2024-2025 Golden Bishop Awards

2024-2025 Golden Bishop Awards

Ohio Wesleyan Honors Students for Leadership, Community Service, Campus Involvement

DELAWARE, Ohio - Ohio Wesleyan University is honoring students with Golden Bishop Awards in recognition of their outstanding achievements in leadership, community service, and campus involvement during the current academic year.

The awards were presented April 16, with WCSA President Gabby Gonzalez-Duarte and Vice President Raazia Aamir serving as the event hosts.

"Tonight, we'd like to celebrate you, our students, faculty, and staff," Gonzalez-Duarte told the crowd gathered for the annual awards. "Your hard work and dedication have not gone unnoticed."

Members of the Ohio Wesleyan community recognized at the 2024-2025 Golden Bishop Awards and their honors are as follows:

Service Awards

The Sara Paullin Casto Student Humanitarian Award, recognizing exemplary dedication and leadership in public service.

• Grace Frye of Newark, Ohio, for service that includes working with OWU's international students as an English learning assistant, tutoring children in central Ohio as a Bishop Scholar, and aiding those in crisis at a domestic violence shelter in her hometown.

The Bridge Builder Award, recognizing exemplary service that fosters relationships, resolves conflicts, builds trust, and promotes positive change both on- and off-campus.

• Jakob Sanders of Maineville, Ohio, for his consistent and quiet leadership that "gets things done and holds things together."
• Phi Gamma Delta "FIJI" Fraternity for its ongoing work with the Delaware Women's City Club, an organization that provides a safe, affordable, and nurturing home for low-income women.
• Rafiki for "robustly" fulfilling its mission of "highlighting African and Caribbean cultures while creating an environment for people of all backgrounds to connect."

The Patricia G. Young Award for Leadership in Service to Children and Youth

• Tyler Tang of New York, New York, for service that includes working with youths in the STEAM Club at Delaware's Unity Community Center, opening up "new worlds of possibility to the kids, sparking curiosity, and nurturing their love for science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics."

Residential Life Awards

Recognizing student-leaders for their work to help fellow students connect and find spaces where they feel they belong within OWU's residential communities.

Outstanding Resident Assistant/Moderator Award

• Raazia Aamir of Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, for her work with the Smith Hall first-year community.
• Abby Charlton of Newark, Ohio, for her work as moderator of the Tree House, a small living unit that is home to a group of students interested in environmental issues.

Heart of the Community Award

• Lilly Colbeck of Plain City, Ohio, for her work to help establish and sustain a Hall Council at the university.

Student Involvement Awards

Nancy Bihl Rutkowski Courage Award

Recognizing "the ability to do something difficult even when there is risk," to do what is right, and to "act with kindness and care for others."

• Avery Krause of North Royalton, Ohio

Student Organization Community Impact Award

• Hindu Student Council, for its work to foster cultural awareness, religious inclusivity, and community engagement through Hindu traditions and values, including its annual Diwali "Festival of Lights" celebration.

Student Organization Advisor Recognition

• Dina Daltorio, advisor of the Campus Programming Board, for always being "a voice of support for members of the club," which works to create events and experiences for OWU students.

New Student Organization Recognition

• Book Club
• College Democrats
• Entrepreneurship Club
• Human Resource Club
• MicrOWU
• Trading Card Game Club
• Trailbound
• Video Games Club

Nancy Bihl Rutkowski Leadership Fellowship

Honoring students who successfully complete the fellowship, which includes engaging in a curriculum centered on the Social Change Model of Leadership.

• Matthew Higgins of Bellevue, Ohio
• Juliana Kifus of Madison, Ohio
• Anushka Sharad of Pune, Maharashtra, India

Fraternity & Soroity Life Awards

Chapter Academic Excellence Award

• Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority
• Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity

Fraternity & Sorority Members of the Year

• Cooper Meek of Van Nuys, California, a member of Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity
• Lydia Luna of Mount Vernon, Ohio, a member of Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority

WCSA Awards

Recognizing the work of OWU's student government

Donald G. Chenoweth Friend of WCSA Award

• Giovanna Lacarrubba of Asuncion, Paraguay, for her support of the student government's mission and goals, including her work with the Student Inclusion Advocacy Committee.

WCSA Best Overall Member

• Aiden Veerjee of Johnstown, Ohio, for his extensive knowledge of the student government's budgetary guidelines and methods of conducting business, as well as his work to update the organization's fiscal guidelines to facilitate student organizations in their efforts to access funds.

WCSA Best New Member

• Diana Huaracha-Arellanos of Lewis Center, Ohio, for serving as the student government's chief administrative officer and public relations chair, combined with her work to improve the student experience and oversee day-to-day administrative operations of the WCSA Senate.

WCSA Social Justice Steward

• Saharla Loyan of Westerville, Ohio, for her work with the student government Senate and its Student Inclusion Advocacy Committee.

Meek Leadership Awards

Recognizing seniors for exceptional leadership while at Ohio Wesleyan and for demonstrating the promise of outstanding leadership in the future.

• Michaela Alfano of Haledon, New Jersey
• Abby Charlton of Newark, Ohio
• Kathy Habian of Medina, Ohio
• Amarilys Torres-Nuñez of Lake Elsinore, California
• Clara Wood of Kent, Ohio

Watch the 2024-2025 Golden Bishop Awards online and learn more about the annual celebration of excellence at owu.edu/GoldenBishopAwards.

Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation's premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and competes in 24 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through its signature experience, the OWU Connection, Ohio Wesleyan teaches students to understand issues from multiple academic perspectives, volunteer in service to others, build a diverse and global perspective, and translate classroom knowledge into real-world experience through internships, research, and other hands-on learning. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book "Colleges That Change Lives" and included on the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review "Best Colleges" lists. Connect with OWU expert interview sources at owu.edu/experts or learn more at owu.edu.