Honors & Leadership Awards
Every year hundreds of Cascadia students achieve academic and leadership excellence. Keep scrolling to learn more about their stories and accomplishments.
2024 Winners
Naomi Short - Founders Service Award
An excerpt from Naomi’s nomination: "Naomi Short has run the Sustainability Club as president for two years now, and has
pushed to reach more students through engagement, events, and in Spring 2024, art.
Naomi hosted numerous events in partnership with the club and the Diversity Center,
and the Sustainable Practices office. She gave her free time to assist with the high
school student justice conferences, and was proud to don the Kody the Kodiak mantle
and engage with participants! Naomi’s work weaving through classes focuses on food
sustainability and reducing waste, and ran food use/waste reduction workshops, which
supported the missions and outreach of the Kodiak Cave and Health and Wellness Resource
Center."
Emerson Pendleton - Founders Community Award
An excerpt from Emerson’s nomination: "Emerson is a fantastic student. Emerson naturally emerged as a solid and dependable
team leader and mentor to other students, translating his experience with AmeriCorps
into our COLL 101 discussions and projects. In addition, Emerson single-handedly reinstated
the very popular Dungeons and Dragons club at Cascadia."
Lyric Pierce - Founders Community Award
An excerpt from Lyric’s nomination: "I am nominating Lyric because of their amazing work ethic and dedication to the mission
and services of the ARC (Activities & Recreation Center). They are such a bright light
and have continued to grow and develop as a leader in this space. Lyric is continually
finding ways to keep themselves challenged while providing exemplary customer service
and support as a Student Assistant. We are so grateful for everything they continue
to do for the ARC team."
Cory Cramer - Founders Environmental Stewardship Award
An excerpt from Cory’s nomination: "Cory Cramer is a dedicated student for environmental stewardship and sustainability.
He has given his time multiple times for various events and activities on campus –
volunteering on the Green Infrastructure Summit that was hosted by Cascadia, assisting
with the two free thrifting events, and working with the Sustainable Practices office,
tracking campus data, looking into our STARS report (national sustainability tracking
for higher ed), and pushing for more environmental actions on campus through his classes.
It’s an honor to have someone, who is a non-traditional student, find ways to help
and assist his time on campus towards the goals of environmental sustainability in
addition to his other life demands."
Morgan McShea - Founders Environmental Stewardship Award
An excerpt from Morgan’s nominations: "Morgan embodies what it means to be an environmental steward and activist while at
the same time maintaining a spirit of scholarship, collaboration, and fun. Morgan
has been a leader in the BASSP program and has organized a number of different events
and activities associated with environmental sustainability. She also created the
Cascadia Bike Club which has held several group rides for cyclists of all levels of
ability. She is an incredible asset to our campus community and deserves to be recognized
for her contributions, her spirit, and her abiding commitment to making the world
a better place. She is considerate of others, stands up for her principles, and is
someone I see making positive change in the future."
Lily Bennett - Academic Commitment Award
An excerpt from Lily’s nominations: "Lily was a first-time embedded tutor in my ENG 101 class this past quarter. She went
above and beyond to make herself available and to provide original class content to
assist students. She proactively reached out to me and to the students on a regular
basis. She began the quarter with no experience as an embedded tutor and behaved in
all respects like a seasoned professional. Lily accomplished all of this while continuing
her own academic work. An absolutely outstanding job and a true example of student
excellence and leadership."
Peter Days - Academic Commitment Award
An excerpt from Peter’s nominations: "Peter’s quick ability to grasp and effectively communicate accounting concepts made
it clear to me that he would bring both his intelligence and communication skills
to the [accounting competition sponsored by Seattle University and the accounting
firm Armanino]. Peter accepted the challenge, becoming an invaluable member of the
team and representing Cascadia with dedication, demonstrated by a willingness to put
in the time to prepare, practice and build the team. In preparation for the competition,
Peter played a key leadership role by building cooperation, maintaining team focus,
and ensuring efficient planning. He also contributed valuable ideas and empowered
others to be confident in their contributions. Peter’s dedication and collaborative
spirit helped creative a positive team spirit in a highly competitive environment
that resulted in a strong presentation, making both the team and Cascadia College
proud.
"Having worked closely with Peter during our preparations for the competition, I had
the privilege of witnessing not only his intellectual strengths but also his support
for his peers and strong communication skills. Peter was a joy to have in class, both
for his commitment to his learning but also for the ways he worked with other students."
