Forty-nine graduating seniors received special honors and awards during the ceremony:

• Niah Anson ’18 - Senior Prize in International Relations. Anson, an international relations major, plans to pursue international humanitarian law or a position in international humanitarian response after she completes her service with the Israel Defense Forces.
• Sarah Applebey ’18 - Robert Glassman Prize in Psychology and Neuroscience. A psychology and neuroscience double major, Applebey was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and will be completing a two-year post-baccalaureate National Institute of Health fellowship, conducting research at the National Institute of Drug Abuse in Baltimore. 
• Ayana Bankston ’18 - Senior Prize in Student Teaching. Bankston, an education and history double major, represented the values of Lake Forest College by demonstrating exceptional knowledge and skills while teaching in local schools. She will remain in Illinois to teach middle or high school history.
• Katherine Beall ’18 - Senior Prize in Finance and Scholar/Athlete Award. Beall, a finance and mathematics major, earned distinction on her senior thesis, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in her junior year, and also earned a spot on the Dean’s List three years in a row. She will be starting work at Meridian as an Executive Compensation Consultant. Beal is the senior letter winner with the best academic record during the three terms prior to the spring semester of her senior year. She is a four-time recipient of varsity letters in softball, Academic All-Midwest Conference Honors, and the recipient of the Scholar/Athlete Award.
• Lauren Bell ’18 - Edward H. Oppenheimer Memorial Prize, Emma O. Haas Memorial Award for Merit in Scholarship, H. Murray Herlihy Prize in Economics, Solly A. Hartzo Award in Politics, and Phi Beta Kappa Senior Thesis Award. Bell is one of two Oppenheimer Prize recipients judged to have contributed the most to the Lake Forest College community in their four years as undergraduates. As the Haas Award recipient, this economics and politics double major had the best all-around scholastic record and demonstrated breadth and depth in Lake Forest College coursework. Bell was named to the Dean’s List for three consecutive years, earned distinction on her senior thesis, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in her junior year. She has accepted a post-graduate position with Teach for America to teach middle school mathematics to low-income students in Kansas City, Missouri.  
• Melissa Bodine ’18 - Dr. Aldo J. Crovetti Prize in Chemistry. Bodine, a chemistry major, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and earned a spot on the Dean’s List three years in a row. She is going to Colorado State University in the fall and pursuing a PhD in organic chemistry.
• E. Caitlin Brown ’18 - Senior Prize in Asian Studies. An English literature and Asian studies double major with a concentration in Chinese language, Brown earned distinction in her senior thesis. She is considering interning at the Chicago Tribune or working as an editor in Beijing.
• Shannen Cashman ’18 - Roger A. White ’60 Prize in Philosophy. A philosophy and environmental studies double major, Cashman will be working at the McHenry County Conservation District and plans on applying to graduate school.
• Davis DeKorte ’18 - Nicholas J. Wasylik Senior Athletic Award. A four-time letter winner in hockey and golf who served as golf team captain for three years, DeKorte has been a strong and positive influence on campus. He is a finance major who consistently embodies the outgoing attitude, drive, and determination of the award. After graduation, DeKorte will work as an investment banking analyst at Stout Advisory in Chicago.
• Margaret Fortman ’18 - Harold B. Curtis Prize in Mathematics and Harald C. Jensen Prize–Research in Experimental Physics. As a mathematics and physics double major who made it on the Dean’s List three years in a row, Fortman earned distinction on her senior thesis and was also elected to Phi Beta Kappa. After graduation, she will be attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison to pursue a PhD in physics. This prize is awarded to the senior physics major who has written the most outstanding senior thesis describing their original independent research in experimental physics.
• Matthew Goldstein ’18 - Richard W. Hantke Award in History. Goldstein, a history and philosophy major who earned distinction on his senior thesis, will be going to law school.
• Jaime Harris ’18 - Senior Prize in Self Designed Major. Harris earned distinction as a self-designed major and published their first graphic novel, which will be exhibited at Chicago Zine Fest.
• Fatima Hasan ’18 - Senior Prize in Communication. A communication and finance double major, Hasan will continue to work for her family business as she prepares to assume all responsibilities as President. She also will continue to run and expand the music media company she founded during her junior year and hopes to attend graduate school on a part-time basis in 2019. 
• Benjamin Heitkotter ’18 - Senior Prize in Computer Science. A computer science and mathematics double major, Heitkotter was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and earned a spot on the Dean’s List three years in a row. He will work in software engineering and data analytics.
• Rebecca Hernandez ’18 - McPherson Prize for Excellence in Scholarship–Spanish. Established in 1899, the McPherson Prizes are the College’s oldest awards. A double major in Spanish and education, Hernandez earned a spot on the Dean’s List three years in a row and was also elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She plans to pursue a master’s of art in teaching at Lake Forest College, with the goal of teaching a Spanish bilingual or dual-language elementary school classroom. 
