October 29, 2021

Each year the School of Education recognizes students for their outstanding service and scholarly performance through our Honors and Awards Ceremony. Recipients receive monetary awards and scholarships. Congratulations to this year’s award recipients!

ERICA HALPERN TEACHER LEADERSHIP AWARD

Awarded to Sydney White

Erica Halpern enrolled at Drexel University in the Fall of 2010. Although Erica began her university career in another major, she always knew that her passion lay in the teaching profession. Throughout Erica’s time in the School of Education, she exemplified the service and dedication that is required of all teacher education candidates. She was an excellent student academically and was dedicated to becoming a special education teacher and work with children with communication disorders. Tragically, Erica’s life was cut short in the Fall term of her sophomore year. The School of Education honors its commitment to Erica’s legacy at Drexel and to the Halpern family through The Erica Halpern Teacher Leadership Award. The Erica Halpern Teacher Leadership Award is presented to a School of Education Undergraduate teacher candidate who emulates the wonderful attributes that Erica herself exhibited in her pre-service teaching program. Student candidates will demonstrate excellence in areas of leadership, volunteerism, professionalism, and academic achievement.

VIRGINA C. MILLER SCHOLARSHIP AWARD

Awarded to Emmalea Walton

The Virginia C. Miller Scholarship was established to provide financial assistance in the form of scholarship awards to recognize the high academic achievements of undergraduate students in the School of Education based on academic merit and financial need.

ANN MARIE WEIL AWARD

Awarded to Yiyun Fan

The Ann Marie Weil award is named to commemorate Dr. Ann Marie Weil who completed her doctoral dissertation in 2001 in the School of Education, Drexel University. Dissertation title: The best of times: An auto-ethnography of a cerebral vascular accident. Dissertation Chair: Dr. Fredricka Reisman. The award is given to a qualified and deserving student who is at the stage of writing the dissertation and preferably whose dissertation research contributes to making a difference through a better understanding of human needs. The award is donated to the School of Education, Drexel University by Dr. Hallee Adelman, an alumna, and her husband David Adelman.

SOE FACULTY & STAFF STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP

Awarded to Aaliyah Alleyne

The School of Education (SoE) Faculty & Staff Student Scholarship is a cash award funded entirely by the School of Education’s faculty and staff. The award was created with the intent to provide financial assistance to SoE students who have shown outstanding scholarship, commitment, and dedication to Drexel University. The SoE faculty and staff are committed to supporting its students in achieving their goals. The scholarship is just one example of this.

MICHEL MILLER EXCELLENCE IN SPECIAL EDUCATION AWARD

Awarded to Kendra Volpe and Cindy Toms

The Michel Miller in Special Education Awards are presented to School of Education students who have demonstrated excellence in service, practice and/or leadership in the field of Special Education. This prestigious, memorial award is given in honor of our dear friend, colleague, mentor and teacher, Dr. Michel Miller, who unexpected passed two years ago. It is given to select students who have demonstrated that they are on track in following Michel's strong commitment and legacy of action, service, and leadership within the field of special education.

FREDRICKA K. REISMAN AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING GRADUATE WORK IN CREATIVITY

Awarded to Mitchell "Mitch" Marcello

This award is in honor of Fredricka K. Reisman, PhD, the Founder of the School of Education, the Drexel/Torrance Center for Creativity & Innovation and their Creativity & Innovation degree and certification programs. The award recognizes a graduate student who demonstrated a unique application of creativity research or theories through the development of an innovative term capstone project in one of the Creativity & Innovation courses within the academic year.

DR. KEN MAWRITZ MEMORIAL AWARD

Awarded to Alexa Duque

This award honors Dr. Ken Mawritz, Clinical Professor in the School of Education. The award celebrates “Dr. Ken’s” joy of teaching and working with students, as well as the genuine love, caring, and compassion he showed for his profession and those he encountered along the way including his students, their families, and his colleagues. The Ken Mawritz Memorial Award is presented to an Ed.D. student who demonstrates the joy of learning and shares this passion with others in the Drexel community.

DR. TERRANCE DANIELS AWARD

Awarded to Lidyvez Sawyer

The Dr. Terrence Daniels Memorial Award honors Dr. Terrence Daniels, Drexel School of Education EdD Alumni. It was established through a collaboration of Ed.D. students and the Dean’s Office in the School of Education. The Award celebrates Terrence’s commitment to equity and social justice. The Dr. Terrence Daniels Memorial Award will be presented to one current EdD student who demonstrates strong commitment to disrupting systemic inequities in education.

TEACHER EDUCATION CAPSTONE & PORTFOLIO AWARDS

Awarded to Emily Maust and Elise Markel

The Teacher Education Portfolio Awards are awarded to undergraduate and/or graduate teacher certification candidates who have created an exemplary, self-reflective portfolio consisting of pedagogy and field experience work and/or exhibited exemplary performance during the field placement experience.

Outstanding Remote Course Facilitator Award (Graduate College)

Awarded to Alia Ammar and Lakita Costner

This award is presented by the Graduate College to graduate students who have served as Remote Course Facilitators, providing assistance to faculty members teaching in a fully remote or hybrid course, and who went above and beyond, ensuring that students were engaged, technology was functioning properly, and digital content was readily accessible.

Behind Every Graduate Award

Awarded to Jason Sobieski/School of Education, and his teacher, Mrs. Alissa Hart, High School: Upper Dublin High School

The Harold W. Pote “Behind Every Graduate” Award was established in 2006 by the University in honor of Mr. Pote who served on Drexel University’s Board of Trustees for 17 years. This award was created to acknowledge outstanding high school teachers for their Excellence in Secondary School Teaching and for inspiring their students to pursue a college education as they embark on their careers.