TCC Celebrates Student Success at 2025 Academic Excellence and Community Engagement Awards Ceremony
Tidewater Community College (TCC) held its annual Academic Excellence and Community Engagement Awards Ceremony on Thursday afternoon, April 24, in the Chesapeake Campus Student Center. Over 150 students were honored for their academic achievements and dedication at the event, with a special focus on those earning top grade point averages. Several students also received community engagement awards.
The ceremony opened with a warm welcome from TCC Associate Professor of Mathematics, Sarah DiCalogero, a TCC faculty member for over 20 years and current Faculty Senate Chair.
TCC President Dr. Marcia Conston addressed the audience, stating:
“I am continuously amazed and proud of the positive, good impact and influence TCC families, our students, families, and staff have on Hampton Roads. It is always a joy for me to recognize and to honor our students’ special achievements as well as their social achievements.”
Professor of Spanish and Foreign Language Department Chair, Dr. Jessica Lynam, served as the keynote speaker of the event. She praised the students’ resilience, saying:
“You kept on showing up. You showed up on the days when you felt like quitting. You showed up when it felt like too much.”
Dr. Lynam highlighted two Spanish words: “La Preparación” and “Educación”. “La Preparación” means preparation in English. She referred to how the students started off with the process of academic preparation. She related it to the students’ classes, degree program, and grades. “Educación” means education in Spanish. She emphasized the word’s deeper meaning beyond education to include character, values, and personal growth.
Dr. Lynam is TCC’s Professor of the Year for Academic Year 2024-2025. She teaches Spanish on the Portsmouth and Chesapeake campuses.
Later in the program, Dr. Conston, alongside Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Karen Campbell, handed out awards to students.
Students recognized for Academic Excellence were grouped by grade point averages:
- 4.0
- 3.8 to 3.99
- 3.5 to 3.79
Interim Associate Vice President of Academics, Dr. Siabhon M. Harris, introduced the Community Engagement Award.
“I would like to take a moment to highlight the purpose of this award. This award was created to recognize our students that go above and beyond, not only in the classroom, but also give service to others. These are students that have shown exceptional academic achievement and a deep commitment to making a difference in their time at TCC,” Dr. Harris said.
Faculty and staff nominated students, who excel in their studies and embody a spirit of service in the college and Hampton Roads area, for this award.
The recipients had to meet essential criteria. To be eligible, students had to have GPA of 3.0 or higher, be a first-time recipient, and demonstrate a strong history of service at the college or in the local community.
This year, there were 16 students who received the Community Engagement Award.
Tanisha Amos
Audrey Barrett
Tiana Carter
Ethan Crutchfield
Isaac DeHaan
Darryl Faine
Deiandre Fernandez
Eli Gray
Kevin Guo
Julia Lee
Cody Murray
Rick Nguyen
Mandy Nieto
Mary Orvin
Whitney Ulmer-Dukes