Pardee School 2017 Student Awards Announced
During convocation ceremonies for the class of 2017, 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 Victoria Kelberer, MA in International Affairs. Kelberer is a truly loved citizen of the Pardee School of Global Studies. So much so, in fact, that this is the second time that she is being awarded the School’s highest student honor – the Chandler Award. She also received the Chandler Award as an undergraduate at the Pardee School.
Undergraduates know Kelberer as a caring mentor and nurturing student adviser. Her peers and Pardee School faculty know her as a brilliant student with a near perfect GPA. The Chandler award acknowledges both, but celebrates something even more exemplary: her Pardee spirit and deep commitment to making the world a better place.
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 goes to Paige Pascarelli (thesis adviser: Professor Jessica Stern) for her thesis “Betwixt & Between”: Analyzing Belgian Representation in “Homegrown” Extremism. The best undergraduate thesis honor goes to Andrea Van Grinsven (adviser: Professor Kaija Schilde) for her thesis Outsourcing Accountability: The European Union’s External Migrant Management and Detention Regime.
“I was shocked, and obviously so excited to hear that I won this award,” Pascarelli said. “I know that many fascinating theses have been written this year, so I’m just really honored and thrilled that my topic has generated this kind of interest. A lot of work went into it, but the travel grant I received from Pardee to support the research was really crucial. And my advisor, Dr. Stern, was a great guide from start to finish. I have an immense amount of gratitude!”
“I was so excited to find out I was chosen as the recipient of this award,” Van Grinsven. “My time at the Pardee School has been instrumental in shaping how I think about the world, so it is a huge honor to be recognized out of a pool of incredible work for a project that serves as a culmination of my undergraduate studies. I feel such gratitude towards my thesis advisor, Professor Schilde, and the Pardee faculty, my parents, classmates, and friends for their support and encouragement.”
The winner of the College of Arts and Sciences Prize for Undergraduate Excellence at the Pardee School is Devon Flanagan who is receiving a BA in International Relations and Economics. 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.
“I was both surprised and honored and to receive this award!” Flanagan said. “The Pardee School is full of so many brilliant people; I am consistently impressed with my classmates and professors. I am incredibly grateful to have spent four years with the Pardee community, expanding my horizons and learning from outstanding minds.”
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 Kevin McLaughlin, MA in International Relations. Undergraduate Academic Excellence Awards are being given to Jessica Depies, BA in International Relations and Economics; Evelyn Hitt, BA in International Relations; and Mark Vicik, BA in International Relations & Middle East
North Africa Studies.
“I would like to thank my professors and colleagues for pushing one another to think more critically about the world we live in,” McLaughlin said. “It has been a privilege being a part of the Pardee School community.”
“I am thrilled to be receiving an award from the Pardee School, which has been instrumental to my personal, professional, and academic growth over the past four years,” Depies. “I have no doubt that my success in the Pardee School is a product of the guidance and mentorship of Pardee’s professors, advisers, and my fellow classmates. From the guidance I received in completing my honors thesis, to the flexibility I was provided during my semesters abroad, to the courses I took with inspiring, engaging professors, I feel lucky to have been a part of such an incredible community.”
“I feel really grateful to receive this honor because Pardee not only values academics, but also cherishes the importance of making a difference in the world,” Hitt said. “Throughout my time here, I have been challenged and supported by faculty and students who have taken the mission of advancing human progress to heart and inspired me in the process.”
“It’s an honor to be recognized for success in the Pardee School,” Vicik said. “I’ve truly enjoyed my time in the program, and I couldn’t be more thankful for the outstanding faculty of professors who have consistently pushed me to work harder academically.”
The student awards will be presented at the Pardee School Convocation ceremony on Saturday, May 20, 2017 at the Walter Brown Arena.