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North Park University Celebrates 110th Commencement
CHICAGO, IL (May 16, 2003) - North Park University (NPU) celebrated its 110th
Commencement last Saturday as President David G. Horner and Provost
Margaret J. Haefner presented 236 undergraduate degrees and 85 graduate
degrees to individuals representing 21 countries.
Five students received special honors from the school for their academic
and extracurricular efforts on and off campus:
- Daniel La Spata of South Plainfield, New Jersey, received the Senior
Par Excellence Award from the Office of Student Development for
demonstrating the best in campus involvement and leadership during
undergraduate years, including participation in activities and campus life
and service to the community. A psychology major and a resident assistant
at NPU, La Spata hopes to work at Sojourners, a Christian ministry with a
mission to proclaim and practice biblical principles and to integrate
spiritual renewal and social justice. Last fall, he was one of four
students honored by University Ministries with the Outstanding
Servant-Leadership Award for his service and ministry in the community.
This year, he was the student director of Urban Outreach, overseeing all
student community service programs. He also sang with the University choir.
- Marissa Riojas of Waukesha, Wisconsin, also received the Senior Par
Excellence Award from the Office of Student Development for demonstrating
the best in campus involvement and leadership and for participation in
activities and campus life and service to the community. Riojas served as
president of the Latin American Student Organization
(LASO) and participated in athletics at NPU, playing two years of varsity
softball. With LASO, she worked cooperatively with other student
association groups to achieve unity in purpose and to promote respect for
differences. Riojas graduated with a major in biblical and theological
studies and hopes to attend seminary in the future to be
trained as a missionary.
- David Eads of Kennewick, Washington, received the Outstanding Senior
Award in recognition of academic excellence as well as extraordinary
leadership on and off campus. The award recognizes individuals who embody
the principles and spirit of North Park University and who maintain a grade
point average of 3.50 or above on a 4.0 scale. Eads served as Student
Association senator, academics and education director, member and treasurer
of the Society of Physics Students, member of Urban Institute Board, member
of the Math Club, member of the Middle Eastern Student Association and
organizer of the 2003 North Park Peace Initiative. He was also active in
the Threshold
program, taking students to visit housing projects and he spoke in a class
about God and public housing this spring. Outside of North Park, Eads has
been involved in computer programming, web design, community outreach and
political advocacy. Eads graduated magna cum laude with a major in physics
and a cumulative grade point average of 3.86.
- Britt Erickson of Minneapolis, Minnesota, also received the Outstanding
Senior Award in recognition of academic excellence and extraordinary
leadership on and off campus, as well as maintaining a grade point average
of 3.50 or above on a 4.0 scale. Erickson has exhibited on-campus
leadership through her work with the North Park Press student
newspaper, the Provost's Diversity Task Force and the Physics Students
Association. She also was involved with community service through North
Park's Urban Outreach program, serving as a computer tutor at Covenant Home
of Chicago and volunteering at and coordinating clothes drives and book
sales for the Sarah's Circle Women's Homelessness Shelter. She was a member
of the University's first crew
team, physics tutor, teacher's assistant and she also spent a year studying
in Jönköping, Sweden, and participated in North Park's Sankofa racial
reconciliation trip to Mississippi this spring. Most recently, Erickson
organized a benefit concert that raised more than $2,000 for a clinic in
Haiti that she will be working at next year. Off campus, Erickson was
recipient of an American Association of Physicists in Medi
cine (AAPM) research fellowship, conducted independent research in Medical
Physics (radiation therapy) at Mayo Clinic and served as assistant director
of the PBS preschool TV show Jay Jay the Jet Plane in Los Angeles,
California. Erickson graduated magna cum laude with
a bachelor of arts in science in physics and a cumulative GPA of 3.91.
- Amy Lymburner of Londonderry, New Hampshire, received the Ahnfeldt
Medallion, which is awarded to the undergraduate student with the best
academic record.
Honorary doctorates were awarded to Daniel Alvarez Sr., former commissioner
of Chicago's Department of Human Services; Janet Wolter, professor of
medicine; and Brian Piccolo, chair of Cancer Research at Rush Presbyterian
St. Luke's Medical Center. Twenty-eight members of the North Park Junior
College Reunion Class of 1953 took part in the processional to celebrate
their 50-year reunion.
North Park University is located on Chicago's north side and enrolls 2,800
students from around the globe. Founded in 1891 by the Evangelical Covenant
Church, North Park has been repeatedly named one of "America's Best
Colleges" by U.S. News & World Report. For more information on the
school, call 773-244-5567.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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