Three DCC Students Awarded SUNY’s Highest Honor

ALBANY – Dutchess Community College (DCC) students Aimee Hina, Jennaliyah Waddell and Sara Boccassini were awarded the State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence, recognizing their outstanding achievements in areas including academics; leadership; diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice; campus involvement; civics and service; research; and the arts. This is the highest honor SUNY provides to students for academic excellence and leadership.

“Aimee, Jennaliyah and Sara are all outstanding students who worked incredibly hard during their time here at DCC, dedicating themselves not only to their studies, but also to leading, supporting and lifting up their student community,” said Vice President of Instruction and Learning Dr. Raymond Houston. “These three soon-to-be graduates are true role models to their peers at DCC, and we were honored to have been a part of their journey. We know they have incredibly bright futures ahead of them.”

Boccassini is an international student from Italy pursuing a degree in Business Administration. She has maintained a spot on the President’s List for four consecutive semesters and has earned a 3.99 grade point average (GPA). She holds leadership roles in Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the national community college honors society, and Alpha Beta Gamma (ABG), an international business honor society, and recently represented DCC at ABG’s national conference. Boccassini helped to organize the Breast Cancer Awareness Walk at DCC and regularly volunteers on campus and in the community, including supporting efforts for the homeless and incarcerated. She is also active with the Catholic Youth Organization, volunteering through her local church.

Hina is a Computer Information Systems major who serves as president of DCC’s Student Government Association (SGA) and is a member of the DCC Association Board of Directors, Perkins Advisory Board, PTK and the Campus Transformation Steering Committee. She is an active participant in both DCC’s Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP) and Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP), where she also serves as a peer mentor.

Waddell is a Liberal Arts and Sciences major, Honors program minor and active participant in CSTEP, where she also serves as a peer mentor. She serves as coordinator of internal affairs on the SGA and maintains an impressive 3.83 GPA, earning her place on the President’s and Dean’s lists for three consecutive semesters. She was selected as the head experimenter of the SUNY Bridges to Baccalaureate Program and has had her research abstracts selected for presentation at DCC’s CSTEP Symposiums. In her spare time, she volunteers on the Dutchess County Youth Board Coordinating Committee where she reviews and votes on applications for state grant funding for youth organizations.

“SUNY students are New York’s future, and the outstanding individuals I am proud to recognize with the Chancellor’s Awards for Student Excellence embody the very best of our state university system,” said SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. “The students who have earned this recognition have inspired their classmates, their educators, their campuses and me with their inspiring work, tenacious drive, and dedication to their academic success. I commend each of the awardees and thank them for being examples for others to follow.”

The SUNY Board of Trustees said, “This year’s Chancellor’s Awards for Student Excellence recipients are leaders in their campus communities who both exemplify and underscore the extraordinary potential of our students. Congratulations to the awardees for their incredible achievements and we are excited to see how they continue to thrive.”

The Chancellor’s Awards for Student Excellence are part of SUNY’s ongoing efforts to celebrate, recognize, and encourage students’ achievements. In March, Chancellor King recognized the achievements of 49 students in SUNY’s Arthur O. Eve Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) who were honored with the Norman R. McConney Jr. Award for Student Excellence. In February, Chancellor King recognized 10 students with the SUNY Student Sustainability Awards. In January, Chancellor King announced the first round of recipients from the “Building Bridges” civic engagement student leadership awards, highlighting student groups on five SUNY campuses to lead projects that strengthen their communities and build connections across lines of difference.