Earlier this month, the Office of the Dean and the Office of Student Life hosted a virtual SPS Excellence Awards celebration to honor students and members of our SPS community for their accomplishments and commitment to the School. While the event moved from in-person to online, the audience’s exuberance was not dampened. All in attendance were excited to cheer on their SPS colleagues and fellow students, and congratulatory messages were shared enthusiastically in the chat.
The event began with Dean Troy Eggers acknowledging the Faculty, Administrator, Team Impact, Student, and Alumni winners of Dean’s Excellence Awards for their superlative work at SPS this past year.
“I often say this, but it bears repeating in this context. I feel so very proud of you—and so very fortunate to be in the company of such an extraordinary group of people as we have at the School of Professional Studies,” said Dean Eggers during the event. “The scholarship, passion, and dedication of our students, faculty, and alumni is matched only by the professionalism, collaboration, and leadership of our administrators.”
The Alumni winner of the Dean’s Excellence Award, Unathi Myta (‘18SPS, Technology Management), presented the Columbia Alumni Association’s Campbell Award to Summer Brown, a candidate for an M.S. degree in Sports Management. Every year, this award is presented to a graduating student at each School who shows exceptional leadership and Columbia spirit, as exemplified by the late Bill Campbell (’62CC, ’64TC), University Trustee Chair Emeritus and CAA co-founder.
After Myta presented the Campbell Award winner, Zelon Crawford, senior associate dean of Student Affairs, and Rollie Carencia, executive director of SPS Student Life, presented the Student Life awards.
“Tonight, we honor the dedication, passion, and hard work of our students who have gone above and beyond to create a vibrant community within the School of Professional Studies,” remarked Carencia during his presentation.
Congrats to all the winners this year!
Here’s a list of all of the winners presented at the SPS Excellence Awards:
Dean’s Excellence Award, Student: Elena Wilson (‘24SPS, Nonprofit Management)
Dean’s Excellence Award, Alumni: Unathi Mtya (‘18SPS, Technology Management)
Dean’s Excellence Award, Faculty: Christine Straw, Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
Dean’s Excellence Award, Administrator: Sarah Malasaga, Associate Director of Advising
Dean’s Excellence Award, Team Impact: Career Catalyst Internship Working Group
2024 Campbell Award Winner: Summer Brown (candidate for an M.S. degree in Sports Management)
Heart of a Lion Award: Warren Ting (‘24SPS, Insurance Management)
Civic Engagement Award: Amerika Blair (‘24SPS, Strategic Communications) and Abhishek Chauthmal (‘24SPS, Technology Management)
Scholar Practitioner Award: Michele Trizzino (‘24SPS, Human Capital Management), Associate Director of Administration for the M.S. in Construction Administration program
Academic Leadership Award: Emma Oliver (candidate for an M.S. degree in Sustainability Management)
Student Leader Award: Alma Mokonchu (‘24SPS, Strategic Communication)
Student Impact Award: Khrizya Gastelum (‘24SPS, Information & Knowledge Strategy)
Program Innovation Award: Human Capital Management Club for their event, People, Power, and Profitability: The Future of the Chief Diversity Officer
Student Organization of the Year Award: Strategic Communication Society
SPSSG President’s Award: Saxon Stahl (candidate for an M.S. degree in Political Analytics)
Friend of SPSSG Award: Josh Alexander, Associate Dean of Students
