Yesterday, more than 200 faculty, students, staff and members of the community attended College of Liberal Arts' Annual Awards Ceremony. As another academic year nears its close, the event celebrated the outstanding contributions of students, faculty and staff across the College.
In addition to honoring members of the College, the ceremony also recognized 27 exceptional high school students from Washoe County. Nominated by their teachers, these students represented excellence in the three Liberal Arts disciplines: humanities, social sciences and visual and performing arts. This inspiring, community-focused initiative helps strengthen the connection between the College and local youth, encouraging them to pursue higher education at the ÍƼöÐÓ°ÉÔ´´.
Dean Casilde A. Isabelli shares her immense pride for these remarkable individuals by sharing, “I'm so proud of our students, faculty, staff and the local high schoolers who’ve shown such dedication and drive.”
She also commented that all this would not be possible without the accomplished faculty and staff in the College’s 25 units who foster critical thinking, effective communication, and analytical focus on solving intricate problems and embracing adaptability, which is the mission that drives the College.
The College of Liberal Arts' Annual Awards Ceremony is always an event to look forward to. Filled with music and celebration, it’s a wonderful way to honor an incredible group of academically accomplished individuals.
Below are the individuals recognized at this year’s ceremony:
2025 Alumnus of the Year
- Retired Major General Ondra Berry, adjutant general for the State of Nevada.
2025 Nevada, NSHE and University Faculty Awards
- Monica K. Miller: Nevada Regents’ Researcher Award
- Valerie Fridland: University of Nevada Reno's Outstanding Researcher Award
- Valerie Fridland: University of Nevada Reno's Representative for Nevada's Woman of Achievement Award
- Lydia Huerta: University of Nevada Reno's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Leadership Award
- Amy Absher: University of Nevada Reno's Foundation Letter of Appointment Outstanding Teaching Award
- Jeffery Auer: University of Nevada Reno's Foundation Exceptional Letter of Appointment College of Liberal Arts Award
- Paul Klein: University of Nevada Reno's Foundation Exceptional Letter of Appointment College of Liberal Arts Award
2025 Donor Named Faculty Awards
- Eric Nystrom: William Sheldon Teaching Excellence in History Award
- Jennifer Ng: Phil & Kathleen Boardman Teaching Excellence in Humanities
- Erin Stiles: Donald Mousel & William Feltner Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Activity
- Sean O’Neil: Winner of the Alan Bible Teaching Excellence Award
- Nate Hodges : Runner-Up of the Alan Bible Teaching Excellence Award
2025 College Dean's Faculty and Staff Awards
- Allison Evans: Award for Outstanding Research
- Joshua Reed: Award for Outstanding Creative Activity
- Katherine Fusco: Award for Outstanding Teaching
- Chris Jazwa: Award for Outstanding Service
- Melissa Jarrell: Award for Extraordinary Service
- Karen Gallardo: Award for Accomplishments in the Area of DEI
- Kelly Keefe: Outstanding Classified Staff of the Year
- L.J. Johnson: Outstanding Administrative Faculty of the Year
- Lauren Anderson: Academic Advising Award
2025 Emeriti Faculty
- Sharon Brush: 30 years in Human Resources
- Roni Dahir: 30 years in Social Psychology & the Grant Sawyer Center
- Jane Davidson: 47 years in Art, Art History & Design
- Dennis Dworkin: 33 years in History
- William Eubank: 46 years in Political Science
- Isabelle Favre: 28 years in French, World Languages & Literatures
- Robert Gander: 17 years in Theatre & Dance
- Johnson Makoba: 35 years in Sociology
- Shawn Marsh: 23 years in Social Psychology, Communication Studies & the Judicial Studies Graduate Program
- Eric Rasmussen: 31 years in English
- June Saraceno: 4 years in low-res MFA in Creative Arts & 33 years at SNU
- James Winn: 28 years in Music & Piano
2025 Dean's Student Awards
- Shawn Morton, French & Microbiology: Excellence in Interdisciplinary Studies
- Kaelyn Campbell, Music Education: Excellence in Performance/Artistry