• Anna Hirschler ’18 - Senior Prize in Asian Studies. Hirschler, an Asian studies major, plans to apply for the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program.
• Imani Jackson ’18 - Senior Prize in Studio Art. Recognized as an outstanding studio artist, this studio art major will pursue a master of architecture degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 
• Michael Janeček ’18 - Phi Beta Kappa Senior Thesis Award. A double major in neuroscience and history, Janeček will continue his thesis research over the summer in the Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology and Neuroscience Departments at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science and then attend the University of Pittsburgh to pursue his PhD in neuroscience. 
• Paul Jones ’18 - Carr Prize in Neuroscience. A neuroscience major, Jones made the Dean’s List three years in a row, earned distinction on his senior thesis, and was also elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He will attend Washington University in St. Louis to pursue a PhD in molecular biology.  
• Samantha Kluczynski ’18 - Miller Family Prize. Presented to an outstanding senior student in religion, this double major in religion and environmental studies will apply to chiropractic school.
• Schuyler Kogan ’18 - David W. Towle Award for Excellence in Biological Research. A biology and neuroscience double major who earned a spot on the Dean’s List three years in a row, Kogan plans to do full-time research next year and then apply for a PhD program in life science. 
• Magdalen Kroeger ’18 - Sterling Price Williams Prize in Psychology. A double major in psychology and Spanish, Kroeger earned distinction on her senior thesis, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and earned a spot on the Dean’s List three years in a row. She will work with youngsters from diverse backgrounds in Omaha through a non-profit organization, North Star. She will attend Washington University in St. Louis for a master’s in social work with a concentration in injury and violence prevention while continuing her research.
• Ashley Lamarre ’18 - McPherson Prize for Excellence in Scholarship–Philosophy and Senior Prize in African American Studies. Established in 1899, the McPherson Prizes are the College’s oldest awards. Lamarre is a philosophy and African American studies major who has accepted a graduate assistantship at Penn State University to pursue a doctorate in philosophy. Her long-term goal is to become a faculty member in order to give back to students in the same way her undergraduate professors gave back to her.
• Margaret Lenkart ’18 - Senior Prize in Environmental Studies. An environmental studies and politics double major, Lenkart is considering graduate work in environmental sustainability and policy. 
• Junya Li ’18 - David W. Towle Award for Excellence in Biological Research. A biology and mathematics double major, Li earned a spot on the Dean’s List three years in a row and received distinction on her senior thesis. She will continue her biological research while working toward her PhD at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
• Fiona Lutolli ’18 - Fredericka L. Stahl Memorial Award for Excellence in Science–Chemistry. A chemistry major, Lutolli was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and earned a spot on the Dean’s List. She will be working as a quality control chemist while applying to medical school. 
• Margaret Lynch ’18 - Senior Class Speaker. An English major with a minor in digital and print publishing, Lynch was inducted into the Omicron Delta Kappa and Alpha Phi Omega honors societies, was a student ambassador, and was a member of the dance team and Eukaryon, the College’s acclaimed science journal that publishes the best of student scholarship and research. She was also instrumental in bringing the organization “To Write Love on Her Arms” to campus to advocate for mental health awareness. She will work in digital advertising or digital media publications as a content writer or editor.
• Rachel Manchur ’18 - Senior Prize in Music Education. A music education and education double major, Manchur earned a spot on the Dean’s List three years in a row. She plans to teach in a school of need as a general music teacher. 
• Jakobi McClellan ’18 - Lincoln Academy of Illinois Student Laureate Award and Edward H. Oppenheimer Memorial Prize. McClellan was named a Lincoln Laureate for his academic achievement, contributions to extracurricular activities, and campus leadership during his four years at the College. A double major in business and sociology and anthropology, McClellan was named an Oppenheimer Prize winner for serving as an outstanding role model for students and helping transition others to the College community. He will work in defined benefits at Alight Solutions.
• Robert Mecham ’18 - Harald C. Jensen Prize–Research in Experimental Physics. A double major in physics and mathematics who earned  distinction in his senior thesis, Mecham will pursue a PhD in physics at Arizona State University on a full scholarship. 
• Sophie Mucciaccio ’18 - McPherson Prize for Excellence in Scholarship–English. Established in 1899, the McPherson Prizes are the College’s oldest awards. An English literature major, Mucciaccio was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and on the Dean’s List three years in a row. After graduation, she will be working for the League of Women Voters of Chicago. 
