Decker College celebrates outstanding achievements by nursing and public health students

Binghamton University’s Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences held two year-end awards ceremonies May 12 to recognize students graduating in 2023. The Division of Nursing held a ceremony at 9:30 a.m. in the University’s Health Sciences Building in Johnson City (home to Decker College). The Division of Public Health celebrated students at a 1 p.m. event held in Academic Building A on the University’s Vestal campus. During the nursing awards ceremony, 24 students were inducted into the Zeta Iota Chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) Honor Society of Nursing.

In addition, several Decker students participating in the Educational Opportunity Program were honored earlier this spring.

Division of Public Health

• Academic Excellence in Public Health Award: John Colllins ’22, Sherece Laine, Franchesca Marte Gonzalez ’21, Christina Olverd ’20, Megan Sticco ’21 and Elisabeth Van Tassell ’21
• Advocacy in Public Health Award: Rasheema Wright ’21
• Excellence in Community Engagement Award: Tristan Diaz ’21 and Emma Shen ’21
• Excellence in Public Health Practice Award: Shane Healy ’21 and Robert Johnson
• Professionalism in Public Health Award: Malik Kerr and Valerie Palmeri
• Public Health Community Service Award: Marissa Pavlovich and Elisabeth Van Tassell ’21
• Public Health Leadership Award: Haythi Ei ’20
• Public Health Trailblazer Award: John Collins ’22

Division of Nursing

Undergraduate awards

• SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence: Christopher Felice
• Decker Foundation Award for Academic Excellence: Jennifer Herd ’20, MPH ’22 and Brandon Lin
• Decker Foundation Award for Clinical Excellence: Keanu Carmona
• Decker School of Nursing Academic Excellence Award: Alexis Green and Sydney Herzog
• Dennis Jimenez Memorial Award: Francheska Gomez ’22
• Grace L. Penny Memorial Award: Sedinam Donya
• Heidi and Joel Thirer Award for Leadership and Community Service: John Atkinson ’21, Connor Cumisky, Sandra Re ’21 and Tina (Wanye) Zheng
• Jessica Mally Memorial Award: Denise Encarnacion ’18, MA ’19 and Christopher Felice
• Martha Harnick Bress Memorial Award: John Santarelli
• Mary Pillepich Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice: Julie Sbarra
• Registered Professional Nurse Baccalaureate Award: Ziren Lipow ’19
• Sara Ainspan Memorial Award: Brandon Bocanumenth ’18
• UHS Professional Nursing Practice Award: Rose Velazquez

Graduate awards

• Excellence in Advanced Nursing Practice Award in Adult Gerontological Nursing: Katie Swanson
• Excellence in Advanced Nursing Practice Award in Community Health Nursing: Meghan Lewis ’03
• Excellence in Advanced Nursing Practice Award in Family Nursing: Richard Sosulski ’13
• Excellence in Advanced Nursing Practice Award in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: Andrea Cavaluzzi
• Excellence in Advanced Nursing Practice Award, PhD in Nursing Program: Kristin Pullyblank, MS ’06
• Excellence in Advanced Nursing Practice Award, Post-Master’s Certificate Program: Carla Mason
• Excellence in Nursing Education: Eldin Mehanovic
• Grace L. Penny Memorial Award: Lee Hubbert
• Jose Reichel Research Fund Award: Genevieve Romano-Helm, MS ’17

Sigma Theta Tau award/inductees

• Sigma Theta Tau Research Award: Christopher Norman

Those inducted into Sigma Theta Tau include the following graduate and undergraduate nursing students:

• Theresa Amerling ’22
• Alexa Avallone ’22
• Mary Chesna
• Sarah Chew ’22
• Jeremy Collison
• Samantha Crouch ’22
• Connor Cumisky
• Tara Darling
• Abdourahman Dukuray ’18
• Denise Encarnacion ’18, MA ’19
• Lilianna Forth ’22
• Allison Grandy ’22
• Erin Herbstritt ’20
• Jennifer Herd ’20, MPH ’22
• Colleen Moran
• Haley Norton ’21
• Francesca Nugnes
• Grace Purvis
• Philip Reid
• Courtney Rivers
• Brianna Sebastian
• Delaney Smith
• Rose Velazquez
• Betty Wang
• Tina (Wanye) Zheng

Educational Opportunity Program awards

The following Decker College students received Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) awards during a recognition brunch and ceremony in March.

• Academic Empowerment Award: Kevin Carchipulla Jimbo
• Distinguished Student Award: Kevin Carchipulla Jimbo
• Outstanding Academic Achievement Award: Kevin Carchipulla Jimbo
• Outstanding Academic Achievement Award: Batur Shairzadeh
• Outstanding Academic Achievement Award: Karen Umana
• Outstanding Academic Achievement Award: Andrew Xie
• Transitional Scholastic Award: Karen Umana
• Westley Van Dunk Eminence Award: Andrew Xie