GS Students Honored at 2024 Academic Prizes Ceremony

On Friday, May 10, the School of General Studies honored over two dozen students for their exceptional academic achievements.

May 19, 2024

On Friday, May 10, over two dozen GS students were celebrated for their outstanding academic work at the Academic Prizes Ceremony held at Faculty House. This was the first year the Academic Prizes Ceremony was held as a standalone event; it was previously jointly held with the Student Leadership Awards Ceremony. 

“​​Today we celebrate you who have reached remarkable heights in the classroom, the very best students in our undergraduate community,” said GS Dean Lisa Rosen-Metsch ‘90GS in her opening remarks, welcoming awardees, guests, and faculty to the ceremony. GS Dean of Academic Affairs Caroline Marvin '16GSAS then took to the podium to present each academic award alongside commendatory faculty reflections regarding each awardee. The majority of the academic awards presented at the Ceremony are determined by individual academic departments at Columbia, honoring exceptional projects or papers, remarkable theses, or the overall quality of a student’s body of work within their major department. 

After the presentation of the awards, Dean Rosen-Metsch took a moment to highlight two special awardees: The Class of 2024 Valedictorian Xuezhen Wang ‘24GS and the Class of 2024 Salutatorian Matthew George Botros ‘24GS.  In closing, Dean Rosen-Metsch shared, “As dean of GS I am so excited to share this special day with you.  You have all made such a positive and lasting impact on our community. Thank you for all that you have done, and will continue to do, for the GS and Columbia family.”

Academic Prizes

Dean’s Prize in Anthropology
Awarded for excellence in the study of anthropology
Victor Meric, Emmanuel Wondimu

Judith Lee Stronach Memorial Prize
Awarded for outstanding contributions in art history or archaeology
Emanuel Arias-Goetzke

Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts
Awarded for excellence in performance or execution or in the field of composition in one of the general areas of performing and creative arts
Grace Calderwood, Viktoria Dauer

Jonathan L. Gross Award
Awarded for promising innovations in computer science
Xuezhen Wang

Russell C. Mills Award
Awarded for excellence in the study of computer science
Yucheng Wang

Dean’s Prize in Creative Writing
Awarded for excellence in the study of creative writing
Dominique Hinestrosa

Dasha Amsterdam Epstein Award
Awarded for the best undergraduate essay written in the fields of theory, criticism, and research in theatre
Christina Clark

Oscar Lee Award
Awarded for a senior thesis of distinction in the field of East Asian Studies
Motohiro Yamazaki

The Walter Pitman Senior Thesis Award in Earth and Environmental Sciences
Awarded in recognition of the best thesis paper in earth science or environmental science
Gabriel Mangum Lehmann

Dean’s Prize in Economics
Awarded for excellence in the study of economics
Jonathan Shing-Yan Chan

Romine Prize
Awarded in recognition of the best paper in a senior seminar in economics
Axel Martin

Professor John Angus Burrell Memorial Prize
Awarded for distinction in English and comparative literature
Hailey Schultz, Alisa Shodiyev Kaff

Pat Anderson Prize in Film Criticism
Awarded for an essay of distinction in the field of film criticism
Valerie Pires

Charles A. Beard Thesis Prize in History
Awarded for a senior thesis of distinction in any historical field or period in history
Ali Zaher Mintsa Younes

Herbert H. Lehman Prize
Awarded for outstanding accomplishments in the study of history
John Parides

Medaglia D’Oro Prize
Awarded for excellence in Italian studies
Monica Pedone

Benedetto Marraro Prize
Awarded for distinction in Italian studies
Gwyneth Campbell

Arthur Ross Foundation Award
Awarded for excellence in the study of political science
Ada Baser, Charlotte Biocchi 

Jennifer A. Pack Prize
Awarded for excellence in the study of psychology
Clare Donaldson, Justine Nicholson

Stacy M. and Russell D. Paul Prize
Awarded for excellence in the study of neuroscience and behavior
Misa Lucyshyn, Angie Maldonado Rodriguez

Peter J. Awn Undergraduate Award
Awarded for the most outstanding paper or substantial project in any course or seminar in religion
Zoe Neuschatz

Lillian L. Hacker Prize
Awarded for excellence in the study of sociology
Moira Shoush

Stuart Gaffen Award for Leadership and Engagement
Awarded for demonstrated leadership and service in the spirit of sustainable development
Daniel Leal de Moraes Santana