Pardee School 2016 Student Awards Announced

Student Awards 2016

During convocation ceremonies for the class of 2016, the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies will honor the achievements of some of its brightest and most talented students.

The Carole A. Chandler Citizenship Award is given each year to recognize the spirit of citizenship and a commitment to the values and mission of what is now the Pardee School of Global Studies. The Award is open to graduate and undergraduate students who have demonstrated exemplary commitment to the School’s mission while maintaining academic excellence.

This year the Carole A. Chandler Citizenship Award is given to Charlott Sandor Johansen, MA in Global Development Policy.

“I was very happy and honored when I received the news,” Johansen said. “I have had some great times here at the Pardee School, both academically and socially, and to be awarded a prize for a great experience is just the cherry on top.”

The Ambassador Hermann Frederick Eilts Thesis Awards are given to the best undergraduate and graduate theses written by students at the Pardee School. The Prize recognizes the value of good research and policy analysis at the Pardee School and celebrates the contribution of Ambassador Hermann Frederick Eilts, the founder of International Relations programs at Boston University.

On the graduate level, the Eilts Award will be shared between Mariana Echaniz Arciga, (thesis advisor: Kevin Gallagher) for her thesis “Greening Adaptation in Mexico: Leveraging International Financing for Ecosystem-based Adaptation and Sustainable Agriculture” and Jocelyn Spottiswoode (thesis advisor: Houchang Chehabi) for her thesis “Fresh Out of Water: Transboundary River Management and Governance between Kazakhstan and China.”  The best undergraduate thesis honor will go to Krishna Gall (thesis advisor: Igor Lukes) for her thesis “Daedalus Syndrome: American Intervention in Kosovo.”

“My time at the Pardee School of Global Studies has been a journey full of knowledge, challenges, growth, and friendship,” Echaniz said. “Receiving these awards is a great honor and responsibility. I feel overwhelming gratitude to all the Pardee faculty, and fellow students, for their trust and support. I would like to thank my thesis adviser, Professor Kevin Gallagher, for his outstanding guidance, encouragement, support, and for being a source of inspiration.”

“It’s an absolute honor to win this award and not one I ever expected,” Spottiswoode said. “The topic of the thesis is incredibly personal and receiving this award confirms that even the most obscure topic has importance and value for International Relations.  Finally, this award is as much for me as it is for all those that helped me, most of all my adviser Professor Houchang Chehabi.”

“It is a huge honor to be recognized for the award out of a pool of so many remarkable papers,” Gall said. “My greatest hope is that my thesis is able to shed some light on a controversial episode in US foreign policy that far too many Americans have only a limited understanding of. The consistency with which American military force is used abroad to solve complex international problems is one of the greatest challenges the United States faces moving forward.”

The winner of the College of Arts and Sciences Prize for Undergraduate Excellence at the Pardee School is Matthew C. Cronin, who is receiving his BA in International Relations. The prize is given to the undergraduate student at the Pardee School who has demonstrated the most outstanding academic achievement during their entire undergraduate program. 

“While deeply appreciating the recognition, I am struck that an average of my grades cannot express the value of my education,” Cronin said. “Most of us in the Pardee School study what we study because we wish to make this world a better place. To that pursuit, a GPA or resume line hardly pertains. The most powerful recognition of our education here at Pardee will come on the day when the knowledge we have garnered empowers us to empower others, at home or abroad.”

The final category of awards is the Pardee School Academic Excellence Awards. These are given to graduate and undergraduate students who have demonstrated the highest levels of academic excellence in courses taken at the Pardee School.

The award for Graduate Academic Excellence is being given to Mariana Echaniz Arciga, MA in International Relations and Environmental Policy. Undergraduate Academic Excellence Awards are being given to Michelle Abou-Raad, BA in International Relations and Middle East and North Africa Studies, Kelley Gourley, BA in International Relations and Middle East and North Africa Studies, Amal Hechehouche, BA in International Relations and Economics and Susanne Neher, BA in International Relations. 

“After 4 years at Pardee, 2 semesters abroad, an honors thesis and many great experiences in between, I am very excited to be graduating with degrees in International Relations and MENA Studies and to be receiving an undergraduate excellence award,” Abou-Raad said. “It is truly an honor that I could not have achieved without the support of my family, advisors, and professors.”

“I am so grateful for everything Pardee has done for me and my classmates,” Gourley said “This school has opened so many doors for all of us and helped me truly discover my passions. This is just the beginning!”

“When I read the letter from the Dean about receiving the award, I was excited and proud at the same time,” Neher said. “I worked incredibly hard throughout my undergraduate career, but there are many people who I owe a part of my success to; without their support and encouragement, I could not have accomplished this feat. While I feel that this recognition of academic excellence is a reflection of my dedication to my studies, I hope it also stirs a sense of pride in all the people who have played a role in my time at the Pardee School and Boston University.”

“Honestly, it is such an amazing surprise and honor to have been chosen as a recipient of this award. It has been such a privilege to study within  the Pardee School of Global Studies, and I am especially glad to have seen the school inaugurated while being a student,” Hechehouche said. “I have always known the faculty and staff to be some of the most caring and engaged professionals at Boston University. I truly believe that everyone is passionate about encouraging students to be interdisciplinary, explore their interests, and learn all they can about the world we live in. I am excited to take what I have learned into my future.”

The student awards will be presented at the Pardee School Convocation ceremony on Saturday, May 14, 2016 at the Walter Brown Arena.