2019 Campbell Award Winners
In 2016, the Columbia University Trustees and the Columbia Alumni Association (CAA) established The Campbell Award, which is presented to a graduating student at each School who shows exceptional leadership and Columbia spirit as exemplified by the late Bill Campbell '62CC, '64TC, Chair Emeritus, University Trustee and CAA co-founder.
Congratulations to the 2019 recipients! Learn more about these inspiring, soon-to-be alumni below.
Alicia Abdu Simba '19BC is the president of Barnard’s Organization of Soul Sisters (BOSS), active in Barnard Student Government Association, Extended Barnard Reach-Out, and serves on the Dean of the College Search Committee, Barnard Bulletin, Activities Board at Columbia, Writing Fellow, Harlem Leadership and Lacrosse Tutor. She was vice president of policy for the Student Government Association last year. Since her sophomore year, she has served as a teacher’s aide at the Tompkins Hall Nursery and Childcare Center and most recently as an assistant teacher at the Barnard College Center for Toddler Development. She is majoring in Political Science with a minor in Education Studies. Simba is from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Carlisle E. W. Topping '19CC, from McMinnville, Oregon, is a four-year member of the varsity women’s soccer team. She is a Biology/Pre-Med major, and serves as co-president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She is a member of Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority, and a lead researcher and first author of a K1 Project Paper. The K1 Project at Columbia's Center for Nuclear Studies promotes informed debate on issues relating to nuclear technologies and proliferation. Topping has served as a One Love facilitator on campus to spread awareness about sexual misconduct and relationship abuse.
Joshua Adam Barrett '19BUS is pursuing his MBA at Columbia Business School and a medical degree at Georgetown. Barrett is vice president of external relations for the Healthcare Industry Association (HCIA), participates actively in student life, and has interned with several organizations. He has always been interested in the intersection of the business of medicine and healthcare. In the HCIA, he builds community and facilitates cross-collaboration with the Schools and student clubs at Columbia and other prominent business schools focused on healthcare. Barrett is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Amanda Arriaran '19DM is student government association president and her class vice president. She is a student admissions coordinator, a STEM Day Dental Organizer, American Student Dental Organization (ASDA) editor-in-chief, and serves as liaison on the Student Health Advisory Committee. Arriaran was elected as a member of the 2017-18 Events Council representing the College of Dental Medicine. These students from each school plan activities that connect students across all Columbia Schools. Their goal is to build community through University-wide social programs and events, and create opportunities for students to connect beyond their Schools through engagement, leadership, and programming.
Raisa Flor '19GS is the student body president at General Studies Student Council (GSSC). She joined the GSSC in 2016 as Chief of Campus Life. Flor has served as chief of communications and chief of policy. Elected vice president of policy for the 2017-2018 academic year, she spearheaded policy initiatives to improve mental health at Columbia and increase resources for students facing financial insecurity. Flor has been awarded a Spirit Award and a Change Agent Award for her continued work and dedication to GS. Flor is originally from Brazil, where she worked in fashion journalism before deciding to attend Columbia.
Ian Francis Yu '19GSAPP is graduating with an MS in Urban Planning from the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP). He is currently a graduate student assistant at GSAPP and also a participant in the Morgan Stanley Community Development Graduate Fellowship Program, a program designed to help cultivate and empower the next generation of community development leaders. Yu takes initiative to support his peers, and has worked toward the UP Program Council to organize a mental health first aid training as a way to build solidarity and decrease the stigma surrounding mental illness. He is from San Diego, California.
Sarah Hannan Arkebauer '19GSAS is the president of the Columbia University Arts and Sciences Graduate Council, where she also served as the budget and finance chair. In 2016, she was a summer teaching scholar. Arkebauer was a fellow in academic administration at Public Books and served as an editorial assistant at Jacket2 at the University of Pennsylvania. Her level of activity in her department, across graduate departments, in campus offices, and in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), has provided a clear conduit between graduate students (both PhD and MA) and the administration. She is receiving a PhD in English and Comparative Literature. Arkebauer originally hails from Lincoln, Nebraska.
