William Smith Varsity Rowing Captains Lucinda Keck, Jessica Wojslaw and Jessica Mahon embody the leadership skills and spirit that Hobart and William Smith student strive to achieve. They demonstrate their leadership abilities on a daily basis, as the rowing team looks to these women for leadership, guidance and moral support.
The captains attend weekly meetings with the coaching staff to help guide team progress and report back as the voice of the team. Over the winter training session, when the coaches cannot aid the team, these women proved invaluable by taking on the role of coach. While preparing themselves to compete in the NCAA Championships, they planned and implemented the training program for the entire squad and also taught and trained the first-year squad, who needed daily coaching and assistance.
Without these three women, the team would not have trained as hard or come as far as they have this season. Through their dedication and leadership abilities, they have proven themselves as leaders in every sense of the word.
Dan DeNose '10 is an involved leader on campus. Over the past two years, he has not only demonstrated academic excellence, but he has shown committed leadership in a series of significant civic-minded activities.
Early on in his career at the Colleges, Dan impressed the HWS community with his character and charisma. He has been seen by his peers, the administration and the staff as a leader and a Statesman on campus.
He has captivated crowds with his formal speeches and sincere words at various functions including Capital Campaign events in Washington, D.C. and California. He also toasted Congressman John Lewis during Convocation at the start of the 2007-2008 academic year. Dan has also spoken at Geneva High School, where he presented a seminar on life skills to students.
Dan has completed extensive community service, most notably as a Bonner Leader in the Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning. In this role, Dan raises awareness and educates the youth of Geneva about local and global issues. He is currently working with a committee of students to raise 1,000 canned goods to be donated to the Geneva Food Pantry.
In the classroom, Dan has demonstrated his leadership ability by working to create his own major, "Rhetoric and Leadership."
Dan is a leader who does not seek praise or acknowledgement for his actions and involvement. For this, many of his peers have expressed their admiration. Through his efforts to improve the community, he has become a role model to those around him.
Tyson Reuter '09 is a strong and spirited campus leader. He is a psychology and philosophy double major with a GPA of 3.96. Over the past three years here at HWS, Tyson has not only demonstrated academic excellence, but he has shown committed leadership in a series of significant civic-minded activities.
Over the past summer, Tyson served a resident treatment facility working with and caring for emotionally and behaviorally disturbed children. Currently, he volunteers in Geneva at the Boys and Girls Club, where he can be seen teaching fourteen- and seventeen-year-old students vital reading skills as part of a rigorous literacy program.
Despite his heavy workload, Tyson also works as a teaching assistant in the Political Science Department. In his spare time, he conducts research in psychology, helping to design and conduct important studies in the areas of cognition and motivation.
Overall, Tyson embodies many of the best qualities of student leaders at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. His academic interest and intellectual curiosity have made him an outstanding contributor to the overall classroom atmosphere while his devotion toward the greater good has made him an invaluable asset to our community as a whole. Out campus has truly benefited from Tyson’s vigorous leadership. He is a leader in every sense of the word.
Sara Wallace '08 embodyies the leadership skills and spirit that HWS students strive to achieve. She has been dedicated to a variety of activities during her four years here and is an outstanding role model.
A triple major in Political Science, History and Russian Area Studies, she completed an internship this past summer at the State Department in Washington, D.C. She is a active member of the William Smith Congress and secretary for both the Russian Society and the Americans for Informed Democracy chapter. She is a Research Assistant for two faculty members and a senior mentor in the Learn to Lead leadership program.
A third-year Resident Assistant in the Office of Residential Education, she models dedication to her residents and is available for transportation or home-cooked meals.
Rachel Sumner ’08 personifies the best qualities of student leaders at Hobart and William Smith through her dedication to a wide variety of service activities during her four years here.
She has been an integral member of America Reads and serves as the Bonner Leader for Literacy. Rachel helped start a Geneva chapter of First Book, a national non-profit that gives books to children from low income families. She has also been involved in the Big Sisters program.
Most recently, Rachel worked with the William Smith Dean’s Office to recreate the Common Ground program, which orients first-year students to campus. She worked for six months reviewing past student feedback evaluations and made improvements to the existing program. She has encouraged Common Ground mentors to “keep only what works” and improve on the rest.
Rachel is currently a member of Hai Timiai, the William Smith senior honor society. She is also a peer mentor for Common Ground and the William Smith Sidekicks program.
Overall, Rachel has shown extraordinary leadership on campus, and she deserves to be recognized for her dedication to the HWS and Geneva communities. She is a leader in every sense of the word, and our campus wouldn’t be the same without her!
Jake Napier ’09 embodies the leadership skills and spirit that Hobart and William Smith students strive to achieve through his dedication to a variety of organizations.
Jake is an active student leader on campus. He is the treasurer of Hobart Student Government, the vice president of the Inter-Fraternity Council, and is the newly elected president of Chi Phi Fraternity. Through these roles he has demonstrated his commitment and dedication to the Hobart and William Smith community.
Jake has also exhibited his leadership skills while facilitating meetings and coordinating events. In his roll as treasurer of the Budget Allocation Committee, Jake works closely with the treasurer of William Smith Congress to create processes and procedures for all HWS clubs and organizations.
Jake can be seen in the Geneva community at Neighbor’s Night, dedicating his time to helping children in the community. Each week, Jake and other students share a meal with local children and participate in fun activities, such as singing, reading books and playing games.
Overall, Jake has shown extraordinary leadership on campus, and he deserves to be recognized for his dedication to the HWS and Geneva communities. Jake is a leader in every sense of the word, and our campus wouldn’t be the same without him!
Amy Nadel ’09 has emerged as a strong, dynamic and competent leader on campus through her dedication to a variety of organizations, including the Campus Activities Board, Women’s Collective and NARAL Pro Choice NY.
In February 2007, Amy coordinated the Vagina Monologues, sponsored by the Women’s Collective. She took initiative and spent countless hours working to create a successful performance attended by the HWS community. From reserving microphones to ordering t-shirts, Amy happily did it all! The performance raised a substantial amount of money for the Rape Crisis Center in Geneva.
Amy was recently named co-chair for the campus NARAL chapter, using her leadership skills while facilitating meetings and coordinating events. She also volunteers at the Community Lunch Program, helping others with a hot meal and a smile.
Overall, Amy has shown extraordinary leadership on campus, and she deserves to be recognized for her dedication to the HWS and Geneva communities. She is a leader in every sense of the word, and our campus wouldn’t be the same without her!
Each month the Office of Residential Education accepts nominations for an outstanding student leader to be awarded the "Leader of the Month Award."
Any student is eligible to be nominated. All nominations are confidential, however name and email must be included to ensure multiple nominations are not received.
