Silver Spring University Students Earn Academic Distinctions

SILVER SPRING, MD — To shine a light on the accomplished of college students from Silver Spring, Patch shares information provided by the students' families and Merit News.

Jason Heeley of Silver Spring performed in the Student African Drum Ensembles on Nov. 17, 2022 in Baker Memorial Chapel at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. The Student African Drum Ensembles performance was under the direction of McDaniel music department faculty Pape Demba "Paco" Samb, a "Senegalese Griot," or West African historian, storyteller, singer, poet, dancer, and/or musician.

Janet Kim of Silver Spring has earned a bachelor of science in biomedical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. Kim was among approximately 1,660 undergraduate and graduate students who earned degrees during the Summer 2022 semester.

Silver Spring college students Evan Benesch and Anjani Martins performed in the Dec. 2, 2022 College Band Concert at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. Linda Kirkpatrick, senior lecturer in music, directed the band, which features nearly 50 students, faculty members, band alumni, and community musicians.

Michael Thomas of Silver Spring penned "Best Vegan/Vegetarian Options" and "Best Place for a Bowl of Soup", which were published in the 2022 edition of Berks County Living magazine. A graduate of Richard Montgomery High School, Thomas is studying communications and psychology at Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Michael Thomas of Silver Spring is one of 18 Albright College students from various academic disciplines conducting Albright Creative Research Experience (ACRE) projects over the winter 2023 session. Thomas, who is studying communications and psychology at Albright, is working with Bridget Hearon, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, on "Effectiveness of Traditional Trigger Warnings and Improved Trigger Warnings."

Rachel Sita, a member of the Colgate University Class of 2024, has earned the spring 2022 dean's award with distinction. Sita is a English major from Silver Spring and is a graduate of The Bullis School. To earn a dean's list award with distinction, Sita received a term grade point average of 3.6 or higher while completing at least three courses during the spring 2022 semester.

Kathryn Kelyman of Silver Spring was named to the fall 2022 dean's list at Berry College in Rome, Georgia. The dean's list honors students who posted an academic average of 3.5 or better on a 4.0 scale while carrying a class load of at least 12 hours during the semester.

Joshua Grossman of Silver Spring was among the 1,000 first-year students who completed the fall 2022 semester at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic, Connecticut. Grossman is majoring in business administration.

Alix Cassagnol of Silver Spring graduated from Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, Ohio with a master of science in sport management with a leadership concentration. Cassagnol is among 159 students who earned their degree following the fall 2022 semester.

Molly Howard of Silver Spring participated in Emerson Stage's production of "Are You Someone To Somebody?" from Dec. 8-11, 2022, in the Greene Theater at Emerson College in Boston. Conceived of and directed by Lindsay Beamish, the show wass a mixture of text, movement, abstract design, and media; a new work highlighting the the general human experience. Howard is majoring in theatre and performance and is a member of the Class of 2025.

Connor Crotzer of Silver Spring is one of 429 students who made the president's list for the fall 2022 semester at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia. To qualify for the president's list, Shenandoah students enrolled in baccalaureate degree programs must complete at least 12 semester hours and earn a semester GPA of 3.90 or higher.

Don't see your award-winning scholar among those appearing in this academic honors list? Send the details to Patch editor Michael O'Connell at michael.occonnell@patch.com and Patch will include them in a future post.