Celebrating Excellence: 2025 Honors Convocation Recognizes Whittier’s Best

May 7, 2025

Associate Professor of Environmental Science Christina BauerThe 2025 Honors Convocation brought together students, staff, and faculty to celebrate the year’s most exceptional achievements in and beyond the classroom.

The ceremony was held Friday at the Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts. Among the night’s honorees was Associate Professor of Environmental Science Christina Bauer, who received the prestigious Harry W. Nerhood Teaching Excellence Award. Named for Professor Emeritus of History Harry W. Nerhood, the award acknowledges overall excellence in teaching.

Bauer, who holds the Chester and Olive McCloskey Chair in Chemistry, has worked in polymers and nanotechnology for more than 15 years. Her recent focus has shifted to environmental sustainability, including research on detecting micro and nanoplastics in ecosystems.

Assistant English Professor Douglas Manuel | Photo by Alfred Haymond“Like many of my colleagues at Whittier College, I aim to teach students practical skills while challenging them to think independently and creatively about our most pressing scientific and societal issues,” Bauer said. “Receiving the Nerhood Teaching Award is such an honor, and it reaffirms that these methods resonate with students, giving me a confidence boost to continue on this path, even more so in the era of AI.”

Assistant Professor of English Douglas Manuel received the inaugural ACE Award for Teaching Excellence. The award recognizes a faculty member who challenges students to think critically, facilitates conversations about difficult topics, sparks a desire to see their students succeed and learn, and unlocks their potential.

“I'm thankful for the students because they teach me just as much, if not more than, I teach them,” Manuel said.

 

Scholar Athlete Awards

Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches All Academic Team — Outstanding Distinction
Noah John Bigara
Zander Huynh
Kenshiro Matsuzawa
Álvaro Oliveros Criado
Emily Loren Flores
Haley Rae Kivett
Charlotte Umstead

College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Honoree
Baseball

Nathan Sherman

Basketball
​​Ignacio Bettinelli
Camryn R. Beaver
Faith Boulanger
Yaneli Rosales
Lorita Nour Salloom

Soccer
Kevin Eduardo Bravo
Rowan Slater
​​Jessie Bonsness
Audrey Burgmaier
Ariana Cisneros-Botello
Juliana Hodgson
Elizabeth Marie Roybal
Shayla Sakkakhanaune

Swimming & Diving
John Nick Coltrin
Garrett ​​Dykier
James H. Saw
Riana Barrett
Isabella Cabral
Piper Guinn
Tara Hendrickson

Volleyball
Mia Isabella D'Amato
​​Analise Kusleika
Morgan Lin
Nadine Oronoz

 

Departmental Awards

Humanities Division

Art and Visual Studies

Outstanding Student in Graphic Design
Giselle Fausto

Outstanding Student in Studio Art
Estasia McGlothlin

 

English Language and Literature

Outstanding Achievement in English
Zachary Ross Prothero
​​Alexandra Sandoval

 

Global and Cultural Studies

Outstanding Academic Achievement in Global and Cultural Studies
Lissa Castillo Higueros
Galilea Landa-Posas

 

History

Outstanding Graduate in History
Lissa Castillo Higueros
Damian Garcia

The Paul Moore '68 and Allison Moore-Smith '00 Teaching Scholarship
Lissa Castillo Higueros
Damian Garcia

 

Modern Languages and Literatures

The Martin Ortiz Award for Academic Excellence in Spanish
Palmer V. Patel
Annalise Chantel ​​Valdivia

Outstanding Student in Chinese
Ha My Minh Pham

Outstanding Student in French
Anna Gaber
Damian ​​Garcia

Outstanding Service to the Department (French)
Felix Rose

 

Music

Outstanding Achievement in Music Production
Zachary Alexander Kowalski

Outstanding Scholarship in Music
Madisen Endo

 

Religious Studies

C. Milo Connick Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Religious Studies
Seattle Tiernan Schuessler

Outstanding Contribution to the Department
Malika J. Tadesse

 

Natural Sciences Division

Biology

Outstanding Academic Achievement in Biology
Elizabeth Marie Roybal

Outstanding Service to the Department
Casandra Avila

Outstanding Academic Achievement and Research in Biology
Mursalle Khwajazada

 

Chemistry

Undergraduate Research Award in Chemistry
Isabel K. Barrientos

The W. Roy Newsom Award in Chemistry
Casandra Avila
Charlotte Umstead

 

