Outstanding students were honored at Elon's annual cermony sponsored by the Gender and LGBTQIA Center.
Twenty-six graduating students and other top achievers were honored at Elon’s Lavender Graduation, held on May 1. The annual ceremony, held on college campuses across the country, celebrates achievements and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, queer, intersex, asexual and ally students. The event was emceed by Matthew Antonio Bosch, director of the Gender and LGBTQIA Center, and included a welcoming address by Elon President Leo M. Lambert. President Lambert thanked the graduates for their significant contributions to the community and said that Elon’s LGBTQIA programs are part of the university’s strategic plan to “create a thriving, supportive and inclusive environment for all students.”
The award winners included the following:
Events/Initiatives of the Year
- World AIDS Day (Red Ribbon Society / Alamance Cares / Alamance Pride / Gender & LGBTQIA Center)
- Dragstravaganza (Spectrum)
Department of the Year
- Religious Studies
Faculty/Staff of the Year
- Lynn Huber – Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies
- Jan Fuller – University Chaplain
LGBTQIA Community Excellence Award
Alamance Cares
Highest GPA
- Cas Levy
- Hannah Silvers
- Alex Vandermaas-Peeler
Student Community Impact Award
Monique Swirsky – Junior
Academic Research of the Year
- “Facemask: A Study of Transyouth & Football” by Zach Bocian (Senior), Katie Shannon (Junior) and Hunter Strauch (Junior)
Breakout Students of the Year
- Charlie Cheema – Sophomore
- Amy Belfer – Sophomore
Students of the Year
- Becca Nipper – Senior
- Monique Swirsky – Junior