Bluffton University recognized many of its top students for their academic achievements at the annual Academic Awards and Honors Forum on April 26.
Introduced as distinguished scholars in their respective academic areas were 33 seniors. Sarah Diller of Bluffton was honored as the outstanding performer in both theatre and music, and Janice Graham of Gomer, Ohio, accepted the Distinguished Scholar in Sport Management award for her son Jacob, who died in an auto accident in March.
Benjamin Ilnicki of Indianapolis, Ind., was named Athlete with Highest Scholastic Record, while Deborah Telahun, from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was the International Student with Highest Scholastic Record.
Five graduating seniors were recognized for completion of the Honors Program. They are Tsedey Biru, also from Addis Ababa; Mary Good of Millersburg, Ohio; Samantha Paul of Kenton, Ohio; Nikita Simek of Wakeman, Ohio; and Tabitha Wile of Westerville, Ohio.
Senior Mallori Bontrager of Wellman, Iowa, received departmental honors for an independent-study project in English. She was cited for her project, "Expanding the Literary Canon: Making the Case for Three Bildungsroman Novels."
Claiming other top awards were seniors Crystal Augsburger of Bowling Green, Ohio, and Megan Osborn of Norwalk, Ohio. Augsburger received the John D. Unruh Award, given for the best research paper in the humanities and social sciences, for her paper, "The Importance of Sex Role Identification to Female Victims' Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence." Osborn won the Naomi Brenneman Prize, awarded for an outstanding research and/or interpretive essay on a literary topic, for her essay, "The Supernatural: A Reflection of National Identity in Scottish Literature."
Other award winners included:
. Ilnicki, the Financial Executive International Award
. Thomas Gingrich of Goshen, Ind., the CRC Press Chemistry Achievement Award
. Laurin Waidelich of Stryker, Ohio, the Esta Lugibill Dye Award for Excellence in Chemical Science by a Woman
. Stephanie Patterson of Findlay, Ohio, the Russell A. Lantz Choral Award
. Beth McCullough of Sherwood, Ohio, the Instrumental Music Award. Leah Roeschley of Flanagan, Ill., the Jim Satterwhite Award in Peace Scholarship and Activism.
. Amanda Huston of Mount Blanchard, Ohio; Erika Lauf of Wapakoneta, Ohio; Brittany Sinnema of Ashland, Ohio; and Kevin Williams of Pandora, Ohio, the Art Show Juror's Awards of Distinction.
. Ryan Worchester of Spencer, Ohio, the Boehr Award for Best of Juried Student Art Show.
. Stacy Shrider of Forest, Ohio, the Dr. Elizabeth Hostetler Outstanding Educator Award.
Concluding the program was recognition of 17 graduating members of Pi Lambda Theta National Education Honor Society; two graduating members of Psi Chi National Psychology Honor Society; 48 new members of Bluffton's Pi Delta Society, an honorary for seniors with a grade point average of at least 3.75 during their college careers; and 36 C. Henry Smith Scholars-13 graduating, eight continuing and 15 newly elected scholars.