Environmental Science

Outstanding Academic Achievement in Environmental Science
Adriana Renee Cox-Gonzalez
Callista Marie McCarthy

Outstanding Research in Environmental Science
Olive Ausness

Outstanding Service to the Department
Adriana Renee Cox-Gonzalez

 

Mathematics

The Pyle Prize for Outstanding Graduate in Mathematics
Allison Gonzalez

The Dr. Sharad V. Keny Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Alexandra Haluska
Jace Benjamin Chong

Outstanding Academic Achievement in Integrated Computer Science-Economics
Manasvi Vardham

Outstanding Academic Achievement in Integrated Computer Science-Mathematics
Chenhao He

Outstanding Academic Achievement in Mathematics-Business
Natalia R. Medrano

 

Physics

Outstanding Academic Achievement in Physics & Astronomy
Kamarina Hewett

 

Social Sciences Division

Business Administration

The Charles R. Laine Award for Outstanding Graduate in Business Administration
Zachary Alexander Kowalski

Outstanding Graduate in Accounting
Diego Cruz

Outstanding Graduate in Finance
Ahmed Amer

Outstanding Graduate in International Business
Rocío Martín Muñoz

Outstanding Graduate in Management
Sydnee Verlin

Outstanding Graduate in Marketing
Chloe Fung

The John A. Murdy Writing Award
Jordan Dahl

 

Economics

The Gregory Woirol Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement in Economics
Ha My Minh ​​Pham

 

Education and Child Development

Outstanding Academic Achievement in Child Development
Adriana Grace Tunque Carnecer
Analise Kusleika

Outstanding Academic Achievement in Education
Mackenzie Crecelius

Outstanding Service to the Department
Victoria Mejia

 

Kinesiology

Outstanding Graduate in Kinesiology
Emily Loren Flores

Outstanding Service to the Department
Antonio Lauriano Saavedra

Outstanding Graduate in Pre-Physical Therapy
Haley Rae ​​Kivett

Outstanding Graduate in Sports Management
Chloe Fung

 

Political Science

The Burnett-Bergerson Political Science Award
Piper Guinn
Galilea Landa-Posas

 

Psychological Sciences

Outstanding Academic Achievement in the Psychological Sciences
Elsie ​​Johnson
Audrey Selena Luna
Sonali A. Ortiz-Casillas
Nicole Plata

Outstanding Scholarship in the Psychological Sciences
Ioana Podarita

Outstanding Service to the Department
Kasey Davis
Sonali A. Ortiz-Casillas
Katherine Shum

 

Social Work

Outstanding Academic Achievement in Social Work
Demona Rosenlof

Outstanding Service in Social Work
Denisse Palacios Delgado

Outstanding Student in Field Education
Leila Tiffany Vuskovic

The Claudia Dorrington Social Justice Award
Bree Brasher
Sammantha Garcia

 

Sociology

The Charles J. Browning Prize in Sociology
Nevaeh Gutierrez

The Paul Moore '68 and Allison Moore-Smith '00 Teaching Scholarship
Kelly Jacqueline Nutter

Outstanding Student in Sociological Praxis
Estasia McGlothlin

 

Interdisciplinary Programs

Gender Studies

Outstanding Academic Achievement in Gender Studies
Lucy Jane Campbell
Lissa Castillo Higueros

 

Public Health

Outstanding Academic Achievement in Public Health
Casandra Avila
Shayla Sakkakhanaune

 

Whittier Scholars

Outstanding Service to the Whittier Scholars Program
Lexis Brattain

Outstanding Graduate in the Whittier Scholars Program
Isabel Leonore
Perez-Flores

Outstanding Research and/or Creativity in the Whittier Scholars Program
Naia Watkins

 

The Whittier College Writing Program

First Year Writing Prizes
Cara Mia Botha
Gabriella Alferez Anderson

First Year Project-based Learning Prizes
Christian A. Arreola
Elise Chaidez
Chole Crecelius
Daisy Hernandez
Dario Ludusan
​​Chau Bao Pham
Ambrine Lugay Denis
Matthew Jameson Geller
Abel Abraham Kidane
Maya N. Torres
Niah Vazquez

Outstanding Writing Tutor
Mackenzie Crecelius

 

First Year Programs

Outstanding Contributions to First Year Programs
Mia Isabella D'Amato
​​Audrey Sparks

 

Service and Leadership Awards

Associated Students of Whittier College Awards

Key to the College Award
Francisco Gomez

Marilyn Veich Award
Daisy Machado

Richard B. Harvey Award
David Sloan