PNC Students Earn Honors

WESTVILLE – Purdue University North Central students have earned a number of honors in recent weeks. They include:

Misty Speelman, a senior majoring in Accounting, was presented with the Outstanding Undergraduate Accounting Award, sponsored by the Indiana CPA Society. The award guidelines include general grade average; proficiency in English, math, and speech; the student’s willingness to accept responsibility; extracurricular activities and moral character. Speelman also works on campus as an accounting tutor in the Learning Center.

Thomas “Fujii” Stockstill, a junior majoring in Behavioral Sciences, received the Chancellor’s Award for Honoring Diversity. He is involved on campus as a tutor with Student Support Services, served on Student Government and is active in Construction Club, Social Work Club, Dean’s Leadership Group and Campus Crusade. He has participated in Faculty Senate and has aided in the Martin Luther King celebrations at PNC. He willingly helps students to overcome their difficulties by offering appropriate and encouraging support and serves as a mentor to many. In the community, he has been involved with support groups, church activities, Habitat for Humanity, clothing drives, inmate outreach and is a kindergarten and day care volunteer. He received the Legacy Foundation, Inc., 2004 Legends Scholarship.

Katy Callan, a senior Liberal Studies major, is one of eight students across the country to receive the Alpha Sigma Lambda Adult Education Foundation grant. This scholarship is awarded based on outstanding scholarship and leadership. She has served as a member and officer of Student Government for two years, was a staff writer for the student newspaper “The Spectator,” served on the Student Affairs Committee, Curriculum Committee, Campus Appeals Board and was a member of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Search Advisory Committee.

Adam Dobrzeniecki, a sophomore basketball player majoring in Liberal Arts, was named National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Honorable Mention All-American and the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Player of the Year. This is the first time that a PNC athlete has earned the CCAC Player of the Year honor since the Panthers joined the NAIA six years ago. Dobrzeniecki, a center and graduate of Lake Central High School, placed second in the CCAC in scoring, averaging 18 points per game. He also led the league in rebounds, averaging 9.5 per game, and averaged more than one blocked shot per game.

Drew Dixon, a junior basketball player majoring in Business, was named NAIA Honorable Mention All-Conference. A first-year player from South Bend, Dixon transferred to PNC after playing for Ancilla College for two years. A guard, he ranked fifth in the CCAC in scoring, averaging 14.3 points per game. He was eighth overall in rebounding, with an average 6.6 per game and tied with Panther teammate Matt Martinez for second in the conference assists with both averaging 4.6 per game.

Belinda Wheeler, a senior English major, recently won the Helen Bass Williams award for the best African, African American or Black Literature essay in the 74th Annual Literary Awards at Purdue West Lafayette. Helen Bass Williams was the first African American faculty member at Purdue West Lafayette and this award is given annually in her honor. Wheeler’s paper "Creativity as Empowerment in The Color Purple" also earned the John Pappas award in the PNC Portals writing competition.

Tessa Anderson, a junior majoring in Organizational Leadership and Supervision, was awarded the 2005 PNC Women In Engineering and Technology Scholarship for her participation and leadership in the program. Anderson attended meetings throughout the year and participated in the Women in Engineering fall service project and helped serve the Opportunity Enterprise pasta dinner for runners competing in the Chicago Marathon.

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