In a 145-year old tradition, 28 seniors were honored, as well as one junior, a sophomore, and two class of 2017 alumni.
Left to right: Seniors Makayla Reynolds, Kayvon Asemani, Silicia Lomax, Jerome Allen, Alexandra Rubin, Dawit Gebresellassie, Madeline Gelfand, and Nicholas Silverio were honored with Senior Honors at the 2018 Ivy Day ceremony. Photo by Scott Spitzer.
On Saturday, May 12, at the University of Pennsylvania’s annual Ivy Day ceremony, student leaders were honored for their contributions to Penn.
Held the Saturday of Alumni Weekend each year, the Ivy Day ceremony is a tradition that dates to 1873, commemorating Penn’s move from Center City to West Philadelphia and marking the opening of College Hall.
The 2018 Ivy Day awardees and presenters:
Sol Feinstone Undergraduate Awards:
Presenter: Provost Wendell Pritchett
Recipients: sophomore Sonari Chidi, senior Nicholas Escobar, junior Stephen Damianos, and senior David Thai of the School of Arts and Sciences
Provost Wendell Pritchett, senior Alexa Hoover, and President Amy Gutmann.
Association of Alumnae Fathers’ Trophy
Presenter: Provost Wendell Pritchett
Recipients: seniors Alexa Hoover and Michelle Nwokedi of the School of Arts and Sciences
Class of 1915 Award:
Presenter: Provost Wendell Pritchett
Recipient: senior Justin Watson of the Wharton School
Penn Student Agencies Award:
Presenter: President Amy Gutmann
Recipient: Sangmin Oh, a 2017 alumnus who is finishing two degrees in the School of Engineering and Applied Science this year
James Howard Weiss Memorial Award:
Presenter: President Amy Gutmann
Recipient: senior Bryan Rodriguez of the School of Arts and Sciences
President’s Engagement Prizes:
Presenter: President Amy Gutmann
Recipients: Wharton seniors Griffin Amdur, Andrew Witherspoon, and James McPhail, also in the School of Arts and Sciences, for Chicago Furniture Bank; Wharton seniors Svanika Balasubramanian and Peter Wang Hjemdahl for rePurpose; and Nursing senior Alaina Hall for Healthy Pequeños (Healthy Little Ones)
The President’s Innovation Prize:
Presenter: President Amy Gutmann
Recipient: Wharton senior Rui Jing Jiang, Engineering senior Brandon Kao, and Wharton senior Adarsh Battu for Avisi Technologies (VisiPlate)
Penn Alumni President Julie Beren Platt and senior Christopher D’Urso.
Student Awards of Merit:
Presenter: Penn Alumni President Julie Beren Platt
Recipients: Christopher D’Urso, a senior from the College of Arts and Sciences and Master of Public Administration at the Fels Institute of Government; Mariana Franca, a senior from the Wharton School; Michelle Nwokedi, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences; Kanishka Rao, a senior in the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Wharton School; and Jeffrey Wiseman, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences
The Senior Honor Awards were presented by members of the 25th Reunion Class of 1993:
Spade Award
Presenter: Michael Rosenband, C’93
Recipient: Nicholas Silverio, a senior in the Wharton School
R. Jean Brownlee Skimmer Hat Award
Presenter: Hallie Levin, C’93
Recipient: Madeline Gelfand, a senior in the College of Engineering and Applied Science
Cane Award
Presenter: Jeffrey Lichtman, C’93
Recipient: Dawit Gebresellassie, a senior in the Wharton School
David R. Goddard Loving Cup Award
Presenter: Lisa Nass Grabelle, C’93, L’96
Recipient: Alexandra Rubin, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences
Bowl Award
Presenter: Allison Rouse, C’93
Recipient: Jerome Allen, a senior in the Wharton School
Gaylord P. Harnwell Flag Award
Presenter: Michelle Peluso, W’93
Recipient: Silicia Lomax, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, GR’20
Spoon Award
Presenter: Lincoln Singleton, W’93
Recipient: Kayvon Asemani, a senior in the Wharton School
Althea K. Hottel Shield Award
Presenter: Allison Bieber McKibben, C’93
Recipient: Makayla Reynolds, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences and the class president
Jieun Yoon, a 2017 alumnus of the School of Arts and Sciences, who designed this year’s Ivy Day stone
Griffin Pitt, right, works with two other student researchers to test the conductivity, total dissolved solids, salinity, and temperature of water below a sand dam in Kenya.
Griffin Pitt’s upbringing made her passionate about water access and pollution, and Penn has given her the opportunity to explore these issues back home in North Carolina and abroad.
Helping robots work together to explore the Moon and Mars
Penn Engineers, NASA, and five other universities tested robotic systems designed to help unmanned explorers cooperate in the dunes of White Sands, New Mexico, paving the way for Moon and Mars exploration.
From framework to actions: Provost John L. Jackson Jr. talks Penn Forward
In a Q&A, Provost John L. Jackson Jr. explains the relationship between the strategic framework In Principle and Practice and Penn Forward—a new University-wide process and action plan that will advance Penn forward for the next decade and beyond.