• Pegah Nabili ’18 - Carr Prize in Neuroscience. Nabili, a neuroscience major, earned distinction in her senior thesis, was on the Dean’s List three years in a row, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She will work at the Tahirih Justice Center, a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC, that works with refugee women and girls fleeing from violence. 
• Daniela Olmos Alvarez ’18 - David L. Krantz Prize in Psychology. A double major in psychology and politics who was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, Olmos Alvarez demonstrated excellence in psychology. She will work as a research assistant in a cognitive development psychology lab at the University of Chicago. 
• Amanda Peterson ’18 - Leo F. Van Hoey Senior Prize in Sociology and Anthropology. A double major in sociology and anthropology and Spanish, Peterson was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and earned a spot on the Dean’s List three years in a row.
• Bernie Reyes Facio ’18 - Senior Prize in International Relations. A double major in international relations and communication, Reyes Facio earned a spot on the Dean’s List three years in a row. He plans to travel in Mexico before enlisting in the Diplomatic Branch of the Mexican Foreign Service.
• Luz Rodriguez ’18 - McPherson Prize for Excellence in Scholarship–French. Established in 1899, the McPherson Prizes are the College’s oldest awards. A double major in French and sociology and anthropology, Rodriguez earned a spot on the Dean’s List three years in a row. She will pursue a masters of education in adult and higher education at Northern Illinois University while working as a student advocate for GEAR UP in Chicago, a program focused on increasing academic performance and support for undergraduate students from Chicago Public Schools. 
• Kalina Sawyer ’18 - Gail DeHerder Memorial Prize in Creative Writing. A double major in English writing and environmental studies, her creative writing was judged to be outstanding by the English department faculty. Sawyer plans to pursue an entrepreneurial career.
• Ryan Shalosky ’18 - Elizabeth W. Fischer Prize. Shalosky, a finance major, was named the graduating senior who has excelled in both academic and extracurricular activities. He will work as a sales representative with IBM in Dallas. 
• Luke Shylanski ’18 - Warren A. Peterson Memorial Award in Economics. An economics and neuroscience major who earned a spot on the Dean’s List three years in a row, Shylanski will take a gap year before going to graduate school for a PhD in either economics or cognitive science.
• Rosemary Thomas ’18 - Fredericka L. Stahl Memorial Award for Excellence in Science–Biology. A double major in biology and neuroscience, Thomas was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, earned distinction on her senior thesis, and made the Dean’s List three years in a row. She plans to go to medical school and continue her neuroscience studies. 
• Sean Tilton ’18 - Fredericka L. Stahl Memorial Award for Excellence in Science–Physics. A double major in physics and business, Tilton earned distinction on his senior thesis. He will attend graduate school in physics at Arizona State University.
• Norma Vargas ’18 - Senior Prize in Latin American Studies. Vargas, a Latin American studies and self-designed major, earned distinction on her senior thesis. She will work as a domestic violence advocate or for a not-for-profit organization that focuses on undocumented immigrants. 
• Kyra Vidas ’18 - Lorraine D. and H. Randall Heath Senior Prize in Business. Vidas, a business and communication double major, will be working as an assistant to the director of operations for the Women’s National Basketball Association’s Chicago Sky basketball team. 
• Patrick Walsh ’18 - H. Murray Herlihy Prize in Economics. An economics and computer science double major, he will attend Duke’s Fuqua School of Business Master in Quantitative Management Program in Business Analytics with a concentration in finance.
• Zachary Weinstein ’18 - Grace Elizabeth Groner Foundation Community Service Award. Weinstein earned this award for his service at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science as a medical interpreter at the Inter-Professional Community Clinic. This biology major will continue his community service work as a Spanish medical interpreter for a year before applying to medical school. 
• Celia Woldt ’18 - Alex F. Mitchell Senior Prize in Art History. A double major in art history and economics, she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and earned a spot on the Dean’s List three years in a row. After working for a couple of years, she will apply to graduate school in art history or pursue an MBA.
• Laura Woldt ’18 - Alex F. Mitchell Senior Prize in Art History. A double major in art history and economics, who was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and earned a spot on the Dean’s List three years in a row. She plans to eventually pursue an MBA or go to graduate school to further her studies in art history. 
• Jacqueline Zamudio Ramirez ’18 - Grace Elizabeth Groner Foundation International Service Award. A double major in Spanish and sociology and anthropology, Zamudio Ramirez is recognized for her work at the Monte Verde Institute in Costa Rica, where she was a health intern and group coordinator for the Grace Elizabeth Groner Foundation. She will return to Costa Rica this summer to continue her service work, and she hopes to secure a job at a not-for-profit organization focused on helping first-generation students apply to and graduate from college. 
• Yuliya Zayats ’18 - Fredericka L. Stahl Memorial Award for Excellence in Science–Biology. Zayats, a biology major, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa during her junior year and also earned a spot on the Dean’s List three years in a row. After graduation, she plans to attend medical school at Midwestern University.

