Wallingford Resident Earns Prestigious Statewide Honor At SCSU

WALLINGFORD, CT — A Wallingford resident is among the four Southern Connecticut State University students to receive the 2025 Henry Barnard Distinguished Student Award, one of the most prestigious honors across the Connecticut State University System, officials announced.

Each year, 12 seniors are chosen by the four Connecticut State Universities – four each from Southern and Central, and two each from Eastern and Western. The Barnard Award is considered among the university’s most prestigious student awards, with criteria including a 3.7 GPA or better and significant participation in university and/or community life.

Peter Borzillo, of Wallingford, is an English and interdisciplinary studies major and has earned acclaim for his unconventional and impactful research on mental health, incarceration, and gender, according to SCSU officials. A published scholar, award-winning creative writer, and dedicated tutor and mentor, Borzillo’s work uses storytelling and scholarship to advance social change.

Read more about Borzillo from Southern Connecticut State University below:

A passionate researcher and mental health advocate, Peter Borzillo has used his academic work to embrace personal and often overlooked methods of social impact, recognizing that real change can happen in quiet, creative, and unexpected spaces.

Borzillo began his academic journey as a social work major, motivated by both his own and his family’s experiences, but he soon redirected his focus to research on mental health. His first-year project on bathroom anxiety earned him the College of Arts and Sciences FYRE award. As a member of the Honors College, he went on to collaborate with Associate Professor of Social Work Amy Smoyer and former Assistant Professor of Sociology Adam Pittman on published research concerning restroom access for unhoused and formerly incarcerated individuals. His honors thesis explored bathroom graffiti as a lens into gender issues and men’s mental health– an unconventional yet compelling contribution to the discourse on justice.

Equally committed to education, Borzillo has served as a certified CASAS tutor, summer camp volunteer, and intern in both elementary and honors-level classrooms. His leadership and mentorship have helped students find their voices and take ownership over their learning experiences.

As a creative writer, Borzillo has earned campus-wide recognition, including the 2024 SCSU Creative Writing Award and multiple placements in Folio. His writing and community engagement through literary panels and readings demonstrate his commitment to empathy, self-expression, and storytelling as tools for change.

“Peter is the kind of student who is the connective tissue of our university,” said KC Councilor, associate professor of communication, media and screen studies and Borzillo’s honors thesis advisor. “He brings professors into conversation with one another, makes use of university resources in ways that bring others into the fold. He’s committed to doing high-quality research, to participating in the campus community in meaningful ways, and doing so from a multiply marginalized position.”