On April 16 Downs Hall filled with faculty, staff, students and their families and friends as they got ready to celebrate the accomplishments of these students during the annual Who's Who among American Colleges and Universities Ceremony. This year's ceremony honored 51 full-time, part-time, undergraduate, and graduate students. These students have proven that they can balance work, extra-curricular activities while also excelling academically.
The evening's festivities began with Katrina Boseman, office of the vice president for student affairs, welcoming all the attendees to a night that was going to be filled with the accomplishments of those sitting at the tables. After a quick welcome a dinner buffet was set-up where the honored guests and relatives were able to fill their stomachs with the deliciously prepared food. As people ate you could hear the chatter of talking about past programs they have hosted or future programs that they would like to plan. Just as people were ending their meal Vice President Janice Murray-Laury went to the podium and began the awards presentation. She described the group of students as hard-working and dedicated and was pleased to have so many students from across campus being honored there that night. It was a night for Kean University to feel proud that they had such a diverse group of hard-working students! Before students were called up to accept their plaque a video slideshow was put together featuring all of the recipients taking part in various activities. The slideshow was a great presentation of why these students were being honored with this award. It made everyone in the room proud to be a part of this very special night.
As students were called up to accept their plaque a short biography was read about them by Vice President Laury with all of their accomplishments. The students there represented academic departments such as music, English, science and math. There were also students who have also just excelled in leadership activities such as Student Organization of Kean University, the Leadership Institute and the Council for Part-Time Students.
After the awards ceremony was completed the sound of laughter filled the air as students and families came together for an opportunity to take pictures next to the college flag or with a group of friends. For many present at the ceremony this was the beginning of the end as many seniors present will soon be graduating and moving on to the next step in their lives. As people began to leave others stayed and took pictures and sat at the tables and just talked about past experiences and upcoming events.
A Who's Who award is something that not many people are given so everyone who received it knew that this was something to very proud of. People walked away knowing they have achieved something that many students can only wish they could accomplish. All the students present could graduate knowing that they achieved something great and could now graduate or move on knowing that they have achieved great success while at Kean University.
