Five students honored with SUNY Chancellor’s Award

Richard Decker
Staff Writer

Five Hudson Valley students have received the 2018 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence. It was presented to them by SUNY Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson on April 10 at an awards ceremony hosted at the Albany Capital Center.

The recipients are Inesa Pengu, an engineering science student, of Pogradec, Albania and resident of Troy, New York; Nathanael Savasta, a business administration honors student, of West Coxsackie, New York; Jordan Harris, a human services student, of Cohoes, New York; Julio Rodriguez, an individual studies student, of Amsterdam, New York; and Skylar Blankenship, a liberal arts honors student, of Rensselaer, New York.

The SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence was created in 1997 to recognize students who have best demonstrated, and have been recognized for, the integration of academic excellence with accomplishments in the areas of leadership, athletics, community service, creative and performing arts, campus involvement or career achievement.

The award was given to 249 SUNY students from 64 campuses.

“I am immensely proud of these students, who have demonstrated academic excellence and dedication to enriching their campuses and communities,” said SUNY Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson. “From research publications in industry journals to volunteering in hospitals and local clinics to holding leadership roles at their institutions, I am inspired by each student we recognized. Congratulations to all of the students receiving this year’s award.”

During the Award Ceremony, USA Olympic Bronze Medalist for the luge, Erin Hamlin, a SUNY Empire alumna, gave a speech thanking the SUNY system for allowing her the opportunity to pursue higher education as a busy Olympian and applauded the accomplishments of the award recipients.

“Sharing all our stories, however different they may be, and setting these examples can help inspire, encourage and pave the way for future generations,” Hamlin said. “Keep asking questions, pushing boundaries and having open minds and you will find all the opportunity in the world.”

During the ceremony on Tuesday, five students from Hudson Valley accepted their awards.

Inesa Pengu is from Pogradec, Albania, and moved to the United States to pursue her engineering science degree. She has maintained a 4.0 GPA, is a member of the PTK Honor Society, and was awarded the Kenneth M. Barber Award for Excellence in Experimental Physics in 2017.

Additionally, she led a campaign highlighting the risk of water contamination in her hometown of Pogradec, which involved testing well water, and educating those whose water tested positive for Coliform Bacteria on effective treatments.
Reflecting on her success and academic journey leading to the event, Pengu had this to say: “When I started the path of higher education, I was not expecting any honors or awards, but being recognized in this way makes me feel like I have advanced so much in my pursuit of knowledge and am closer to achieving my goals than ever before.”

Nathanael Savasta, a business administration major and President of Student Senate, has excelled academically and is actively involved on campus.

His various activities include participation in student government, the Investment Club, the Entrepreneurs Club, and he also serves as the student trustee on the HVCC Board of Trustees. Savasta strives to improve the lives of all students and wishes to continue this passion in the future.

Skylar Blankenship, a liberal arts major with honors, is the founder and current president of the college’s American Sign Language Club and has also served as the club’s vice president. She also serves as a peer tutor and as a tour guide at Hudson Valley, and she was elected treasurer of the Tour Guide Club this year.

She has served as a student representative at the college’s HonorScholar Informational Evening for two years. Blankenship is also the former Sports Editor and regular contributor for The Hudsonian. She plans to earn degrees in both English and Recreational Therapy in her future.

Jordan Harris, a human services major, was named to the President’s List during the Fall 2016 and Fall 2017 semester and the Dean’s List during the Spring 2017 semester. She has served as the president of the college’s chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society since Fall 2017 and is responsible for handling projects and fundraisers.

Harris attributes her passion for human services after her own experience working in the mission’s field in Guatemala.

Julio Rodriguez, an individual studies major and Editor-in-Chief of The Hudsonian student newspaper, has maintained a 3.9 GPA, has been named to the President’s List every semester, and has been published in Threads, Hudson Valley’s magazine of student writing and art. Julio plans to attend law school and pursue a career in employment litigation.

Rodriguez, like Pengu, also accepted the award feeling accomplished, yet he was also surprised.

“Honestly, it was an unexpected journey,” Rodriguez said. “When I heard back that I was one of five [students] from Hudson Valley to receive the award, I was a little dumbstruck.”

Rodriguez also wished to reflect on the SUNY system that has provided him with such great opportunities.

“I’m proud to be a SUNY student, and the ceremony on Tuesday reaffirmed my feelings toward the system,” he said. “For the last decade, underrepresented communities have made strides toward a future where a large population of minorities hold positions of influence and power. Role models in the flesh acting in professional settings and receiving awards, like the 249 recipients on Tuesday, is what it’s going to take to break the misconstrued perception that minorities are hoodlums or criminals. I applaud SUNY and the Chancellor for bringing all of these students together to highlight their achievements.”