CASTINE, Maine—At a banquet held on Thursday, April 7, the Maine Maritime Academy Student Life Awards Committee recognized outstanding members of the MMA and Castine community whose contributions include various service projects, athletics, employment and volunteer programs, and other co-curricular activities.
For the 15th annual banquet and awards ceremony, the committee created 7 new awards that recognize a variety of student leaders. In addition to the 7 new awards, the Phyllis Tenney Community Service and Leadership Award, Mariner Pride, and Unsung Mariner carried through from previous celebrations. The Student Life Awards Committee, made up of MMA staff and faculty, accepted nominations from the entire MMA community and selected the top five nominees in each category. These top nominees were recognized during the ceremony before the one overall awardee from each category was announced as the award winner.
The following awards and award winners were announced at the awards ceremony:
• Award for Athletic Leadership is awarded to a student athlete who has contributed to both campus life and demonstrated leadership within their club or varsity sport. Winner: Molly Marcotte of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, a senior in the Marine Systems Engineering 4-year major. Additional nominees: Morgan Maxwell, Jessica Menges, Victor Skorapa, and Gabrielle Wells.
• Award for Outstanding Contribution to Residential Life is presented to a student who has made significant contributions to the community and experience of students living in residence halls. Winner: Rylee Knox of Turner, Maine, a junior in the Marine Systems Engineering 5-year program. Additional nominees: Olivia Burke, Christopher Moore, Liam Pitchford, Nazmi Tufekci.
• Emerging Leader Award recognizes two first-year students who have emerged as leaders and who can be expected to contribute significantly to the campus community and the welfare of their fellow students during their time at the Academy. Winners (2): Makayla Lewis of Purcellville, Virginia, a freshman Marine Engineering Technology major and Mary Shea of Brownfield, Maine, a freshman in the Marine Systems Engineering 5-year major. Additional nominees: Julia Dillon, Megan McLean, Sarah Nevin.
• Non-Traditional Student Impact Award is presented to a non-traditional student who has used their life experiences to make a significant impact in the campus community including, but not limited to, campus life, academic achievement, leadership, and community service. Winner: Heidi Marriner of Laguna Beach, California, a junior Vessel Operations & Technology major. Additional nominees: Andrew Gaynor, Brooks Gray, Edison Ma, Annika Zayak.
• Social Entrepreneurship Award recognizes a student, or group of students, who have pursued an idea with the potential to enhance community or to address a pervasive community issue. Winner: Woodsman Club, represented by co-founders Corey McCoy of Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, a sophomore Marine Engineering Operations major, and Shawn Silva of Attleboro, Massachusetts, a Marine Systems Engineering 5th-year student. Additional nominees: College Republicans, Friends of the Knights, Snowboard & Ski Club, and Women’s Rugby.
• Student Employee of the Year Award recognizes a work-study student or student worker who has demonstrated a high quality of work, leadership skills, and impact on the department. Winner: Caroline Yates of Orland, Maine, a sophomore International Business and Logistics major. Additional nominees: David Harrison, David Gagne, Corey McCoy, and Ben Stevens.
• Student Government Leadership Award recognizes a student affiliated with the Student Government Association who has shown immense integrity and perseverance in striving to improve student life and welfare. Winner: Edison Ma of West Hartford, Connecticut, a junior in the Marine Systems Engineering 5-year program. Additional nominees: Arik Akerberg, Nathaniel Fiske, Christopher Gilman, and Cristin Wright.
• Mariner Pride is a community-wide nomination that honors an organization, event, or activity that enhances Mariner Pride by bringing people together and helping to strengthen the campus community. Winner: Homecoming 2015. Additional nominees: 2016 Chili Cook-off, Mariner Madness, One Team, SGA Bonfires.
• The Sarah F. Hudson Unsung Mariner award is a student-nominated award given to a faculty or staff member for demonstrating outstanding community service and support of student life. Winner: this year’s Unsung Mariner award was presented to two staff members: Crissi Dalfonzo, Residential Life Coordinator, and Jennifer DeJoy, Director of College Relations.
• Phyllis Tenney Community Service and Leadership Award is presented to the student who has displayed outstanding dedication and loyalty to MMA, commitment and service to the Castine community, exemplary leadership skills, and has also achieved great success academically and socially at MMA. Winner: Haley Eckert of Harrington, Maine, a senior Marine Engineering Technology major. Her nominator wrote of Haley, “On the (Lacrosse) field, in the classroom and around campus, Haley is constantly pushing and expecting more from herself. It’s hard not to be amazed when you realize all that Haley does while still managing to keep her academics a priority. In her role as president Alpha Phi Omega, the service fraternity that Phyllis Tenney helped found, Haley has coordinated American Red Cross Blood Drives, Annual Boy Scout Klondike Derbys, the Castine children’s trick or treating and much more. In addition to her outstanding participation in APO, Haley is also a dedicated two sport athlete, a member of the Student Conduct Panel and a yearbook staff member, just to name a few. She is the definition of a well-rounded student, always working hard to achieve the goal, often not noticing how many she inspires while doing so.”
Additional nominees: Brendan Newcomb and Charles Salerno.
Maine Maritime Academy is a co-educational, public college on the coast of Maine offering 18 degree programs in engineering, management, science, and transportation. The college serves approximately 950 undergraduate and graduate students in career-oriented programs of study. Year over year, the job placement rate for MMA graduates is in excess of 90 percent within 90 days of graduation. In 2014 and 2015, MONEY magazine ranked Maine Maritime Academy the #1 Public College in America on their Best Colleges list. MMA is celebrating 75 years since its founding in 1941 by an act of the 90th Maine State Legislature. For more information, visit mainemaritime.edu.
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