By: Nick Santangelo

Every spring, Temple University's College of Liberal Arts recognizes some of our outstanding students with our annual Baccalaureate Awards. These awards are bestowed upon students who excel academically across the college's various disciplines. Although CLA wasn't able to confer the awards during an in-person ceremony this year, the college is as proud of our winners as ever and is recognizing them for their achievements here.

Below, you'll find a comprehensive list of 2020's winners. And while the number of winners unfortunately prevents us from including quotes from everyone, we've chosen a couple of winners to highlight here.

"As a writer and someone who has always strived for academic excellence, receiving this award is a tremendous honor," said Chris Berardi in accepting the Toby A. Olshin Memorial Award. "After graduation, I will be working at Target as an Executive Team Lead, although I hope to publish some of my short fiction during that time.

"I also plan on attending graduate school in the near future (once I figure out what I want to study, that is). Needless to say, I am extremely grateful for the financial support and I hope to be in the position to offer my own one day."

Sam Olshin, whose family made the award possible, is once again impressed with this year's winner.

"The Olshin family established the Toby A. Olshin Memorial Award In honor of my mother, a long-time English literature professor and former Lindback Award winner," said Olshin. "Temple has been thoughtful and thorough in understanding the goal and intent of the award and has selected wonderfully deserving candidates every year."

Brittany John, a Psychology major, won not one but two Baccalaureate Awards in 2020: the Claude C. and Mary Carson Bowman Award and the Psychology Prize.

"I want to give you many thanks for providing support to our student body, especially in the time of this pandemic," said John. "I am a Psychology student graduating this spring, and I will be joining the University of Pennsylvania's Psychiatry Department research team. The award reminds me that excellence can always be achieved through hard work and motivation, so there is no need to fear the future.

"I aspire to become a professor of psychology at a university, and I hope to impact and encourage my future student body as generously as you have. Thank you for your confidence in my future despite never meeting; I would be delighted to thank you in person as well once the current state has passed."

Congratulations to all of the 2020 Baccalaureate Award winners!

• Lydia Anderson, Psychology Department Service Recognition Award
• Taryn Atmore, Professor Nicholas Vlachos Memorial Award
• Rainie Au-Yeung, Irving J. Leder and Beatrice Deglin Leder Award
• Kalea Baker, Argyris CLA Term Scholarship
• Selena Baugh, Sociology Prize
• Mayannah Beauvoir, Shirley Graham DuBois Award for Academic Excellence
• William Beisley, William Van Wert Award
• Christopher Berardi, Toby A. Olshin Memorial Award
• Sarah Bernal, Marthe LaVallée-Williams Prize for  Excellence in Italian
• Nathalie Bessette, Political Science Merit Prize
• Gabriella Bloom, Randy and Samantha Deglin Memorial Award
• Juliana Buchanan, Professor Edward R. and Essie Baron Memorial Award
• Ivy Nuo Chen, German Professor's Prize
• Erin Curry, Henry N. Michael Prize in Geography and Urban Studies
• Jaila Davis, Barbara Brownstein Prize in Women's Studies
• Noah DeSimone, Carolyn Adams Award in Geography and Urban Studies
• Marguerite Digiorgio, Norman J. Kaner Memorial Prize
• Jack Durfee, Robert P. Liversidge III Memorial Award
• Quinn Duwelius, Criminal Justice Excellence Award
• Jada Elder-Wilkerson, Sara M. Halpen Award in the Humanities
• Aaron Franklin, Maria Rosa Prize in Italian
• Christina Fusca, Criminal Justice Service Award
• Alejandra Galarce, Sigma Delta Pi Prize
• Aartee Gangadeen, Richard Beards Memorial Award
• Claire Gassman, Neysa and Arlin Adams Prize for Excellence in Pre-Law Studies
• Austin Gill, Criminal Justice Service Award
• Tracy Glova, Political Science Merit Prize
• Anderson Harris, Thomas Meyer Memorial Award
• Zoe Hoffard, Religion Department Prize for Academic Excellence
• Pamela Jackson, Geography and Urban Studies Department Award for Outstanding Achievement
• Brittany John, Claude C. and Mary Carson Bowman Award
• Brittany John, Psychology Prize
• Dynas Johnson, William Van Wert Award
• Jarryd Kainz, Ronald C. Schwarzkopf Award in Political Science
• Jessica Kelly, Michael V. Gallagher Memorial Award in Criminal Justice
• Autumn Kerstetter, Mary L. Fink Memorial Fund - Poetry
• Olivia Knable, Audre Lorde Memorial Prize
• Veronika Konovalova, Norman and Ruth Sun Memorial Award in Economics
• Dharani Kotekal, Glass and Daniels Scholarship
• Maggie Kozak, Anne S. and Harold M. Zimmerman Award
• Audrey Kurtyan, Rosemary Hodgins Prize in French
• Matthew Majewski, Ira Lawrence Family Award
• Chris Mason, Milton Moses Memorial Award
• Kelly McGeehan, Dr. Rachel Blau Duplessis Scholarship Fund
• Peyton Mitzel, Religion Department Merit Prize
• Marci Monaco-Vavrik, Robert K. Merton Award Fund
• Cheryl Nickel, Loretta C. Duckworth Prize
• Carly Onofrio, Naomi Zelnick Award
• Kayla Polt, Kenneth E. Williams Memorial Award
• Dylan Ponticel, Delaware Valley Geographical Association Award
• Anne Reisenwitz, Political Science Scholastic Prize
• Alessandra Restifo, Political Science Award for Excellence
• Corey Ritterson, Benjamin H. Kohl Memorial Award
• Natalie Romano-Nuesch, Neysa and Arlin Adams Prize for Excellence in Pre-Law Studies
• Emily Rowe, Marthe LaVallée-Williams Prize for  Excellence in Italian
• Sophie Salerno-Dewald, Robert Marler Award
• Eric Sphar, Robert J. Mason Environmental Studies Award
• Osimiri Sprowal, Annie Hyman Award for Outstanding Service
• Abigail Swoboda, Kenneth E. Williams Memorial Award
• Abigail Swoboda, Marthe LaVallée-Williams Prize for  Excellence in French
• William Tagliamonte, Patrick Stocking Memorial Prize
• Ellen Taraskiewicz, The Mary Procida Prize in Gender and History
• Hibby Thach, Benjamin and Irma Robboy Award in Sociology
• Silvana Truppi, Marthe LaVallée-Williams Prize for  Excellence in Italian
• Arianna Valeri, Marthe LaVallée-Williams Leadership Prize
• Kylie Webster-Cazeau, The Nelsi Beato Award
• Gwen Weiskopf, Professor Nicholas Vlachos Memorial Award
• Erin Young, Chief Inspector Vincent J. Greene Sr. Memorial Award in Criminal Justice