Stamps Class of 2022 Celebrates Achievements
Smiles, hugs, and cheering ruled the day as the Stamps School of Art & Design held the first in-person commencement celebration since 2019 at the North Campus Research Center.
Alum Senghor Reid, BFA ‘99 delivered an inspiring commencement address that acknowledged the tenacity of the graduates who persevered to earn their degrees during the last few challenging years. Afterwards a reception was held for the Stamps community and guests.
During the ceremony, the following Stamps students were honored with awards for their outstanding achievements.
Jean Paul Slusser Award – MFA Thesis Project
The MFA Thesis Award recognizes outstanding creative work as evidenced in the thesis exhibition.
Award Recipient: Kristina Sheufelt
Honorable Mention: Natalia Rocafuerte
Jean Paul Slusser Award – MDes Thesis Project
The MDes Thesis Project Award honors a student who understood and embraced the MDes program goals and will be a strong ambassador for the program in the world, as nominated by MDes faculty.
Stephanie Szemetylo
Summa Cum Laude
Awarded to students for outstanding academic performance, the Summa Cum Laude graduates’ cumulative grade point average places them in the top three percent of the graduating class.
Fee Christoph
Erin Walski
Regina Egan
Jenna John
Phi Beta Kappa
As America’s most prestigious honor society, Phi Beta Kappa has celebrated excellence in the liberal arts & sciences and championed free thought since 1776.
Jenna John
Gabriel Consiglio
Candy R. Wei Prize for International Studies in Art & Design
The Candy R. Wei Prize for International Study is funded in memory of art and design student Candy Wei. The prize is a juried competition recognizing seniors who best demonstrate how their international study experience changed or influenced their work as an artist or designer.
Jenna John
Integrative Project Award
Each year BFA students enroll in the culminating Integrative Project, a 2‑semester, 12-credit independent studio. At the end of each year, the students, along with their faculty and graduate student instructors, choose two students from each class section to receive special recognition for the superior quality of their projects. The Projects are judged in the entirety of their process — developing and researching the concept, the materials testing and prototyping, the making and remaking, critiquing and revising, finishing, and installation.
Abigail Zotter
Kendra Eaton
Josie Burck
Jenna John
Margaret Ruth Wiebe
Taylor Jenkins
Rachel Heibel
Grace Eden Klein
Penny Lam
Kate Donoghue
Senior Studio Award
Seniors pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree have the opportunity to engage in a year-long independent project, aptly titled the BA Senior Studio. Ably leading this course, and the students in it, was Kate Rubin. The Senior Studio award recognizes one student who is deemed to have the best BA project in their graduating class.
Taylor Kelly
Integrative Project Writing Award
The IP Written Thesis award recognizes the superior quality of the written portion of a student’s IP thesis, judged on the overall excellence of the written work both in the research and in the composition. Students are nominated by the IP faculty with the final winner confirmed by the Coordinator of the Stamps Writing Program, Jennifer Metsker.
Shannon Yeung
Gorman Award
The Gorman Award is given to a graduating senior who has excelled in scholarship, service, leadership, and creative work, not only during their senior year but over the full duration of their undergraduate study at Stamps.
Lauren Trail
Big Idea Award
In memory of alumna Penny W. Stamps, and provided with generous support from the Stamps Family, friends, and other supporters in the community, the Big Idea Award provides $25,000 to a Stamps senior or a team of Stamps Seniors to help launch a major, ambitious project after graduation. It is a project that calls on the student or team to commit their moral and intellectual capital to their Big Idea.