Ken Ingram '19JRN has more than eight years of experience as a professional writer and photographer, with a diverse multimedia portfolio that includes contributions to CBC Radio, The Boston Globe, The Chronicle Herald, The Phnom Penh Post, and Southeast Asia Globe, as well as Ottawa’s award-winning Apt613, Herd Magazine, and others. Ingram is one of only seven students in the science concentration at the School of Journalism this year. He has worked with students University-wide to encourage active participation in the Sexual Respect Initiative, and serves as co-president of the Columbia Chapter of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association. He has served as an ambassador to the Journalism School’s Sexual Respect Initiative. His two undergraduate degrees are from schools in Nova Scotia, Canada.
David C. Kellam '19LAW is a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar at the Law School and serves on the editorial board, as note editor, of the Columbia Journal of Law and Social Problems (JLSP), the only Columbia Law journal that is entirely student-written. Members have an excellent chance to publish because JLSP is a general interest journal covering the broad area of "law and social problems," enjoying numerous citations in the SCOTUS, courts of appeal, and district courts. Kellam is a research assistant to Professor George Fletcher. He recruited philosophy students and worked with the Columbia Philosophy Department to open certain law classes to non-law students. He is from Wilmington, North Carolina.
Jonathan Ringer '19NRS is receiving his advanced degree from Columbia School of Nursing as a pediatric primary care nurse practitioner and doctor of nursing practice. Ringer has been involved with the student life and the Office of Development and Alumni Relations since he was an Entry-to-Practice (ETP) student. He has served as a peer leader and mentor, Admissions Office student ambassador, member of the Exec Board for Men in Nursing student club, member of Columbia Black Student Nurses, a teaching assistant, Annual Fund Programs volunteer, and a regular attendee at School events. Ringer builds connections with fellow peers and future colleagues in nursing across barriers. He is from Queens, New York.
Sun-Ming Jessica Pan '19PH took the initiative to create the first Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC)-wide Gun Violence Action Week program for students at the medical campus and is an active advocate for change both in the community and at the University. She spearheaded a $10,000 fundraising campaign with her peers to raise money for a research project for students to go to Puerto Rico over spring break. Pan is a criminal justice policy and enforcement intern at Everytown for Gun Safety, a movement of Americans working together to end gun violence and build safer communities. She has served with Jordan International Aid, a non-profit, all-volunteer, humanitarian aid and relief organization, providing medical, financial, and spiritual aid in third world countries and disaster zones. She is set to receive her MPH in Epidemiology from the Mailman School of Public Health. Pan is from Northern California.
Delia Maeve O’Shea '19VPS has been the vice president of her class throughout her four years as a medical student at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S). She came to VP&S from Dartmouth, where she graduates cum laude in Neuroscience. O’Shea is a senior clinician at Columbia Student Medical Outreach (CoSMO), a student-run free clinic for local, uninsured patients. She regularly collaborates with students from the other CUIMC Schools. She has contributed significantly to enhancing the School community and has worked exceptionally well with students, faculty, and administration. O’Shea is from Nashua, New Hampshire.
Bianca Cristina Gotuaco '19SEAS is a senior at the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) majoring in Applied Physics & Mathematics. She has excelled in archery at Columbia, coming to the University from her home in Manila, Philippines. In 2017 she was the Individual gold medal recurve champion at the National Outdoor Collegiate Championships. Along with her archery teammates, she has been an ambassador of Columbia to a wide audience on and off campus. Gotuaco has also taken on the role of co-chair for this year’s Engineering Student Fund, a responsibility that requires her to garner the support of other students and reach out to the broader class of seniors and encourage them to participate.
JoAnna Kyle '19SIPA is pursuing an MIA in International Security Policy with specializations in Conflict Resolution and Russian Studies. She hails from Little Rock, Arkansas, and attended the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University for her undergraduate degree. Before attending the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), she served in the U.S. Navy in the Asia-Pacific region and currently serves as a lieutenant in the Navy. As the past president of SIPASA (SIPA’s student government), she served as peer advisor and as an advocate for students and is actively engaged in numerous student organizations at SIPA. She looks for ways to represent her peers in a fair and consistent manner.