Three Lake Forest College professors were awarded prizes during the ceremony:

• Assistant Professor of Anthropology Rebecca Graff and Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Brian McCammack won the William L. Dunn Award for Outstanding Teaching and Scholarly Promise. 
  Since 2014, Graff has taught a wide-array of sociology and anthropology courses. Known for her passion and enthusiasm for teaching and her engagement with students through hands-on experimental learning projects, she has single-handedly developed a new archaeology curriculum. As a scholar, Graff has established herself as a leading authority in urban archaeology with her book, The Vanishing City and the Enduring Home: Archaeology of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and the Charnley House, and she has published numerous papers exploring other topics in urban archaeology as well.
  Since 2015, when he joined the faculty at Lake Forest College, McCammack, too, has established an enviable reputation as an inspiring, passionate, challenging, yet caring and compassionate teacher in environmental studies, and he has taught a wide range of courses in the discipline. He recently published the book, Landscapes of Hope: Nature and the Great Migration in Chicago, which is the first of its kind to study the African American Great Migration as an environmental experience. The book has received three national prizes: the George Perkins Marsh Prize for the best book in environmental history, the John Brinckerhoff Jackson Prize for the contributions to the study and understanding of garden history and landscape studies, and the Frederick Jackson Turner Award for the best first book dealing with American history from the Organization of American Historians. 

• Associate Professor of English Judy Dozier won the Great Teacher Award. 
  Since joining the College’s faculty in 1997, Dozier has earned a reputation as one of the most engaging and inspirational teachers, and is regarded as the mainstay of the African American studies program at the College for the past two decades. She has published articles and book chapters; a wide-array of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry; and the College eagerly awaits her forthcoming debut novel. Well-revered by those who have had the pleasure of working with her, she is well-deserving of the “Great Teacher” award.

Associate Professor of English Judy Dozier, winner of the 2018 Great Teacher Award, delivers her address, “I Hope You Dance.”

For the full list of awards, see the complete program here.

Related Links:

• Senior Honors Convocation Program.pdf (PDF)