May 3 - Three Graduating Seniors Receive President's Award
Two graduating seniors from Rider University's Lawrenceville campus and a graduating senior from the Westminster Choir College of Rider University have been named recipients of the University's President's Award.
The award is presented each year to three graduating seniors, one male and female at Lawrenceville and one senior at Westminster, for demonstrating an exemplary record of academic performance, extra-curricular achievement, and service to the University. Each senior received an inscribed gift and their names will be placed on a plaque that will be permanently displayed on their respective campuses.
Matthew Popilowski, a Bachelor degree candidate in political science, and Mary Ann Somaine, a Bachelor degree candidate in psychology and a minor in multicultural studies, were recognized at the Rider University Awards Day ceremony April 30. Megan Sheridan, a Bachelor degree candidate in music education, was lauded for her achievements April 28 during Westminster's Spring Convocation.
As a member of the enrollment management task force, Matthew Popilowski has served as a student representative in Rider's year-long strategic planning process, serving alongside trustees, alumni, faculty and staff. He was well-suited for this task, having been a tour guide and member of the Admission Orientation staff - speaking to countless prospective students, their parents and guidance counselors. This past fall as a freshman seminar peer mentor, he advised some of the same students he had helped recruit.
Popilowski has participated in a number of University organizations, including the Leadership Development Board, Sigma Alpha Honors Society and Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. He became the executive editor of The Shadow Yearbook in 2002 following his term as photography editor. Popilowski has also hosted a show on WRRC Radio.
Along with his University service, Popilowski has made his mark as a volunteer in the community. He has organized and supervised teen activities for the American Cancer Society's 24-hour fundraiser Relay for Life. As a potential candidate for elected office, he has been involved in politics serving as a member of the Bethlehem Democratic Town Committee and as an intern during Jim Maloney's 2002 U.S. Congressional campaign.
On the academic front he has excelled. He has been named to the Dean's List every year since 2001, won the Dean's Scholarship, and has received the Law & Justice Merit Certificate for two years. In addition, he was named Greek Man of the Year in 2004.
Mary Ann Somaine has repeatedly demonstrated her extraordinary commitment to the University's value of service. As a Rider Community Scholar, she has been a generous volunteer in the community serving with such organizations as The Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation, PetPALS, AmeriCorps, Unicorn Handicapped Riding Program, and HomeFront.
Somaine has demonstrated leadership as co-founder of Rider's Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Group. She has played an instrumental role in organizing several charitable drives for books, food, clothing and toys for the needy in our area. She has been involved in a number of University organizations including the Psychology Club, Best Buddies, the Rider University Equestrian Team and the planning committees for Unity Day and the Thanksgiving Gathering. She also finds time to edit copy every Thursday evening for the next day's edition of The Rider News.
This year, Somaine has been conducting an independent field study through the psychology department that will assist the staff at a shelter for single mothers to understand the stressors that children in this circumstance face in their young lives.
She has distinguished herself academically as a member of the Psi Chi National Psychology Honors Society. Her other achievements include being named to the Rider Dean's List, and the National Dean's List in 2004 and 2005. Recently, she became the recipient of the AmeriCorps Education Award. Somaine is also listed in Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities. Despite her busy schedule, she has demonstrated her athletic prowess by winning first-place ribbons at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association shows.
Throughout her days at Westminster, Megan Sheridan has been actively involved in all aspects of campus life. In her freshman year, she joined the Westminster Players and was a member of the stage crew for their production of "Parade." Since that time, she has advanced to roles in the Westminster Conservatory's Actors Company including its presentations of "Sweeney Todd," "Scrooge," and "Margaret Cusack and Company."
During her junior year, Sheridan continued her involvement in choral music as a member of the Westminster singers but added a new role in campus leadership, serving as a resident advisor and as the secretary in the Student Government Association. This year, she served as a resident assistant while also participating in Westminster's performance this past December of Handel's Messiah with the New York Philharmonic.
Academically, Sheridan has given a top-rate performance. She has been named to the Dean's List every semester and also been named an Andrew J. Rider Scholar for the past three years. She has also been inducted into Alpha Lambda Delta, the Freshman Honor Society, and was recognized by Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.
Devoted to community service, Sheridan has taught piano to children in local schools and volunteered as a "ringer" in the Conservatory's Youth Chorale. During the summers, she serves as a camp counselor and provides weekly in-home care to the elderly.
