White tablecloths and black and gold balloons created an elegant atmosphere in Goldstein Auditorium, where attendees gathered Tuesday evening for the 44 Stars of Excellence Awards and Gala Celebration.

The gala recognizes exemplary Syracuse University students for the hard work and dedication they have shown in various areas of campus and community involvement, said Sarah Cappella, associate director of the Office of Student Activities, which organizes the gala.

‘We try and recognize our students for all the hard work that they’ve put in throughout the year,’ she said.

Students often do not receive recognition throughout the year, Cappella said, because so much focus is directed toward the actual events planned by students and campus organizations. The gala is an end-of-the-year event to publicly recognize students’ involvement.

‘We may not say it on a daily basis,’ she said, ‘but we want to show you that we are grateful and thankful for all of the things that you do for our office and for our students.’

Formally dressed students filled the auditorium with light-spirited chatter as the gala began with a catered dinner at about 6:30 p.m. The awards portion of the evening began at 7 p.m.

Eighteen awards, addressing many areas of campus and community involvement, were given to both individual students and organizations. They included the Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public and Community Service Award; the Public Affairs Award for the Most Outstanding Media or Publication; and the Musical Performing Group of the Year Award, among others.

The most prestigious award is the Senior Vice President Award for Outstanding Senior Leadership, which is given to two seniors who are considered the strongest undergraduate student leaders. This year’s recipients are Donald Saint-Germain, an African-American studies and policy studies major, and Allie Forbes, a psychology and sociology major.

Though the recipient criteria vary with each award, Cappella said general characteristics include perseverance, dedication, integrity and leadership qualities.

‘I think everyone in this room loves Syracuse and everything it’s given us and is trying to give back any way we can, small or large,’ said Matt Cohn, a senior television, radio and film major who was nominated for the Career Services Emerging Leader Award.

‘It’s always an unbelievable feeling – with all the work that you’ve put in – to be recognized for something,’ said Marc Lomasky, a senior sport management major.

Lomasky received the Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public and Community Service Award for his philanthropic work with the Children’s Miracle Network and with the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation.

But the awards are about more than recognition. For Yiwei Wu, senior international relations and advertising major, receiving an award means creating momentum for the future. Wu is managing editor of the LGBT interest magazine, ‘The Outcrowd,’ which received the Associate Vice President Award for Positive Advocacy.

‘This definitely means a lot for the magazine and also for the LGBTQ group on campus,’ she said. ‘I really appreciate the recognition for all the hard work that everybody put into this. It’ll give us more momentum to do a better job next year, keep building our readership and inform the campus more about LGBTQ in an entertaining way.’

Saint-Germain, who received an award for positive advocacy as well, also said he hoped his work toward community involvement at SU would continue in the future.

Said Saint-Germain: ‘Hopefully the younger people who come after you see the work you left, and then they can try to take it to the next level.’

nagorny@syr.edu 

Published on April 17, 2012 at 12:00 pm