Lafayette College awards 551 degrees at 176th commencement ceremony

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

Lafayette College this afternoon granted 551 degrees to 526 graduating seniors at the college’s 176th commencement in Easton.

The featured speaker was Gwendolyn L. Ifill, managing editor and moderator for "Washington Week" and senior correspondent for "PBS NewsHour" on PBS.

College officials awarded four honorary degrees.

President Daniel H. Weiss awarded Ifill the honorary degree of doctor of journalism. Also receiving honorary degrees were the Rev. Michael C. McFarland, president of College of the Holy Cross, who received a doctorate of humane letters; 1951 alum Wilbur W. Oaks, a retired professor of medicine at Drexel University's College of Medicine, who received a doctorate of public service; and Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr., who also received a doctorate of public service.

Graduating senior Ines Amenabar delivered farewell remarks for the class of 2011. She was recipient of the George Wharton Pepper Prize, awarded to the senior who “most closely represents the Lafayette ideal,” college officials said.

Amenabar, of Guatemala City, Guatemala, received a bachelor's degree with majors in economics and government & law.

The first students to receive their diplomas were Nicholas Barna, Lauren Huyett and Cara Murphy. They achieved the highest cumulative grade-point averages in the class. Barna, of Mountaintop, Pa., received a bachelor's degree in chemistry; Huyett, of Blandon, Pa., received a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering; and Murphy, of Providence, N.J., received a bachelor's degree with majors in English and psychology.

Among the graduates are:

FROM PENNSYLVANIA
Allentown: Zachary Scott Creveling, A.B. History; Marc D. Quilling, A.B. Government & Law.

Bethlehem: Christina Joy DeSalva, A.B. Mathematics and Economics, Honors in Economics & Business; Christina Marie Mingora, B.S. Biology, magna cum laude, Honors in Biology, Willis Roberts Hunt Biology Prize, Lafayette Alumni of the Lehigh Valley Scholarship Award; Angela Maria Urbano, A.B. Philosophy/Spanish (double major), cum laude, Honors in Philosophy, Frank Kline Baker Spanish and Latin American Civilization Award.

Easton: Michael Louis Cerankowski, A.B. History and Government & Law, summa cum laude, Eugene P. Chase Government Prize, Lafayette Alumni of the Lehigh Valley Scholarship Award, Reverend J.W. and R.S. Porter Bible Prize; Zhukan Ding, B.S. Mathematics and A.B. Economics & Business (dual degrees), Honors in Economics & Business; Allison Marie Irving, A.B. Anthropology & Sociology; Nicholas D. Strebig, A.B. Religious Studies.

Lehigh Valley: Coopersburg - Kelcie Elizabeth Mohr, A.B. English, summa cum laude, I. Clinton Kline Prize; Martins Creek - Charles F. Prutzman Jr., A.B. Government & Law/Psychology (double major), magna cum laude; Nazareth - Stephen Edward Beavan, B.S. Civil Engineering and A.B. Government & Law (dual degrees); Nazareth - Sarah Elizabeth Dally, A.B. Policy Studies; Nazareth - Gregory Allan Earle Jr., B.S. Electrical & Computer Engineering, cum laude, George H. Catlin Prize, Murray G. Clay '30 Award, Lawrence J. Conover '24 Electrical Engineering Prize; Nazareth - Franklin Scott Stinner Jr., B.S. Electrical & Computer Engineering, summa cum laude, Honors in Electrical & Computer Engineering, Lafayette Alumni of the Lehigh Valley Scholarship Award, Finley W. & Ethelwyne H. Smith Electronic Engineering Prize; Nazareth - Katie Lynn Wyttenbach, B.S. Chemical Engineering, Lehigh Valley Section of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Award; Orefield - Kristen K. Darragh, B.S. Biology; Pen Argyl - Lauren Michelle Pacifico, A.B. Economics & Business/French (double major), James Alexander Petrie Prize in French; Walnutport - Michelle Lynne Hock, A.B. English.

Bucks County: Doylestown - Maxwell B. Luce, A.B. Economics & Business; Doylestown - Amanda Hilton Whitbred, A.B. English/Philosophy (double major), magna cum laude, Honors in English Jean Corrie Poetry Prize; Erwinna - Matthew B. Runkle, B.S. Neuroscience, Honors in Neuroscience; Langhorne - Austin Paul Quinn, English; Levittown - Ashley C. Koble, A.B. Economics & Business/French (double major); Morrisville - Glen Thomas Tennyson, B.S. Chemical Engineering, Honors in Chemical Engineering; New Hope - Katherine Julia Whitman, A.B. English; Newtown - Lauren Allison Holck, A.B. English/Spanish (double major), magna cum laude, Frank Kline Baker Spanish and Latin American Civilization Award; Quakertown - Jennifer Nicole Kohm, B.S. Mechanical Engineering; Quakertown - Andrew Travis Yodis, B.S. Psychology and A.B. Philosophy (dual degrees), magna cum laude, Honors in Psychology; Trumbauersville - Alex Paul Parzych, A.B. Engineering; Warrington - Alexandra Monet Henry, A.B. English/Art (double major); Yardley - Dan D'Argenio, B.S. Mathematics.

