Monday, May 11, 2015
Elizabeth Huang and Sean Cackoski were chosen on the basis of their outstanding academic achievements
Two Rider seniors, Elizabeth Huang and Sean Cackoski, received the President’s Award on Saturday, May 2.
The President’s Award is presented to graduating seniors who have demonstrated an exemplary record of academic achievement, extra-curricular activity and service to the University. The highly competitive selection process is led by the dean of students and supported by faculty and staff. Three students were honored with the President's Award this year.
Cackoski earned impressive academic honors, achieving a 3.9 GPA with a major in theatre performance and a minor in dance. "Receiving the President's Award as a theater major is a reminder to me and to my colleagues that the work we do in the theatre and the sacrifices we make to do it are recognized and applauded by the broader community,” he says. “Art is an essential part of the human experience and this award accentuates its significance."
While at Rider, Cackoski had the opportunity to study abroad twice. First, he traveled to London and Paris of the 2013 Arts Abroad trip during the winter term and the following year, he returned to London for a semester with the CAPA program. Because he enjoyed his journeys abroad so much, he applied to graduate school in Paris. Upon graduation, he will move to France to study at the prestigious L’École International de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq, a school that has graduated the likes of actor Geoffrey Rush, playwright and actor Steven Berkoff, and theatre and opera director Sophie Hunter.
Huang, a sociology major with a double minor in psychology and social work, has a 4.00 GPA, was also named to Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges and has received numerous honors, including the Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society for first year students, Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars, and Gamma Sigma Alpha National Greek Academic Honor Society, to name just a few. Her service to the University has been equally impressive. Huang is a Discovery Program mentor and freshman seminar leader and also served as an Orientation Staff member. After studying abroad in London, she became a study abroad ambassador and an international peer mentor.
"Being the first person in my immediate family to attend college, I was determined to make the most of my undergraduate education, and take advantage of the endless opportunities and resources that Rider offers,” Huang says. “I am humbled that my professors, peers, and the administration believe I embody what Rider University represents. Rider has unequivocally been my home away from home, and receiving the President's Award is truly an incredible honor." Huang's long-term dream is to become a global health professional at an international agency or a non-governmental organization. She intends to participate in efforts to raise awareness, to educate the public about health topics and play a role in ensuring that those in need obtain the assistance they need.
President Mordechai Rozanski presented the award to Huang and Cackoski at the Senior Award Banquet in the Cavalla Room on the Lawrenceville campus.
The third recipient of the award, senior Katianne Janney, who will graduate with double major in music education and piano performance/pedagogy, received her accolades at the Westminster Choir College Spring Convocation ceremony in mid-April.