Three West Liberty University students were recently honored with significant achievement awards during the Alpha Chi National Convention in St. Louis, Mo. Additionally, 47 students were inducted during the official Alpha Chi ceremony held at 6 p.m, Monday, May 5.
“I want to personally congratulate all our Alpha Chi inductees for 2014. We are especially proud of our students who are recipients of Alpha Chi national awards. These academically talented young people are fine examples of a West Liberty University education. Congratulations!,” said President Robin C. Capehart.
“The West Liberty University chapter of Alpha Chi has been represented by our students at the national convention with much success over the past years. Timothi Williams, Rozen Neupane and Leanne Mazzella earned awards this spring and we applaud their fine efforts,” said Dr. Linda Cowan, professor of music and faculty sponsor of the Alpha Chi Academic Honorary on the Hilltop campus.
Timothi Williams, Chester, W.Va., received the Johnny and Frances Williams Presentation Prize in the Performing Arts category for her performance titled “Loewe and Schumann-Contemporaries in Comparison: Frauenliebe und – leben.”
“I was thrilled to receive the award. It’s a great honor,” Williams said.
Rozen Neupane, Kathmandu, Nepal, received the National Fellowship for Graduate School Benedict Scholarship, worth $2,500. Neupane’s paper was a study of offensive language in Québécois French.
Only 12 members of Alpha Chi received national fellowships and scholarships and 53 students applied for the one Neupane received, according to Alpha Chi’s website.
Leanne Mazzella, Wellsburg, W. Va., received the Regional Scholarship (Region V) for Undergraduate Research, researching on insects.
Alpha Chi is a coeducational academic honor society. Since 1922 its purpose has been to promote academic excellence and exemplary character among college and university students and to honor those who achieve such distinction.
“Further, to be invited at WLU, you must garner enough faculty votes to be eligible for membership. Faculty vote is based on good scholarship and good character. We accept about half of the upper 10 percent of each class,” explained Cowan.
West Liberty University’s Alpha Chi is part of the Epsilon Chapter and holds its annual candlelit induction ceremony each spring, just before commencement. Friends and family attend and there is a reception afterwards.
Members inducted during the spring 2014 ceremony include: Casey Allison, Nicole Baker, Abbey Boram, Alexis Brum, Jon-Michel Brunner, Justin Byers, Sarah Fisher, Courteny Forsch, Alex Franke, Carrie George, Jesse Hall, Megan Johnston, Katelynn Kestner, Julie Koch, Carly Lucas, Hannah Mason, McKensie Mason, Tyler McGary, Lacey McPherson, Lauren Quickel, Ezekiel O’Connel, Elizabeth Pabst, Shana Shafer, Sarah Slenski, Sean Thomas, Donovan Walter, Catherine Wells, Rachel Wurster and Alfonso Zambito. New members added in fall 2013 and also inducted in spring include: Korynn Agnew, Caitlyn Burt, Adrienne Castelucci, Ashley Chichester, Erica Duvall, Sara Funkhouser, Lauren Howard, Amber Kinney, Samantha Knowlton, Kristina Lipscomb, Timothy Moore, Benjamin Rogers, Brooke Swartling, Jordan Wells, Jessica Wilkerson, David Wilkinson, Timothi Williams and Daniel Worthington.