Fernando Valero Perlasca - Academic Commitment Award
An excerpt from Fernando’s nominations: "I am honored to nominate Throughout their academic journey, Fernando has consistently
demonstrated an unparalleled dedication to their studies. From the beginning, Fernando
has exhibited a relentless pursuit of academic excellence. Their passion for learning
is evident in every aspect of their academic endeavors. In our conversations I can
tell, they engage in classroom discussions, tackle challenging assignments or seek
out additional resources to deepen their understanding of course material, Fernando
consistently goes above and beyond what is expected. They approach every task with
a level of professionalism and diligence that is truly commendable. Fernando takes
ownership of their education and serves as a shining example of what can be achieved
through hard work, determination and a genuine love of learning."
Miyuki Sandoval - Brett Webster Award for Exemplary Leadership
An excerpt from Miyuki’s nomination: "Miyuki has had an incredible year as the EAB Advocacy Chair. She advocated for an
academic common hour, went to Olympia to meet with legislators in support of community
college students and stood up to UWB administration advocating for equitable campus
parking rates for students. Being a student leader in EAB is more than just a job;
it is shaped by the willingness of the student to take on challenges and advocate
strongly with the administration. I have worked with literally hundreds of student
leaders over my career and Miyuki is a true stand out. It can be intimidating talking
with the college president, or sharing feedback that may not be in line with administrative
decisions in campus wide committees. Miyuki understands the importance of the student
voice and speaks up when it can make a difference. When she is not advocating for
the student body she is supporting her teammates, making sure their events are successful
and welcoming."
Student Leadership Awards
The Academic Commitment Award is given to the student who goes beyond instructor and
course expectations to enhance the classroom community and become a role model to
peers.
The Brett Webster Award for Exemplary Leadership, created in recognition of Cascadia’s
first student government president, is the highest level of recognition any student
can receive. This award is presented to the student who has demonstrated a clear mission,
goal, or vision for the future of Cascadia through their thoughts, actions, and contributions,
and who has made a lasting difference in the continued development of Cascadia’s community.
The Founders Community Award recipient has dedicated their time and efforts to enhancing
the culture and spirit of the Cascadia community. This individual exemplifies what
it means to be a part of this community and encourages others to be involved in shaping
our core identity.
The Founders Diversity Award encourages a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion
within our campus community. The recipient of this award has made possible the expression
of thoughts, ideas, voices, and experiences that foster an inclusive and welcoming
environment for all.
The Founders Environmental Stewardship Award is given to the student who exemplifies
Cascadia’s commitment to responsible environmental stewardship. This individual models
active learning, thinking, interacting and communicating green practices, sustainability
and environmental education, and encourages others to do the same.
The Founders Service Award recipient has dedicated their time and efforts to various
student, campus and community programs. This individual exemplifies what it means
to be a selfless contributor who works to ensure the successful completion of a number
of events. The recipient also models best practices in committing their resources
while maintaining academic success.
Cascadia Foundation Scholarship Recipients
The Foundation Board of Directors selects winners for all scholarship awards.
Quarterly Honors
Cascadia places a high value on scholarship and rewards high academic achievement to students who distinguish themselves in the classroom each quarter. Students will receive an emailed electronic recognition for their quarterly academic honors achievement.
Students who have earned a quarterly college level GPA of 3.9 or higher will be awarded
President's Honors.
Students who have earned a quarterly college level GPA between 3.6 and 3.89 will be
awarded Faculty Honors.
Graduation Honors
Students are awarded graduation honors based on the criteria below and recognized in the commencement ceremony program. For spring and summer graduates, the honors listed in the program are based upon their cumulative GPA as of the end of winter quarter because spring and summer grades are not yet available when graduation honors are determined. All students earning graduation honors will be given an honor cord to wear in the ceremony. Honors are posted on students’ transcripts at the same time their degrees or certificates are awarded and posted. Only Cascadia credits are used to calculate cumulative GPA for awarding graduation honors.
Graduating students who have earned a cumulative (overall) college level grade point
average of 3.9 or higher will be awarded President's Honors.
Graduating students who have earned a cumulative (overall) college level grade point
average between 3.6 and a 3.89 will be awarded Faculty Honors.