Meriden Resident Receives President’s Citation Award At CCSU

MERIDEN, CT — Meriden’s Jordyn Williams was one of five Central Connecticut State University seniors recently selected for this year’s President’s Citation awards.

Fellow seniors Claire Viola, of Wallingford, Mia Dorantes, of Hartford, Jaydakiss Metz, of Waterbury, and Cade Snow of Brentwood, New Hampshire, were also selected by CCSU President Zulma R. Toro for the honor.

“These students have had a noteworthy and positive impact on campus life, on their fellow students, and on the university itself,” Toro said.

Jordyn Williams is an Accounting major known for her ability to make students feel a sense of belonging on campus. She served as an orientation leader for the Office of New Student Programs for two summers and is a resident assistant. She also has a supervisory role as operations manager for RECentral Campus Recreation and received an RECentral Outstanding Achievement in Leadership Award in 2021.

“Jordyn’s campus leadership activities include service as the public relations officer for Dancentral and secretary for the Karate Club,” according to a news release. “As a member of the Central Activities Network, Jordyn held the offices of outreach coordinator, travel coordinator, and vice president of finance and administration.

“A volunteer income tax preparer, Jordyn is pursuing work as an accountant at Disney World.”

Read more from the news release below:

Claire Viola is a Psychological Science major and an Honors Program student. She has garnered numerous scholarships, including an Honors Program Scholarship, a Provost Scholarship, the George R. Muirhead Scholarship, and a scholarship prize based on her submission to the prompt of “What Black Lives Matter Means to Me.”

Her Honors thesis explored ways to combat obesity in the U.S. without promoting unhealthy dieting behaviors,” according to a news release. “Claire also served as a Student Advisory Board ambassador and resident assistant and participated in the club Lacrosse team, the Pre-Health Society, and a study abroad program at the University of Hertfordshire in England. In her previous work as a Campus Recreation supervisor, she coordinated events and created “Ladies who Lift,” a workout class designed to empower women in the traditionally male-dominated weight room.

Mia Dorantes is a Political Science major who is described by her peers as a strong advocate for social justice, Mia was a member of the inaugural cohort of the John Lewis Institute of Social Justice and received a scholarship for her reflections on the topic of “What Black Lives Matter Means to Me.” She served as president of the CCSU chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha and captain of the Cheerleading team. A substitute teacher at Capital Preparatory Magnet School, Mia also served as the volunteer cheerleading coach for middle and high school teams. Her other community work includes an internship at the Adelbrook Behavioral and Developmental Learning Center and service to the Plymouth Food Bank. Mia will next pursue a graduate degree at UConn’s School of Public Policy.

In nomination materials for the President’s Citation award, Sociology major Jaydakiss Metz is described as someone dedicated to making a positive difference in people’s lives. He was honored by the Sociology Department with its Paul Hochstim Award for Excellence in Social Theory. An advocate for collective bargaining, Jaydakiss was instrumental in organizing a campus-based event held in conjunction with the Connecticut State University American Association of University Professors union.

Through his efforts, several CCSU students testified at the Connecticut General Assembly in support of increasing funding for Connecticut’s state universities. As a volunteer for the Friendship Center of New Britain, Jaydakiss assisted with the Temporary Living Program for young adults who are homeless and worked to connect others experiencing homelessness with community resources.

Cade Snow, a Construction Management major, will join the team at Whiting-Turner Contracting Company after graduation. He has dedicated much of his time to the CCSU Brotherhood Initiative and its mission to support the health and progress of male students. Drawing upon his own experiences, Cade counseled new students who struggle with the transition to college. As the Brotherhood’s operations manager, he ran meetings, managed the budget, and conducted outreach. He served as chair of the Brotherhood Men’s Health and Wellness Forum twice and received the Brotherhood Initiative Founder’s Award in 2022 and the 2023 Ebenezer D. Bassett Student Achievement Award.

Cade also assisted in the coordination of the Ebenezer D. Bassett Student Achievement Award ceremony, Real Talk Conversations, Making the Grade Study Sessions, and several other campus events.