Outstanding Student Awards

Bryce Noonan – Criminal Justice

The University of Cincinnati and the College of Criminal Justice gave me a rich and diverse learning experience, even when the pandemic caused so much change. I was able to learn from experienced professors in-person and virtually, connect with students while serving as a campus RA, and give back to my bearcat community while serving at the Bearcat Pantry. Criminal Justice also gave me the opportunity to take my knowledge into the field, where I was able to work with an organization helping human trafficking victims in the Ohio area. It was this experience that sparked my desire to work in the non-profit sector in the future and continue to use my criminal justice background in a supportive and preventive role.

Victoria Neer - Special Education

Victoria Neer, a resident of Bellefontaine Ohio, is a graduate student in Special Education seeking 2nd licensure. A 5th grade Math teacher at Urbana City Schools, she considers it a tremendous reward to work with the future of society. She strives to help students develop as individuals who embrace all people and meet challenges head on. Her passion is to work with diverse learners who challenge her to be innovative. Victoria said, “I feel prepared to teach, engage, and learn with my students as result of my time at the University of Cincinnati. Education is a gift that no one can take away. Education empowers.” Victoria has two sons and a husband, Andy. She is considering doctoral studies once she completes her Master’ degree in August.

Danny Foster - Educational Studies

Danny Foster is a third-year doctoral student in Educational Policy and Higher Education, who recently completed a graduate certificate in legal studies. He has applied his knowledge of law and educational policy while working as the Assistant Director in the UC Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards for the past three years. Before that he worked in various higher education positions at multiple universities and worked as an intern for the American College Personnel Association in Washington, D.C. He serves as the GA for the Impact Accelerator where he helps faculty members secure grant funding and supports new initiatives at UC. Danny has three publications and five national presentations already under his belt. Much of his writing concerns matters of equity and inclusion in higher education settings and reflect his deep commitment to making schools more democratic and just spaces, especially for LGBTQ+ students. His work in those areas has earned him awards at other universities. In 2020, he received the UC College of Law Excellence for the Future Award. He has served on the UC Equity and Inclusion Council and started the Healthy Masculinities Working Group.

Jenny Deuel - Early Childhood Education

"Jenny Deuel is the recipient of the Outstanding Student Award for the ECE Online Bachelor Birth - 5 program. She received her Associate Degree in Early Childhood Development and Education in 2021 from UC as well. Jenny first worked in the early childhood field at age 22 when she was hired at a private preschool and childcare center as a teacher’s aide. At that time, she had a year of college experience at Bowling Green State University. Although Jenny always wanted to be a teacher, she became unsure about what age or grade she wanted to teach. She worked at the preschool/childcare center for 2 years, right up until she had her first daughter, and then she decided to stay home with her daughter. She had another daughter 2 years later and decided that she would go back into the work force once her youngest entered kindergarten. Jenny babysat for friends and family while staying home for those 8 years with her daughters. In 2016, when her youngest daughter entered kindergarten, Jenny was offered a job at a local private preschool and childcare center, again as a teacher’s aide. She was approached by the owner of the center about taking classes towards an education in early childhood and was offered the T.E.A.C.H Ohio scholarship. Jenny began slowly, but surely, working towards an associate’s degree and afterwards, a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education. Jenny has been the center administrator and lead preschool teacher for the past 5 school years, at the same center where she began in 2016. She has learned so much valuable information from her courses at UC. She is very passionate about everything from developmentally appropriate practice to child-led, hands-on learning and has become very passionate about teaching preschool. Jenny couldn’t have accomplished her goals if it were not for her husband and two daughters supporting her, and helping pick up the slack as she has worked full time while taking courses at UC over the past several years. "

Kristen Bryant - Early Childhood Education

"Kristen Bryant is the recipient of the Outstanding Student Award for the ECE Online Early Care and Education Associate Degree. 

Kristen began working with children at a young age and grew passionate about caring for and creating meaningful and developmentally appropriate learning experiences for young children. Realizing that to be the best mentor and caregiver she can be for the children in her care, Kristen began her journey to seek further education. This journey led her to the University of Cincinnati.

Kristen found UC to be the ideal fit for her educational needs. Kristen could continue working while utilizing the information and knowledge gained through UC’s online program to better her teaching practices and understanding of how young children grow and develop. Kristen worked very hard in her studies each semester. She was able to complete her ECE Associate Degree, and consistently be on the Dean’s list.

