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Students
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THREE FLCC STUDENTS RECEIVE SUNY CHANCELLOR'S AWARD
CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. (April 28, 2005) - Three students from Finger Lakes Community College recently received the State University of New York Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence at a ceremony in Albany. This prestigious honor went to a total of 264 students from 60 campuses in the state of New York.
Recipients demonstrate academic excellence and contributions to their campuses and communities in areas such as athletics, career achievement, community service, creative and performing arts, and leadership. FLCC awardees included William McCarthy and Alison Nihart, both of Canandaigua, and Liliane Pereira, of Penn Yan. They earned this honor after a thorough selection process completed at the College level, as well as through the SUNY Office of University Life in Albany. The Albany office recommended finalists for the award to SUNY Chancellor Robert L. King.
McCarthy will graduate this May with an associate in science degree in liberal arts and sciences. Currently, he has a 3.46 GPA. McCarthy's academic achievements include making the dean's list in fall 2004 and earning an academic scholarship from St. John Fisher College, where he will attend this fall.
In addition to academic success, he has exhibited commitment and leadership in athletics. McCarthy has been an active member of the FLCC baseball team and was awarded the 2004 Coach's Award, recognizing his work both on the field and in the classroom, his character, and his integrity. For both the 2003 - 04 and 2004 - 05 academic years, McCarthy served as the FLCC baseball team leader. In spring 2004, he was selected to serve as a student representative for healthy lifestyle choices in College anti-smoking promotional material.
McCarthy channels his love of sports into active community service as well. In 2003 - 04, he coached in the Canandaigua youth baseball and community youth basketball programs. For the past two years, he has served as head coach for St. Mary's seventh- and eighth-grade CYO basketball, as a volunteer basketball referee for CYO basketball, and as a participant in FLCC's community baseball camps.
Nihart, a May 2005 graduate of the associate in science fine arts degree program, currently maintains a 3.99 GPA. Her activities and achievements while at FLCC span the areas of academics, the arts, and community service with a focus on the environment.
Nihart has made the dean's list every semester and is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges. Upon graduation, she will receive an Honor's Certificate in recognition of completing five FLCC Honors courses. In May 2004, Nihart received the FLCC President's Scholarship, recognizing leadership in extracurricular activities and outstanding oral and written skills.
Nihart has achieved success in the arts as well as academics. In May 2004, she received the John M. Meuser Memorial Scholarship, awarded to a student with a major related to visual and performing arts, and the Writer of Distinction Award from the FLCC humanities department. She won awards at the College's annual student honors art exhibitions in spring 2003 and 2004, including awards in drawing, figure drawing, sculpture, and printmaking. Nihart is also a contributing writer for "The Ghost of Ben Franklin," a student-run newspaper.
Nihart's College activities, leadership, and community service intersect in several ways. She has served as secretary and vice president, her current role, of FLCC's Finger Lakes Environmental Action (F.L.E.A.) club. As a member of F.L.E.A., Nihart helped organize many projects, including a weekly music series to raise money for environmentally based initiatives and bringing speakers to campus for information and inspiration regarding several environmental issues and projects. She organized and helped construct a memorial on campus for those who have died in Iraq, and she campaigned for the movement to keep the Canandaigua VA hospital open. Further involvement in environmental and conservation activities has included participation in a musical fundraiser for the Finger Lakes Land Trust, a clean-up effort of local waterways, and the building and ongoing maintenance of trails in Naples Community Park.
Nihart's other activities include membership in FLCC's ski and snowboard club and in the College Democrats. As a member of this group, she participated in an initiative to increase youth voter registration and turnout by volunteering at a Rock-the-Vote concert on campus.
In the fall, Nihart plans to attend a four-year institution to pursue a bachelor's degree in fine art. She also intends to earn a master's degree in fine art and to pursue a career as a professional artist.
Currently maintaining a 3.58 GPA, Pereira earned an associate in applied science degree in mechanical design and drafting in January and will earn a second degree, an associate in science degree in engineering science, in May. She will transfer to Rochester Institute of Technology this fall to earn a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering.
     
Pereira has earned many academic honors, including induction into Phi Theta Kappa, an ExxonMobil Science Scholarship, a scholarship from the National Association of Women in Construction (Rochester Area), and the American Association of University Women (Yates County) scholarship two years in a row. In addition, she was chosen from a statewide pool of applicants as one of two recipients of the Vanguard Student Recognition Award from the Two-Year College Development Center and the New York State Department of Education.
Pereira's focus on her degree program included participation in a past grant-funded project at FLCC, Project ACE (Achieving Career Equity in Nontraditional Occupations). Through her involvement in Project ACE, Pereira had the opportunity to present with FLCC staff and faculty on the topic of mentoring at a conference on student recruitment and retention in engineering technology. In addition, she assisted with the development and implementation of the annual Science-Tech Exploration Day for Girls at FLCC, an event designed for area high school girls interested in science, technology, or engineering. Through Project ACE, she also participated in workshops on campus and site visits to area employers involved in the program.
Outside of FLCC, Pereira is actively involved in her church. She served as a deacon from 2001 to 2002 and currently coordinates a food-related mission project with her husband. She also serves on the Christian Education Committee. In addition to her husband, Pereira's family includes two children.
While her work in English has been recognized, Pereira also speaks Portuguese. She worked as a metrologist for approximately seven years in Brazil.
Established in 1965, Finger Lakes Community College enrolled its first class of 210 students in 1968. Today the College has grown considerably, enrolling nearly 4,900 credit-seeking students during the fall 2004 semester. FLCC offers more than 40 associate degrees and credited certificate programs designed to prepare graduates to enter the workforce or transfer to four-year institutions.
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