A Record 37 Students Graduate From University Honors Program

Pictured at the recent University Honors luncheon are UHON graduates (left to right) Patricia Swanson, Leigh-Anne Pyre, Charles Wasserman, President Walter Harrison, Jason Smythe, Stephanie Tavarez, and Shadia Siliman.

They didn't plan it that way, but these UHON graduates all wore dark blue with white dots (along with their red and gold UHON cords) to the University Honors luncheon! Pictured are Shadia Siliman (kneeling) and, standing from left to right, Karlie Henton, Dana Eckstein, and Stephanie Pelletier.

A record number of students graduated with University Honors (UHON) in 2012-13!

The total of 37 UHON graduates exceeds the record of 36 set last year. To graduate with University Honors, students must complete 18 credits of honors coursework as well as a senior project or thesis.

Several of this year's UHON graduates also earned other University recognitions. For example, UHON graduate Dana Eckstein was awarded the Belle K. Ribicoff Prize at Commencement; UHON graduate Rutger Strauss delivered the Charge to the Graduating Class of 2013 at Commencement; and UHON graduates Kirsten LaPointe and Shadia Siliman received Senior Regents Awards.


Several of these high-achieving students already have jobs lined up. Here are a few examples:

Staci Bechard – Peace Corps (in Gambia)

Kirsten LaPointe – Price Waterhouse Cooper

Kaitlyn Schroyer – Middletown Press (Middletown, Conn.)

Charles Wasserman – Application Development Division of Thought Technologies (Montreal, Canada)


Many others have been accepted for graduate study. For example:

Dana Kephart – Longy School of Music, M.A. in Vocal Performance

Leigh-Anne Pyre – Springfield University, M.A. in Psychology

Shadia Siliman – Indiana University, Ph.D. in Gender Studies

Stephanie Tavarez – University of Hartford, M.A. in Psychology

Dan Wencek – NYU, M.A. in Higher Education Administration


Here is the full list of the 37 University Honors graduates for 2012-13:

College of Arts and Sciences
Ben Baker, Politics and Government
Dana Eckstein, Creative Writing/Cinema
Jackie Michna, Rhetoric and Professional Writing
Leigh-Anne Pyre, Psychology
Mitra Sadigh, Philosophy (Dec. 2012)
Joe Schippani, Cinema
Kaitlyn Schroyer, Communication/Creative Writing
Shadia Siliman, Psychology/Gender Studies
Jason Smythe, Psychology
Patricia Swanson, Psychology
Stephanie Tavarez, Psychology
Charles Wasserman, Psychology
Daniel Wencek, Rhetoric and Professional Writing
Andrea Wojcik, Communication/Gender Studies
Clark Woodard, Economics

Barney School of Business
Michael Brown, Economics and Finance/Accounting
Allyson Kielbania, Accounting
Brendan Lake, Management
Kirsten LaPointe, Accounting
Jessica Monson, Economics and Finance/Entrepreneurial Studies
Marco Antonio Neves, Marketing and Management
Catie Nyitray, Economics and Finance/Entrepreneurial Studies (Dec. 2012)
Jessica Powers, Economics and Finance
Benjamin Wendel, Marketing and Management

College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture
Ricardo Avendano, Electrical Engineering
Rutger Strauss, Mechnical Engineering/Acoustics

College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions
Staci Bechard, Elementary/Special Education
Shannon Ireland, Elementary/Special Education

The Hartt School
Joseph Beahm, Arts Management (Dec. 2012)
Joshua Boscarino, Actor Training
Dana Kephart, Voice Performance
Tara Reuter, Actor Training

Hartford Art School
Rachel Cohen, Illustration
Rachel Dioses, Photography
Michelle Epstein, Ilustration

University Studies
Karlie Henton, Multimedia Web Design and Development
Stephanie Pelletier, Multimedia Web Design and Development