Berks County: Blandon - Lauren M. Huyett, B.S. Chemical Engineering, summa cum laude one of three students with the highest cumulative average in the Class of 2011, Honors in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Donald F. Othmer Award, Eugene P. Chase Phi Beta Kappa Prize, Charles Duncan Fraser Prize, William G. McLean Tau Beta Pi Prize, Goldwater Scholarship, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship; Wyomissing - Laura Elizabeth Kaplan, A.B. Economics & Business, summa cum laude, Wall Street Journal Student Achievement Award.

Montgomery County: Abington - Colin Blair Tinsman, B.S. Physics and B.S. Mathematics (dual degrees), summa cum laude, Honors in Physics, Eugene P. Chase Phi Beta Kappa Prize; Collegeville - Alicia Mary Clark, B.S. Mechanical Engineering, magna cum laude, Honors in Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Faculty Award; Dresher - Kelly Ann McNulty, A.B. Anthropology & Sociology/American Studies (double major); Huntingdon Valley - Brian Andrew Hall, A.B. Mathematics and Economics, H. MacKnight Black Poetry and Literature Prize; Lafayette Hill - Rachel Samantha Ingber, A.B. Mathematics and Economics, magna cum laude, Honors in Economics & Business/Mathematics; Narberth - Samuel Whitaker Feldbaum, A.B. Economics & Business; Norristown - Stacey Brooke Kushner, A.B. Anthropology & Sociology/English (double major); North Wales - Nancy Giang, B.S. Biochemistry, summa cum laude, Honors in Chemistry American Chemical Society Undergraduate Award in Analytical Chemistry, American Institute of Chemists Award (Biochemistry), Chemical Rubber Company Freshman Achievement Award; Oreland - Andrew L. Fullen, A.B. Economics & Business; Plymouth Meeting - Conor Michael O'Neill, B.S. Mechanical Engineering.

Stroudsburg and Monroe County: East Stroudsburg - Philip Alexander Dominguez, B.S. Computer Science; Effort - Tomas Concepcion IV, B.S. Civil Engineering; Stroudsburg - Christopher Jose, A.B. Mathematics and Economics, cum laude, Lafayette Alumni of the Lehigh Valley Performing Arts Award; Stroudsburg - Kelsey Lauren Slater, A.B. Interdisciplinary (Environmental Studies in U.S. Policy); Tobyhanna - Thomas Joseph Capotorto, B.S. Mechanical Engineering.

Schuylkill County: Coaldale - Stephen Michael Petrock, B.S. Mechanical Engineering;
Port Carbon -Vincent Adam Kuperavage Jr., B.S. Chemical Engineering, summa cum laude, Donald U. Noblett Prize in Chemical Engineering; Pottsville - Zachary Emmanuel Fritz, A.B. Anthropology & Sociology.

FROM NEW JERSEY
Hunterdon County: Annandale - Christopher Alain D. Kisch, B.S. Civil Engineering;
Annandale - Sarah Lindsey Shaffer, A.B. American Studies, cum laude, Honors in American Studies; Hampton - Erik Ryan Adolfsson, B.S. Electrical & Computer Engineering. Milford - Jeffrey Alexander Beatty, B.S. Biochemistry; Milford - Benjamin Leigh McPherson, A.B. Government & Law and Foreign Language/Philosophy (double major), magna cum laude, Rexroth Prize in German (Outstanding Senior Award); Oldwick - Justin Bradford Kamine, A.B. Economics & Business/Policy Studies (double major); Stockton - Conner James Woods, A.B. History, summa cum laude, Class of 1910 Prize, Francis Shunk Downs Award, Reverend J.W. and R.S. Porter Bible Prize.

Warren County: Hackettstown - Timur Ahmed Hubey, A.B. Engineering; Hackettstown - Johnathan R. Quodomine, B.S. Chemical Engineering; Port Murray - Victoria L. Santagata, A.B. Psychology.

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/easton/index.ssf/2011/05/lafayette_college_awards_551_d.html