On Saturday, May 11, 2024, approximately 100 students gathered with their friends, family, faculty and staff in Memorial Chapel to receive prizes for academic excellence and leadership. Ebyan Abshir ‘24 was awarded the Frank Bailey class of 1885 prize, and Anton Tatus ‘24 won the Josephine Daggett prize.
The majority of prizes were awarded to graduating seniors for excellence on their senior projects and in their respective majors. Faculty and staff nominate students for these respective awards, and students can also apply for writing awards in the English department. The college held its first prize day in May 1932 to commemorate 20 seniors for their academic accomplishments, and it has become a tradition to host the ceremony the day after every Steinmetz symposium.
Union awards two college distinction awards, one being the Frank Bailey (1885) Prize, awarded annually to the senior who has rendered the greatest service to the College in any field. Ebyan Abshir ‘24, an Africana Studies major, was awarded this prize for her internship in President Harris’s office and serving as a mentor to her peers.
“She has informed campus events and initiatives through her internship in the President’s Office. She has touched many lives as a familiar face in the Unity Room. And she supports her fellow Posse Scholars by offering academic advice, providing valuable insight on her personal experiences and sharing words of encouragement when others need it most.” President Harris remarked about Abshir. “[she] has been an inspiration to her teachers and her peers and has made the college a better, more welcoming, more inclusive place. Her presence has made a real difference.”
The second college distinction award is the Josephine Daggett prize, awarded to a senior for the best conduct and character. Anton Tatus ‘24 received the award for his advocacy on and off campus against Russia’s war on Ukraine. He founded a program where Union students can teach English to Ukrainian children over ZOOM, has given 12 talks on the war on campus, and drove humanitarian supplies to the Kyiv border while on a term abroad.
“As one nominator noted, this student’s maturity, discipline and character make him an important role model for all Union students,” Harris remarked of Tatus.
In addition, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus Zahra Khan ‘25 won the Anthony C. LaVecchia (1998) Memorial Award, an award for students who demonstrate a keen interest and passion in journalism. The award is named after Concordiensis Editor-in-Chief Emeritus Anthony LaVecchia ‘98, who died in a car accident in 2005.
To celebrate the awardees, the acapella group The Eliphalets sang covers of “Enchanted” by Taylor Swift and “Forget You” by Cee Lo Green.
Next year’s Prize Day is scheduled for May 10, 2025, and students will be notified in advance of that date if they are winning a prize. The English department also accepts submissions for writing prizes every winter term, and students will be able to apply for those in February or March 2025.
