. Currently working on a second associate's degree in Business, she was one of 250 students in the country selected by NASA to be a National Community College Aerospace Scholar, and one of 60 students chosen to work with NASA scientists and engineers for three days at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. She is a member of the honor societies Phi Sigma Omicron, Phi Theta Kappa and Alpha Beta Gamma and works as a tutor at the RCC Tutoring Center while also assisting residents at the Fountain View assisted living facility.  She was awarded the RCC Foundation's Mayer Family Scholarship.

Maegan Nevins, Tappan Zee High School; A.A.: Liberal Arts and Science; GPA 3.9

A member of RCC's Sam Draper Mentored/Talented Student (M/TS) Honors program, Maegan Nevins of Blauvelt received a scholarship to study at Cambridge University in the summer of 2009. She is a member of the honor societies Sigma Chi Eta and Phi Theta Kappa, and her thesis on landscapes was ranked in the top three out of more than 100 submissions in the Arts category for Beacon Scholars ('09). She is President of the Student Activities Board and member of the Student Government Association Executive Board. Involved in the Student Ambassador Program, she acts as a student representative at campus and community events. As a member of the Volunteer Service Program, she completed 40 hours of community service. Nevins is employed part-time as an office worker at O’Sullivan Tree Care in West Nyack.

Andrew C. Newmark, Suffern High School; A.A.: Liberal Arts and Science; GPA 3.9

Honors student Andrew Newmark of Airmont is the Student Representative to Rockland Community College’s Board of Trustees. Newmark, who was a Freshman Senator on the Student Government Association in 2008-2009, is currently Chair of the Campus Improvements Committee and the Student Government Cafeteria Improvement Committee. Newmark is active in community service, particularly in fundraising for several causes including RCC's Campus Fun & Learn Center and the RCC Food Cupboard.  Newmark is in the Sam Draper Mentor/Talented Student Honors Program and is a member of the honor societies Phi Theta Kappa and Phi Sigma Omicron.  He received an RCC Outstanding Student Service Award for 2008-2009, and in May, plans to go to New Orleans with the RCC Chapter of Habitat for Humanity.  He received a Student Government Association Scholarship and the Eugene Cameron Memorial Scholarship from the RCC Foundation.

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Suffern campus map: http://www.sunyrockland.edu/about/campus-guide/map

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Rockland Community College, a unit of the State University of New York, is located 25 miles northwest of NYC. The majority of its students transfer to four-year colleges, and many find immediate employment upon earning their associate's degree or certificate. The College also offers others, from preschoolers to senior citizens, the opportunity to simply learn something new. Quality education...at a price you can afford.