Kristen is now employed as a lead Early Head Start teacher and plans to continue her education toward a bachelor’s degree. "

Caitlyn Richey - Special Education

The Special Education Program nominated Caitlyn Richey for the Outstanding Student Award in 2023.  Caitlyn had consistently participated in class discussion, submitted high quality work, and shown a passion for working with students with disabilities. Caitlyn always takes a strong interest in the details of a task or an assignment and tries to exceed expectations of an instructor or a rubric. Caitlyn completed her first student teaching placement at Western Brown High School in the Fall 2022 Semester, and her mentor teacher, Melissa Brown, said "I have hosted many student teachers through the years, without a doubt, Caitlyn was the most productive, effective, efficient, passionate well rounded student teacher I have ever had the privilege of working with. She went out of her way to learn about each student and let them know she valued them." In her current student teaching placement at Batavia Elementary, mentor teacher Amy Taylor reflects that "Not only does she have the technical skills necessary to be an effective educator, she has the one characteristic you cannot teach; passion! She was born to teach!"

AJ Wessel - Sport Administration

AJ Wessel is the 2023 recipient of the Bob Brinkmeyer Founder’s Award for excellence in the classroom, coupled with a commitment to service within intercollegiate athletics. AJ is set to graduate in May with his Bachelor of Science degree in Sport Administration with a 3.86 cumulative GPA and has worked with UC Athletics in the football office for the past 3 years as an operations assistant student worker. AJ's commitment to success in the field embodies what this award is all about.

Emily Holcomb - School Psychology

The School Psychology Program is proud to present the Meagan Toothman Memorial Outstanding Student Award to Emily Holcomb. Over the past three years, Emily has demonstrated a sincere enthusiasm for serving children in schools and supporting teachers and parents. Her internship supervisor, Dr. Hilary Kalra shared, “Emily has consistently gone above and beyond the expectations of her tole. She has made great efforts to build relationships with colleagues to foster collaborative approaches toward meeting student needs.” In her internship and practicum settings, Emily has been a strong advocate for students with especially challenging academic and behavioral concerns. Emily’s internship supervisor, Julie Pitman, noted that Emily is “amazingly self-motivated to find ways to be helpful to the students and staff around her.” In recognition of Emily’s initiative and compassion, we believe she is deserving of this award in Meagan’s memory for making a difference in the lives of children.

Alie Hernandez - Sport Administration

The master’s recipient for the 2023 Outstanding Student Award in Sport Administration is Alie Hernandez. Throughout her degree program, Alie exemplified the work ethic and commitment to excellence we expect of sport administration students. Her insights and contributions in class consistently enhanced the learning environment for both students and faculty. Outside of the classroom, Alie worked as a Media Relations and Communication Assistant with the Ohio High School Athletic Association and as an Academic Counselor in the athletic department at Ohio State University; this in addition to her role as a graduate assistant for the sport administration program. Alie graduated back in August with a perfect 4.0 GPA.

Jacob Wright - Exercise Science

Jacob Wright is the recipient of the Outstanding Student Award for the undergraduate Exercise Science program. Throughout his time at UC, he has excelled academically in the program while also pursuing a minor in Nutrition Sciences. On top of being a full-time student, Jacob has completed multiple semester-long internships with the UC Sports Performance team and has received outstanding evaluations from the department. His site supervisors have highlighted his dedication, professionalism, and initiative, and Jacob has been a great representation of the Exercise Science program.

Terri Andreoni-Armstrong - Sport Administration

Terri Andreoni-Armstrong is the 2023 undergraduate recipient of the Outstanding Student Award in Sport Administration. Terri graduated in December with a 4.0 cumulative GPA, setting the bar for academic excellence within the program. The sport administration curriculum challenges students to think critically while applying course concepts to real-world case scenarios. Terri consistently exceeded expectations in this regard, on her way to attaining the highest marks of all graduating seniors in the program.

Vismaya Manchaiah - Information Technology

“My name is Vismaya Manchaiah and I am a student in the IT Accelerated program. I will be graduating this April with a bachelors in IT, minor in business analytics, and an MBA. I have a full-time offer from Great American as a business analyst for after graduation where I am currently working part-time. I have had a great experience in the School of IT and am so thankful for all the opportunities I have gained from it. I am looking forward to spending time with friends and family this summer as well as traveling to new places before starting my full-time job. I am incredibly grateful for this nomination.”

Lily Botsyoe - Information Technology

“My name is Vismaya Manchaiah and I am a student in the IT Accelerated program. I will be graduating this April with a bachelors in IT, minor in business analytics, and an MBA. I have a full-time offer from Great American as a business analyst after graduation where I am currently working part-time. I have had a great experience in the School of IT and am so thankful for all the opportunities I have gained from it. I am looking forward to spending time with friends and family this summer as well as traveling to new places before starting my full-time job. I am incredibly grateful for this nomination.”

Izunna Okpala - Information Technology

Izunna Okpala is a highly motivated and detailed IT researcher with a specific interest in the application of machine intelligence to crisis management. Specifically, he studies how automated systems can extract meaningful insight from varied data sources to help manage unforeseen circumstances. He currently has three fellowships running simultaneously: the UC Digital Futures fellowship, the UC Lab2Market fellowship, and the Michigan Institute for Data Science (MIDAS) mentoring fellowship. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge and experience with others and is actively involved in mentoring undergraduate and masters' students in the field.”