More than 100 of Grand Valley State University’s most outstanding students gathered in the Grand River Room of Kirkhof Center on Monday to receive awards recognizing their leadership, contributions to campus and academic achievement.

The annual awards banquet honors students from each academic department as well as recognizing a select group of student leaders for the Thomas M. Seykora award, Kenneth R. Venderbush award and the most prestigious Glenn A. Niemeyer awards.

Student body president Autumn Trombka, majoring in chemistry and criminal justice, received the 32nd annual Kenneth R. Venderbush award.

“I’m really excited to receive it,” Trombka said. “Receiving any prestigious award at the university level will stand out on a resume whether for a job or grad school.”

The Venderbush award is for seniors who have made a significant contribution to student life, whether through student organizations, athletics or participation on different committees. Faculty and student organizations make nominations and then the top three candidates are interviewed by a panel who decides the final winner.

Trombka said the event was wonderfully put together, and she enjoyed seeing so many great students on campus recognized together.

Recipients of the Glenn A. Niemeyer awards must be seniors or graduate students who have maintained at least a 3.7 GPA, show a joy of learning and participate in extracurricular activities.

This year, Donna St. Louis and Ashley Wiseman were selected as the undergraduate students who best fit the bill. Erin Pinkster earned the Outstanding Graduate Student Niemeyer award as the only graduate student this semester with a 4.0 GPA.

Faculty are also eligible for a Niemeyer award as John Gabrosek, associate professor of statistics, and Harinder Singh, professor of economics, were honored for their work.

Seven students received the Thomas M. Seykora awards for outstanding contribution: Gregory Copeland, Sergio Gonzalez, Keyuana Rosemond, Branden Stewart, Michael Stoll, Sharita Williamson and Jenny Whalen.

In addition to an introduction by University Provost Gayle Davis, Rev. John De Boer also addressed the outstanding students and their parents and guests with words of wisdom for staying motivated.

De Boer advised students to respect the person in the mirror, serve others, utilize their cheering section, stay true to their core values and count their blessings.

Of the departmental awards, senior Katie Freeman earned recognition from the German department. The faculty in each department chose one student from each major to receive the Departmental Honors award. Recipients must be seniors and maintain at least a 3.5 GPA.

“It was definitely complimentary,” Freeman said. She went on to explain her passion for German. “German classes feel different than other classes. It’s its own world. The classes don’t feel as much like busy work; the professors make it more interesting and more fun.”

Mary Spalding, administrative assistant in the Academic Advising Center, helped coordinate each department’s nominations.

“It’s such a nice event to come together,” Spalding said. “It’s really a nice honor to say ‘wow, you’ve worked really hard.’”

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