Pardee School 2018 Student Awards Announced
During convocation ceremonies for the class of 2018 held on Saturday, May 19, 2018 at Boston University’s Walter Brown Arena, the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies honored the achievements of some of its brightest and most talented students.
The Chandler Award recognizes the spirit of citizenship and a commitment to the values and mission of the Pardee School of Global Studies. The award is given to graduate and undergraduate students who have demonstrated exemplary commitment to the School’s mission while maintaining academic excellence. The award celebrates the spirit of community and citizenship that was exemplified by Carole A. Chandler, the administrative co-founder and first Executive Assistant of the Center for International Relations.
This year the Carole A. Chandler Citizenship Award is given to Zachary Scott Thomas, who will be graduating with two majors from the Pardee School – a B.A. in International Relations and Latin American Studies. He will also leave with the School’s highest honor for a student – the Chandler Citizenship Award – for demonstrating the highest standards of citizenship in service of the School’s mission while maintaining academic excellence.
A faculty nomination described Thomas as having “amazing intellectual curiosity” as well as a “genuine passion” for helping others. Not only was he commended for his “outstanding scholarly potential,” but for his “kindhearted nature.” These are qualities that the Pardee School holds in the highest esteem, and which so wonderfully exemplify the spirit of the award.
His passion for making the world a better place is clear, and his goals have consistently been high. As Pardee School Dean’s Ambassador, as a founding member of Delta Phi Epsilon, as co-leader for the B.U. Model U.N. team, as board member of the Boston University International Affairs Association, and in so many other ways he has demonstrated the Pardee School spirit and sought to make the best of his college experience. Nowhere has Thomas done so with greater zeal and impact than in his efforts for the Puerto Rico relief supply drive after Hurricane Maria.
The Eilts Awards are given to the best undergraduate and graduate theses written by students at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies. 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 the International Relations programs at Boston University.
On the graduate level, the Eilts Award goes to Florian David Bodamer, MA in International Affairs, for his thesis Power, Plenty, Prestige, and Interest Groups: Why States Sustain Defense Industrial Bases (Adviser: Professor Kaija Schilde). The best undergraduate thesis honor goes to Noe Karen Hinck, BA in International Relations and History, for her thesis German Identity Development Since 1945 in the Wake of the 2015 Syrian Refugee Crisis (Adviser: Professor Thomas Berger).
The winner of the College of Arts and Sciences Prize for Undergraduate Excellence at the Pardee School is Jonathan Richard Hauser, who is receiving a BA in International Relations and French. The prize is given to the undergraduate student at the Pardee School who has demonstrated high academic achievement while also demonstrating outstanding service and leadership.
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 Avik Jain, MA in Latin American Studies. Undergraduate Academic Excellence Awards are being given to Casey Kanani Nakamura, BA in International Relations and Middle East North Africa Studies; Coby Andrew Yank-Jacobs, BA in International Relations; and Maria Clara Soares Bezerra, BA in International Relations.