Co-valedictorians for the Class of 2021

• Brooke Boes of Westwood, New Jersey, bachelor of science in neuroscience
• Jason Ferris of Leonardtown, Maryland, bachelor of arts in english - publishing & editing and bachelor of arts in creative writing
• Noa Shaham of Hudson, New York, bachelor of science in neuroscience
• Madison Welliver of Turbotville, Pennsylvania, bachelor of science in elementary education

Susquehanna valedictorians are selected solely on cumulative GPA.

The Senior Awards are presented to graduating seniors by their respective academic departments and other offices and organizations that recognize students for academic excellence, scholarship, leadership and service.

Not all departments submitted awards and honorees for inclusion on the website; a comprehensive list of departmental honors are notated next to graduates’ names in the Commencement program.

Download the full list of Senior Awards (PDF) here.

Alpha Lambda Delta is an honor society that celebrates academic excellence in first-year college students. The following are students who have maintained the qualifying Alpha Lambda Delta GPA throughout their four years at Susquehanna.

Download the full list of Alpha Lambda Delta (PDF) here.

Susquehanna’s Honors Program supports students’ commitment to the total Susquehanna experience by contributing as leaders, performers, athletes and community servants in addition to their academics. Honors students are selected from the top 10% of the enrolling class and have followed a sequence of special course and projects throughout their four years at Susquehanna.

Below are University Honors Program graduates.

Download the full Honors Program (PDF) list here.

Susquehanna’s Leadership Awards were created to recognize awardees’ commitment to the betterment of the university and surrounding communities. The awards are made possible through the Baylor Family Endowment. Established in 1993, the endowment is an expression of the Baylor family’s appreciation for the university’s continued commitment to the region.

The Alumni Association’s Outstanding Seniors award dates back to 1962 and is presented to two seniors with good academic standing, are active in leadership roles, extracurricular activities, volunteer work and other accomplishments. Awardees exemplify Susquehanna’s traditions of achievement, leadership and service. The full list of recipients can be found here.

Samuel Emmanuel ’21 is a communication arts and French studies double major from Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.

During his time as Susquehanna, his extracurricular activities have included American Sign Language Club, Circle K, French Club, Hillel and Jewish Life, InterVarsity, Lamentations Gospel Choir, O-Team, Student Government Association, SU SPLASH and WQSU. Samuel has also served as vice president of the Class of 2021 and was inducted into Alpha Lambda Delta, an honor society for first-year students.

From nominator Allie Grill, associate director of employer engagement: Everything that Samuel does is an aspiration of leadership. Similar to his academic experiences, he doesn’t simply check a box, he dives in headfirst. The biggest example of this is his role as vice president of the Class of 2021. Remotely, he coordinated a decentralized Senior Week in short time frame, successfully meeting the expectations of his peers. Samuel’s kindness and community orientation improves the experience of those around. He’s an excellent self-advocate and an advocate of the SU community.

Tessa Rendina ’21 is a global management major from Gambrills, Maryland.

During her time at Susquehanna, her extracurricular activities have included serving as an admission senior intern and membership in Enactus, Sigma Kappa, Student Government Association and women’s soccer and track and field.

From nominator Michaeline Shuman, assistant provost and director of SU’s Career Development Center: Tessa meets the three areas that exemplify the ideals of SU of achievement, leadership and service. Accomplishments include her high GPA, international remote internship, study abroad and research experience in Cape Town, South Africa, and her outstanding work in and for Admission. Through her extensive work with Enactus, Tessa has developed and conducted business and life skills workshops for teens at Selinsgrove’s Regional Engagement Center, volunteered while abroad in Argentina and cares deeply about the welfare of the university and surrounding community.

Kara Eckert, a biology and Spanish studies major from Boalsburg, has been named valedictorian.

Read the full story here.

The Senior Awards are presented to graduating seniors by their respective academic departments and other offices and organizations that recognize students for academic excellence, scholarship, leadership and service.

Not all departments submitted awards and honorees for inclusion on the website; a comprehensive list of departmental honors are notated next to graduates’ names in the Commencement program.

Download the full list of Senior Awards (PDF) here.

Alpha Lambda Delta is an honor society that celebrates academic excellence in first-year college students. The following are students who have maintained the qualifying Alpha Lambda Delta GPA throughout their four years at Susquehanna.

Download the full list of Alpha Lambda Delta (PDF) here.

Susquehanna’s Honors Program supports students’ commitment to the total Susquehanna experience by contributing as leaders, performers, athletes and community servants in addition to their academics. Honors students are selected from the top 10% of the enrolling class and have followed a sequence of special course and projects throughout their four years at Susquehanna.

Below are the University Honors Program graduates.

Download the full Honors Program (PDF) list here.

Susquehanna’s Leadership Awards were created to recognize awardees’ commitment to the betterment of the university and surrounding communities. The awards are made possible through the Baylor Family Endowment. Established in 1993, the endowment is an expression of the Baylor family’s appreciation for the university’s continued commitment to the region.