URI announces President’s Awards for Student Excellence

KINGSTON, R.I. — May 3, 2006 — Each year, the University of Rhode Island honors graduating seniors with superior academic achievement in a particular field with a President’s Award for Student Excellence. Their selection is based on grade point average, as well as other criteria determined by the individual department. For example, criteria might include an honors project, a research presentation, or a student’s professional promise.


URI President Robert L. Carothers will present each student with a certificate of academic excellence suitable for framing and a URI pin. This year, the awards will be presented to the winners on May 20 at 4 p.m. in Edwards Auditorium, following a reception held on the lawn of the president’s house.


The following students are recipients of a 2006 President’s Award for Student Excellence:


Rhode Island

Name, Academic Major, Hometown and State


Kevin Do Couto, Computer Science, Bristol, RI

Susan Papino, Italian, Cranston, RI

Kathleen Young Schleimer, Bachelor of General Studies/ASFCCE, Cranston, RI

Alexis Howard, Nutrition & Dietetics, Cumberland, RI

Melissa Zuba, Sociology, Cumberland, RI

Melissa Brown, Elementary Education, East Greenwich, RI

Sareh Rajaee, Biomedical Engineering, East Greenwich, RI

Grace Lentini, Wildlife & Conservation Biology, East Providence, RI

Jennifer Wardell, Art History, Exeter, RI

Stephen Stifano, Communications Studies, Foster, RI

Alexis Coppola, Women’s Studies, Jamestown, RI

Sara Lincoln, Geosciences, Jamestown, RI

Jenana Halilovic, Pharmacy, Kingston, RI

Lori McDowell, Music, Middletown, RI

Marybeth Groff, Marine Affairs, Newport, RI

Amy Blitzer, Marketing, North Kingstown, RI

Thaddeus Koehn, Electrical Engineering, North Kingstown, RI

Christopher Piecuch, German, North Kingstown, RI

Christopher Piecuch, Physics, North Kingstown, RI

Tara Germond, Environ Economics & Mgt, North Providence, RI

Michael Narcisi, Environ Science & Mgt, North Scituate, RI

Meghan Leclerc, Civil Engineering, North Smithfield, RI

Robert Powell, Computer Engineering, North Smithfield, RI

Amanda Carter, Psychology, Pawtucket, RI

Benjamin Ott, Mathematics, Portsmouth, RI


Rhode Island

Name, Academic Major, Hometown and State


Denise Sullivan, General Business Administration, Portsmouth, RI

Tiffani Beausoleil, Finance, Providence, RI

Caroline Hutchinson, Human Dev & Family Stud/ASFCCE, Providence, RI

Mary Costa, Nursing, Rumford, RI

James Bruneau, Secondary Education, Saunderstown, RI

Graham Gardner, Landscape Architecture, Saunderstown, RI

Liisa Uustal, Management, Saunderstown, RI

Erin Vachon, English, Smithfield, RI

Susannah Colt, Anthropology, Wakefield, RI

Lauren Gallup, Journalism, Wakefield, RI

Robert Hanson, Political Science, Wakefield, RI

Diana Crocker, Psychology/ASFCCE, Warwick, RI

Jayson LaFauci, Aquaculture & Fishery Technology, Warwick, RI

Marc Chatenay-Lapointe, Microbiology, West Greenwich, RI

Elizabeth Cyganoski, Clinical Laboratory Science, West Greenwich, RI

James King, History, West Kingston, RI

Emily Anderson, Economics, Westerly, RI


Out of State

Name, Academic Major, Hometown and State


Devlin O’Brien, Management Information Services, Southington, CT

Kaylan Sliney, International Business, Southington, CT

Megan Kasparek, Communicative Disorders, Trumbull, CT

David Ivankovich, Industrial Engineering, West Hartford, CT

Courtney Wall, Kinesiology, Westport, CT

Meredith Rathbun, Philosophy, Boca Raton , FL

Virginia Sorrell, French, Indianapolis, IN

Katharine Devin, Chemistry, Brockton, MA

Kimberly DeWitt, Human Dev & Family Studies, Essex, MA

Benjamin Potter, Ocean Engineering, Falmouth, MA

Ashley Buffone, Spanish, Franklin, MA

Marc Leitzel, Art Studio , Monument Beach, MA

Marc Leitzel, Film Media, Monument Beach, MA

Meghan Reardon, Accounting, Pembroke, MA

Sarah Smith, Textiles, Fashion, Design, Rehoboth, MA

Michelle Cangiano, Biological Sciences, Saugus, MA

Jo-Ann Bouley, Environ Horticulture & Turfgrass Mgt, Seekonk, MA

Dana Yard, Animal Science & Technology, Wall/Ocean Grove, NJ

Valerie Fava, Public Relations, Wayne, NJ

Jason Leroux, Mechanical Engineering, Copenhagen, NY

Seth Finkle, Theatre, Gloversville, NY

Leah Mae Octavio, Chemical Engineering, New York, NY

Heather Shannon, Marine Biology, North Syracuse, NY

Lauren Finley, Military Science, Chesapeake, OH