On Friday, May 2, Barry University held its annual Honors Convocation to recognize the outstanding academic achievements of the university’s students. More than 150 people were in attendance for the event which distinguished students from eight of Barry’s schools and colleges.
Barry’s most distinguished award, the St. Catherine Medal, is given annually to two students who exemplify outstanding service or leadership among their peers. The award is granted by the Kappa Gamma Pi National Catholic College Honor Society to a pair of Barry students, a senior and a sophomore or junior. The Honors Committee has conferred this medal each year upon outstanding Barry students who have displayed high ideals and leadership in Catholic college education. The recipient of the medal is selected on the basis of leadership and service to Barry University and/or church and community.
Dianna Bellian, a senior English major who graduated on May 3, earned this year’s award in the senior category; while junior Shantell Monreal, a Pre-Law and Pre-Professional biology double major, was named the award recipient in the sophomore/junior category.
Bellian earned the award for her leadership involvement in numerous university sponsored clubs and organizations during her tenure at Barry. She has been the chair of the Honors Program Student Advisory Board since 2012, was vice president of Barry’s English Association and Philosophy Club, and has served as a commissioner for the Student Government Association’s Elections Committee. Bellian’s has served as a writer and copy editor for The Barry Buccaneer and has been a participant in the College Bride’s Walk against domestic violence for four-straight years.
Bellian has an outstanding academic record at Barry and has presented her work at various conferences, most recently at the Sigma Tau Delta International Honors Society Convention in March. Bellian is a member of two academic honor societies, Sigma Tau Delta and Delta Epsilon Iota.
In three years at Barry, Monreal has participated in a variety of philanthropic work at various locations throughout the Miami area. Her community service includes work at Saint Kieran Catholic Church, the Palmer House Nursing Center, Saint James School, the San Juan Bosco Clinic, the Haitian Youth Community Center, the Sinai Plaza Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, and Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic Church.
Monreal has served Barry as both a senator and vice president of the Student Government Association. She has previously held the positions of treasurer and president of the Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity. She is an ICUF Fellow and a Barry Student Ambassador. Monreal is a member of three academic honor societies: Delta Epsilon Iota, Phi Eta Sigma, and Delta Epsilon Sigma.
In addition to the St. Catherine Medal, the dean of each school and college, located on the Miami Shores campus, awarded their unit’s Dean’s Award to one or two students. The winners of Barry’s Deans’ Awards were selected because of their academic commitment and their representation of their school/college.
The Deans’ Awards Winners are:
College of Arts and Sciences:
Dianna Bellian – Major: English |
Talia Guarsia – Major: Biology |
Leslie Redmond – Major” Political Science |
College of Health Sciences:
Norving Gutierrez – Major: Nursing |
School of Business:
Patrick Burri – Major: Accounting, Finance, and Management |
School of Education:
Marilyn Orta – Major: Elementary Education |
School of Human Performance and Leisure Sciences:
Akemi Maehama – Major: Physical Education |
School of Professional and Career Education:
Jill Boyd – Major: Public Administration |
School of Social Work:
Elimay Robinson – Major: Social Work |
In addition to the Deans’ Awards, students were also recognized in the categories of writing, scholarship, and honor societies inductees. A list of these winners is below.
Sigma Tau Delta Writing Awards:
Essay Category | First Place: Yubeluiska Minaya |
Fiction Category | First Place: Karrie Garcia |
| Honorable Mention: Kai’la Moore |
Poetry Category | First Place: Sheehan Planas-Arteaga |
| Honorable Mention: Karrie Garcia |
Scholarship Awards:
Dr. Lloyd D. Elgart Memorial Scholarship: Dominique Franklin – Major: Accounting
Honor Societies:
Alpha Chi:
Raymond Aleman | Cassandra Jones | Elimay Robinson |
Isaac Boykin | Kathryn Jones | Maria Rubio |
Ernest Cooper | Enrique Lopez | Bianca Rudge |
Priscilla Crespo | Akemi Maehama | Diane Sanders |
Johan Diaz | Vondolyn Maddox | Wendy Saravia |
Susan Dorta | Odin Martinez | Samantha Scott |
Colette Eule | Rocquel McCray | Kristen Simonds |
Katrina Faust | Elisa Mastromarino | Betsy Smith |
Coral Frau | Yaritza McKinney | Dominique St. Victor |
Grethel Garcia | Tania Monteagudo | Edward Stapleton |
John M. Gregory | Colleen Moore | Barbara Ward |
Mariel Guerrero | Vanyah Moore | Jason Waters |
Sean Hill | Louise Perulf |
Delta Epsilon Sigma:
Renad Abdallah | Tania Monteagudo | Trenisha Smith |
Kevin Asencio | Maria Paraventi | Karen Spears |
Wasam Azaizeh | Louise Perulf | Donovan Valentin |
Susan Dorta | Bibiana Potestad | Margaret Watson |
Cheryl Frazier | Elimay Robinson |
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Mariel Guerrero | Bianca Rudge |
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Karen Legagneur | Darya Ruzaykina |
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Shantell Monreal | Hugh Shearer |
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Kappa Gamma Pi:
Peggy Cordova | Vanessa Lewis | Elimay Robinson |
Susan Dorta | Akemi Maehama | Gregory Richardson |
Colette Eule | Tania Monteagudo | Darya Ruzaykina |
Mariel Guerrero | Louise Perulf | Wendy Saravia |
Debbie Jean | Bibiana Potestad | Margaret Watson |
Phi Eta Sigma:
Christopher Allen | Fabio Frech | Carlton Reed |
Mark Alexander | Laura Gagliardi | Laura Renzi |
Michelle Augustin | Darian Haseltine | Lauren Robinson |
Yeliana Avila | Shannon Hines | Elexus Ryans |
Leanna Baez | Anna Hope | Taylor Salas |
Kesha Bassue | Dominique Larkin | Vincent Silvanio |
Shawn Bogart | Odette Lopez | Qiwen Su |
Laura Corriss | Hernan Medrano | Barbara Torres |
Jessica Cousett | Valentina Monteleon | Kathryn Turner |
Kevin Dalia | Margarita Orsik |
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Jennifer Elamah | John Powell |
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Check out the photo gallery from the event. Visit the Honor Societies website for more information about Barry’s Honors Convocation and how to apply for membership in a university-sponsored honor society.