- Brandon Kyle, Political Science's International Affairs: Excellence in Research
- Bahar Jazani, Sociology & Political Science: Excellence in Service
- Zoey Cambley, English & Gender, Race and Identity: Exemplar
- Sophia Arroyave, Anthropology & English: Outstanding Graduate in the Humanities
- Julianna Horvath, Art, Art History & Design: Outstanding Graduate in the School of the Arts
- Ryann Casagrande, English & Sociology: Outstanding Graduate in the Social Sciences
- Stephanie Whalen, Communication Studies: Outstanding Graduate in the School of Social Research & Justice Studies
2025 Bilinski Doctoral Dissertation Fellows
- Audrey Armstrong, Anthropology: "Talking Trash: Refugees, Public Space, and Waste in Northern Jordan"
- Jonah Bibo, History: "Humans, Environment, and Climate Change in Italy and Spain during the Central Middle Ages"
- Elizabeth Blackard, History: "Dreams Deferred: Community Action and the War on Povertty in the Westside, 1950-1975"
- Cassandra Boyer, Anthropology: "Adult Age Estimation Using Multivariate Analysis of Dentition in Forensic Anthropology"
- Thomas Campbell, Political Science: "The Violent Consequences of Global Hangriness: The Connection Between International Food Price Shocks, Domestic Political Economies, and Conflicts"
- Moira Cunius, Social Psychology: "Lay Beliefs, Schemas, and Decision-Making Regarding an Extremist Group Defendant"
- Ginelle Kocher, Anthropology: "Homicide Risk: Identifying Vulnerable Groups and Patterns of Physical Trauma to Enhance Policy Support in a Global Context"
- Chris Natali, English: "Racial Masquerade: How Gilded Age Authors Employ the Monstrous and Uncanny to Challenge the Construct of Race in Gothic Passing Literature"
- Arielle Pastore, Anthropology: "Exploring the Intertrait and Genetic Relationships of Dental Morphological and Metric Traits"
- James Ragsdale, Social Psychology: "Moral Foundations and Reactions to Opiod Use Disorder and Drug Policies"
- Richie Rosencrance, Anthropology: "Technology, Serial Specialists, and Younger Dryas Cold Adaptation in the Northern Great Basin of North America"
4.0 Graduating Scholars
- Liam Oster, Spanish BA, Japanese Minor & Accounting & Information Systems BSBUS
- Grace Pahor, Art BA & Developmental Disabilities Minor
- Alexa Savage, Spanish BA & Environmental Studies BS
- Ashton Gabriel Sharp, Spanish BA & Psychology BS
- Owen Watson, Political Science BA & Environmental Studies BS
PackTeach Graduating Seniors, graduating with a dual degree in Secondary Education and...
- Spanish, Jose Anguiano Santiago
- English, Gloria Bale
- English, Taryn Burr
- Art, Art History & Design, Kylie Burton
- English, Deana Espinoza
- Political Science, Kristy Anderson
- History, Connor Dowd
- History, Brett Lopez
- Political Science, Talia Guzman
- English, Allison Rank
- History, Charles Reyes
- English, Andrea McMullan
- History, Casey McDaniel
- History, Zach Rodenhurst
- History, Natalia Warzecha
- History, Agustin Valdez
- History, Graysen Yonano
Redfield Hispanic Gateway Graduating Seniors
- Ingrid N Aldea-Delicado, Spanish & International Affairs
- Ava S Linares, Spanish & Business
- Teodora Lungu, Spanish & Criminal Justice
- Madeline Maier, Spanish & Speech Pathology
- Kassandra G Perez, Spanish & Criminal Justice
- Parker E Smith, Spanish & Mechanical Engineering
Living Learning Community (LLC) Scholarship Recipients
- Kristen McDaniel, Criminal Justice
- Luke Schemenauer, Art, Art History & Design, Drawing
Outstanding High School Students of Washoe County School District
Humanities: 6 students from Sparks, North Valleys, Spanish Springs and Hug High School
Social Sciences: 8 students from Sparks, Reed, Reno and Hug High School
Visual and Performing Arts: 13 students from Reno, Spanish Springs, North Valleys, Sparks, Hug, McQueen and Wooster High School
Dean Isabelli especially thanks the donors who support the College’s initiatives.
"Their investment in the liberal arts empowers our community and ensures that we can continue to foster the intellectual curiosity, civic engagement and inclusive scholarship that define our mission. Their support today helps us elevate humanity now and in the future,” Dean Isabelli said.
Congratulations to everyone honored at the event!
