McDonough School of Business
News Story

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 

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