Katherine Wilkinson '19SOA is a director and producer, graduating from Columbia’s Theatre Program with a concentration on directing. She has collaborated with colleagues from across the University while putting together new work that is both original and socially conscious. She founded the Gale Theatre Company based in Austin, Texas. Her undergraduate work was done at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She hails from San Francisco, California.
Rachel Oatis '19SPS is a key student leader at the School of Professional Studies (SPS) who serves within the student club, A Different World, to raise awareness about issues pertaining to underrepresented student populations and to provide support for Columbia’s historically black college and university (HBCU) alumni. She was able to set up information sessions for talented HBCU seniors to learn about the benefits of SPS and the HBCU Fellowship. She recruited 20 applicants to SPS and to the HBCU Fellowship by herself. As a member of the Global Career Practicum, she will visit Santiago, Chile, to learn about leadership, innovation, and technology within Latin America, while representing SPS. Oatis also makes time to intern at the Andrew Mellon Foundation, and was a member of the TEDxColumbia Curation team, working with numerous Columbia staff and students in order to develop a program that highlights speakers and their narratives. She hails from Lutcher, Louisiana.
Joseida Miguelina Rosario '19SW is the president of the Columbia School of Social Work (SW) Wellness Caucus, which was created to promote physical, mental, and emotional health and well-being among SW students and staff. Rosario is the student ambassador for the Office of Admissions, and also serves as a fellow on the Council on Social Work Education’s Minority Fellowship Program, a highly selective program. Recently, she has become a part of a team selected for the Design Your Venture opportunity through the Design Studio Team at Columbia. Rosario is a graduate assistant in the Office of Multicultural Affairs. She is from the Bronx, New York.
Anansa Benbow '19TC comes from Troy, New York, and is in the Applied Linguistics Master of Arts Program. Benbow is the publicity chair for the TESOL/AL Round Table – a student-run organization that allows students to present research in an informal environment. She is the social programming chair for the Black Student Network, and a presenter at the Columbia-hosted TedX on African-American English and students who speak it in the K-12 system. Benbow has volunteered at Columbia’s Community Impact, teaching adult English classes. She is a diamond of a leader that does not seek accolades for the work she puts in. Her role in the Office of Student Affairs as an administrative fellow puts her in constant contact with over 30 student-run clubs and organizations, and she serves as the liaison to connect Teachers College (TC) clubs and organizations with their counterparts at Columbia. Benbow also enjoys Sudoku puzzles, card writing, reading memoirs, and playing pick-up basketball.
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Congratulations to Daniel McConnell and Joshua Schenk who received this year's Campbell Award for University Citizenship.
Daniel McConnell '14CC, '19BUS, '19VPS was instrumental in the early conception and implementation of the CU there! program including creating and overseeing its post-summer survey analysis. McConnell has been an active alumnus -- serving as an Alumni Representative Committee (ARC) interviewer, class agent, and volunteer for his fifth reunion -- while pursuing both his MBA and MD. His work as a University Senator and a member of both the Alumni Relations and Student Affairs Committees of the Senate are noteworthy considering his course load and clinical work. His strategic insight, along with his good humor and enthusiasm for all things Columbia, has shone through during his two years as the graduate student representative to the CAA Board.
As a CAA Board member, McConnell has been involved in the Recent Alumni and Student Committee and Columbia Alumni Leaders Weekend. He has also been integral in connecting Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VPS) students to the CAA through his work on the annual CAA-CUIMC BBQ and football outing, and numerous social events on the Morningside campus. He has been instrumental in helping students from Public Health, VPS, and the Law School secure CAA co-sponsorship funding for Gun Violence Week this past October (for which Jessica Pan was nominated for and selected for a Campbell Award from Public Health).
Joshua Michael Schenk ’19CC is a political science senior. He was elected to the University Senate in 2016 after serving as the Class of 2019 president. As president, Josh secured air conditioning installation in undergraduate housing, partnered with over 20 NYC restaurants to create a discount program for Columbia students, and launched a peer mentorship program for first-year students. Schenk is from Los Angeles, where he served as an elected member of his school district’s board of education during his senior year of high school. He has served as the undergraduate student representative on the CAA Board the past two years, and helped to create the student/alumni initiative called CU There! now in its third year.