Five students at Farmingdale State College – all from Long Island – have won the coveted “Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence,” bestowed each year by SUNY. Fewer than 300 students in the SUNY system, which is comprised of 64 campuses across the state, will receive the award at a ceremony in Albany on April 2.
The “Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence” recognizes students who have demonstrated and been recognized for the integration of academic excellence with accomplishments in the areas of leadership, campus involvement, athletics, community service, creative and performing arts, or career achievement. Winning students must have a GPA of at least 3.8. Established in 1997, 59 FSC students have now won the award.
Farmingdale’s five winners include:
- Elizabeth J. Calvente is a Bioscience major. In 2014, Elizabeth was named Veteran of the Year by Student Veterans of America (U.S. Navy) and created a veteran-to-veteran tutoring system. She is president of the campus Veterans Club.
- Vianna M. Reyes Duran is majoring in Business Management. An international student from the Dominican Republic, Vianna is a member of the Golden Key Honor Society, and the Sigma Beta Delta Business Honor Society. She is president of the Student Government Association, and a campus delegate to the SUNY Student Assembly.
- Kristen Renaldo is studying Dental Hygiene. Kristen is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and an honor society scholarship winner for academic excellence. She is also a top performer on the college’s Women’s Lacrosse team, which won its conference championship in 2014.
- John Campbell is a Bioscience major who won four different scholarships in 2014, while working as a Peer Tutor with chemistry and biology students. As an EMT he also won the Top Responder award from the Melville volunteer fire department.
- Shannon Vollmer's major is Applied Mathematics. Shannon was listed in Who’s Who among Students in American Universities and Colleges in 2014, and is graduating summa cum laude. She is an active member of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Long Island.
