Undergraduate Students and Faculty Honored at Tropaia
Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business recognized students graduating with honors from the Undergraduate Program Friday, May 19, during the school’s annual Tropaia.
The students heard remarks from co-valedictorians Katherine Wildes and Nicole Colarusso, who opted to use the practice of an Ignatian Examen to reflect on their time at Georgetown and on what the future may hold.
Over the past four years, Wildes said Georgetown taught her the importance of examining future ‘what ifs’ instead of dwelling on ‘if onlys’ – noting that many of her classmates who pondered ‘if only’ are now graduating as successful entrepreneurs.
While some students feel that they have to do it all, she has learned how to make a larger impact by focusing more deeply on specific activities. “It’s not the number of things we do that matters,” she said. “It’s about the quality of our involvements and relationships.”
Finally, Georgetown taught her how to use similarities as a platform for exploring differences. “Though all of us come from different backgrounds, we are all part of the same Georgetown community,” she said.
Colarusso discussed the ways Georgetown has helped the Class of 2017 face and embrace the future. They learned how to ask both big questions and courageous questions – the ones that present moral dilemmas or risk.
A note her mother secretly pinned to her regalia four years ago that she recently discovered reminded her of the value of relationships. She also asked her classmates to find the joy in the mundane. “Each task is as tedious or joyful as we make it. We should relish the process as much as we relish the reward.”
To conclude the program, Interim Dean Rohan Williamson commented that this class has watched the world change in profound ways over the last four years. As the next generation of world leaders, he said they are prepared for any challenges they may face.
“I have one wish for you – that you walk across the graduation stage tomorrow feeling both transformed and inspired,” he said. “Transformed to find within yourselves what always has been there – the ability to make a positive impact on the world. And, inspired to go forth with a newfound confidence to make it happen.”
During the Tropaia program, the following students and faculty received awards:
Academic Honors
Father Joseph Sebes Award
Andrew James Fogarty
Othmar Winkler Award
Christine Louise Eaton and Albert Peng Lee
Undergraduate Dean’s Award
Febin James Bellamy
Valedictorian Award
Nicole Marie Colarusso and Katherine Cory Nalwalk Wildes
Accounting Awards
Deloitte Award for Accounting Excellence
Sydney Mae Wawrzyniak
George Houston Accounting Achievement Award
Karl Kuo Yee and Owen James Sirianni
Georgetown University Accounting Society Award for Service & Excellence
Anne Elizabeth Feeney and Brett Armstrong Humphrey
Hoffman-Galasso Family Award
David Kevin Bruton
Accounting Faculty Award for Academic Excellence
Sebastian Aristotle Hart
Finance Awards
Robert and Lauren Steers Award for Excellence in Real Estate Finance
Ajesh Jain
Michael G. Psaros Award for Excellence in Investments
Caitlin Leigh McCarthy
Center for Financial Markets & Policy Award for Achievement in Finance
Andrea Diaz
Center for Financial Markets & Policy Award for Achievement in International Finance
Albert Peng Lee
Award for Achievement in Banking
Woo Jung Ko
Award for Achievement in Corporate Finance
John Charles Banas
Award for Achievement in Financial Services
Katherine Cory Nalwalk Wildes
The Financial Management Association Award for Service
Jacqueline Hodges Lapeyre, Justin Lee Hom, and Stavan Kalpesh Shukla
The McDonough School of Business Finance Faculty Award for Academic Excellence
Nicole Marie Colarusso
International Business Awards
Interlink Capital Strategies Corporation
Nicole Marie Colarusso
The Ilkka A. Ronkainen Award for International Business and Marketing
Daniel Yang Cai and Colin R. Downey
International Business Faculty Award for Academic Excellence
Elizabeth Nicole Dammeyer
Management Awards
Elutions, Inc. Award
Lena Lateer Reeves Duffield
NFI Industries Award
Rachel Alyse Dansky
TEGNA Award
Colin R. Downey
William J. Usery Award
Christine Louise Eaton
William J. Curtin Award
Elsa Lazo-Vasquez
Swift Glass Company Award
Erik Van de Water
Ciarrocchi Award
Nancy Clare Hewitt
Management Faculty Award for Academic Excellence in Human Capital and Human Resource Management
Sydney Mae Wawrzyniak
Marketing Awards
Johny K. Johansson International Marketing Award
Brian Robert Poirier
IMAX Marketing Research Award
Jordan Maya Johnson
IMAX Marketing Scholar Award
Allison Patricia Hillsbery
Marketing Faculty Award for Academic Excellence
Justin Michael Schuble
Operations and Information Management Awards
Deloitte Award for Operations and Information Management
Eric Patrick Irwin
PricewaterhouseCoopers Award for Service and Scholarship in Operations and Information Management
Dipali Gupta
Operations and Information Management Faculty Award for Academic Excellence
Katherine Cory Nalwalk Wildes
Faculty Awards
The Faculty Research Award
Simon J. Blanchard, assistant professor of marketing
Joseph F. Lemoine Award for Undergraduate and Graduate Teaching Excellence
Lee F. Pinkowitz, associate professor of finance
Faculty Award for Extraordinary Service
Evelyn Jean Williams, teaching professor of management
Peter W. Gonzalez, Jr. Award for Excellence in Adjunct Faculty Teaching
Allyson Adrian, adjunct professor of management
Academic Council Professor of the Year Student Choice Award
Patricia Fairfield, associate professor of accounting