Undergraduate Students and Faculty Honored at Tropaia

Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business recognized students graduating with honors from the Undergraduate Program on Friday, May 18, during the school’s annual Tropaia. [Watch the video.]

In an address to her classmates, valedictorian Grace Serena Lafaire made two requests: to remain faithful to business’ broader purpose and to help lift others up.

“Our impeccable training in business studies at Georgetown and the integration of Jesuit values into our curriculum have uniquely prepared our class to reshape what it means to be a business person,” she said. “For that reason, we are presented with the opportunity to reclaim business for what it is and the good things it can do for society.”

Lafaire also asked the class of 2018 to recall those who may have helped them achieve their success and to emulate their kindness.

“As you ascend the ranks in your careers, I hope that you remember how stressful and challenging it could feel at times to progress through four years at Georgetown and ultimately enter the job market. I hope you also remember how lucky you felt when someone invested in you and helped lift you up,” she said. “My request is that you, as women and men for others, will make someone else feel that same sense of gratitude by lifting them up the ladder behind you.”

2018 proved to be a competitive year for earning top honors in the Undergraduate Business program. In a rare occurrence, each of the top three students were separated by only .01 in their grade-point average (GPA). With a perfect 4.0 GPA, Lafaire received the Valedictorian Award. With a 3.990, Samuel David Drummond earned the Salutatorian Award. Amelia Louisa Fattore, with a 3.989, had the third highest GPA in the class.

During the Tropaia program, the following students received awards:

Academic Honors

Valedictorian Award
Grace Serena Lafaire

Salutatorian Award
Samuel David Drummond

Father Joseph Sebes Award (significant overall contribution to the welfare and reputation of the school)
Michael John Poorten

Othmar W. Winkler Award (demonstrating a strong concern for others and the less privileged especially in the Washington, D.C., community)
Kayla Harris

Undergraduate Dean’s Award for the senior who has made the most significant overall contribution in the area of social enterprise or social entrepreneurship either in the local or global community
Clara Rose Cecil

Summa Cum Laude Students (3.852 GPA or above)
Danielle Christine Altenburger
Gina Civitella Baker
Elizabeth Prada Blumberg
Samuel David Drummond
Amelia Louisa Fattore
Sarah Ellen Floyd
Lauren Katie Fusek
Georgia Gabrielle Grimes
Allison T. Kozeracki
Dylan James Kreher
Grace Serena Lafaire
Clark Richard Messman
Nicholas Andrew Payne
Charlotte Fae Reid
Kelly Ann Sikorski
Dylan Arthur Staats
Brandon Matthew Stark
Benjamin Alexander Stern
Ian Straussman
Matthew Robert Zehr
Jingyu Zou

Accounting Awards

Deloitte Award for Accounting Excellence
Sarah Ellen Floyd

George Houston Accounting Achievement Award (highest academic achievement in accounting)
Jingyu Lucy Zou
Danielle Christine Altenburger

Georgetown University Accounting Society Award for Service and Excellence (excellence in the leadership of and in service to undergraduate accounting students)
Kevin Daniel Gorton
Rachel Nicole League

Hoffman-Galasso Family Award (exceptional contributions to the Accounting Department)
Kelly Ann Sikorski  

Accounting Faculty Award for Academic Excellence (academic achievement and a positive attitude in the classroom and toward the field of accounting)
Samuel David Drummond

Finance Awards

McDonough School of Business Finance Faculty Award for Academic Excellence
Grace Serena Lafaire

Michael G. Psaros Award for Excellence in Investments
Lauren Katie Fusek

Center for Financial Markets and Policy Award for Achievement in International Finance
Brandon Matthew Stark

Center for Financial Markets and Policy Award for Achievement in Finance
Allison T. Kozeracki

Robert and Lauren Steers Award for Excellence in Real Estate Finance
George Paul Alchas

Award for Achievement in Corporate Finance
Anushka Kannan

Award for Achievement in Financial Services
Samuel Charles DeLise

Award for Achievement in Banking
Jenyen Peng

Financial Management Association Award for Service (service to the discipline of finance)
Michael Anthony Ghirardelli
Alex Samuel Ronkainen

International Business Awards

Interlink Capital Strategies Corporation Award (outstanding performance in the study of international business)
Marco F. Criscuolo 

Ilkka A. Ronkainen Award for International Business and Marketing (achievement in marketing and international business)
Tatiana Joelle Hadchiti
Chas Pierce Newman

International Business Faculty Award for Academic Excellence (excellence in the classroom and in international business)
Clark Richard Messman

Management Awards

Elutions, Inc. Award (excellence in leadership and management studies)
Stephen Michael Quinzi

NFI Industries Award (excellence in management studies)
Cecilia Lelis Carvalho

TEGNA Award (excellence in the study of negotiation, arbitration, and labor relations)
Ben Andrew Brothers

William J. Usery Award (excellence in the study of negotiation and mediation)
Christopher S. Holshouser

William J. Curtin Award (academic excellence in leadership)
Brian Bies

Swift Glass Company Award (academic excellence in innovation)
Megan Flynn Burke 

Ciarrocchi Award (academic excellence in management studies)
Michael Antoine Kamel

McDonough School of Business Management Faculty Award for Academic Excellence in Human Capital and Human Resource Management
Daniel Austin Cohen

Marketing Awards

Johny K. Johansson International Marketing Award (outstanding achievement in the study of international marketing)
Charlotte Fae Reid

IMAX Marketing Research Award (excellence in marketing research coursework)
Dylan Arthur Staats

IMAX Marketing Scholar Award (achievement in the study of marketing)
Clara Rose Cecil

McDonough School of Business Marketing Faculty Award for Academic Excellence
Nicole Christina Koskovolis

Operations and Information Management Awards

Deloitte Award for Operations and Information Management (service and achievement in operations and information management)
Ian Straussman

PricewaterhouseCoopers Award for Service and Scholarship in Operations and Information Management (service to the discipline of operations and high level of scholarship)
Georgia Gabrielle Grimes

McDonough School of Business Operations and Information Management Faculty Award for Academic Excellence
Dylan James Kreher

Faculty Awards

Faculty Research Award
Rebecca Hamilton, Michael and Robin Psaros Endowed Chair in Business Administration and Professor of Marketing

Joseph F. Lemoine Award for Undergraduate and Graduate Teaching Excellence
Karthik Easwar, assistant teaching professor of marketing

Faculty Award for Extraordinary Service
Alyssa Lovegrove, associate director, Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative

Peter W. Gonzalez, Jr. Award for Excellence in Adjunct Faculty Teaching
David Dunahay, adjunct professor of strategy

Academic Council Professor of the Year Student Choice Award
Ronald Goodstein, associate professor of marketing   

In addition, Professor of Management Douglas McCabe was honored for receiving the 2018 Magis Medal from Alpha Sigma Nu.