Three Students Receive Prestigious SUNY Chancellor’s Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: May 19, 2009

CONTACT: Lisa Saunders

(845) 574 - 4244

lsaunde2@sunyrockland.edu

Three SUNY Rockland Students Receive Prestigious SUNY Chancellor’s Award

Suffern, NY - Three 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.

Dr. Cliff L. Wood, SUNY Rockland Community College President, traveled to Albany to present the awards along with the SUNY Vice Chancellor and Officer-In-Charge John J. O’Connor on April 7. Each recipient received a framed certificate and medallion, which is traditionally worn at commencement. RCC students receiving this honor are:

Sheela George, Pearl River, Pearl River High School, A.A. Liberal Arts: Humanities and Social Sciences, GPA 3.72.

Sheela George, an MTS Honors Student, is an intern with New York State Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee; president of the award-winning student literary magazine, Impulse; secretary of the Student Government Association; vice-president of the Political Science/Pre Law Association and Secretary of Sigma Chi Eta (speech honor society). In addition to working as a tutor in the campus Writing Center, she helps young children embrace learning in FasTracKids in Bardonia. She serves as a volunteer at the Orangetown Youth Court, helping youth who get charged with crimes avoid becoming a repeat offender. She is a member of the honor societies Phi Sigma Omicron and Phi Theta Kappa. She will transfer to Cornell University to major in Industrial Labor Relations.

Joshua Mathew, New City, Clarkstown South High School, A.S. Liberal Arts and Science - Mathematics and Science, GPA 3.63

Joshua Mathew, an MTS Honors Student and President of the Student Government Association, believes that his childhood years of living shoeless in India, walking barefoot to school through the mud and thorns, were "a gift from God" to shape his determination. Mathew sees his education as a means to develop leadership and technical skills so he can better contribute to his church’s work with children. He has already assisted in the opening of two orphanages in India. Mathew works with the elderly at Sunrise Assisted Living in New City. He is a member of the honor societies Phi Sigma Omicron, Sigma Chi Eta and Phi Theta Kappa. He plans to transfer to Stevens Institute of Technology to pursue a career in Biomedical Engineering.

Ashley Scales, Pomona, North Rockland High School, A.A. Liberal Arts: Humanities and Social Sciences, GPA 3.81

Ashley Scales, an MTS Honors Student, is President of Campus Players and member of RCC's Rockland Shakespeare Company. She is featured on an RCC television commercial and is known as the official voice of the “Star Spangled Banner” at campus events. She chose to enter the honors program as a way to “buy time, discover myself, and make connections.” She has played leading roles in several College theater productions and is vice-president of SUNY Rockland’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter. Currently a student worker in the College’s Career Services Center, Scales plans to transfer to Ramapo College and major in Theater. She hopes to enter the field of theater education

###

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.