AMANDA DEDIE
Staff Writer
Three Fredonia seniors were awarded the prestigious SUNY-wide honor of the Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence. Kaitlyn Crossan, Meghan Devine and Courtney Loiacono, students who major in three completely different studies, were recognized at the Empire State Plaza in Albany on April 2 for their academic and community achievements.
Crossan, a biology major, has received the Yunghans-Mirabelli Science Achievement Award, the Adele Maytum Hunter Scholarship and the Senior Challenge Endowment award (four times). She is a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society, the Honors Program and the Beta Beta Beta Honor Society. Additionally, she has attained SUNYAC All-Academic Honors and was also added to the SUNYAC Commissioner’s List. Crossan’s professional endeavors include an internship with G&P Gynecare and C&S Medical, and research at the Strong Memorial Hospital pediatrics ward.
A 4-year nursery supervisor and volunteer for the First Baptist Church of Eden, Crossan is no stranger to doing community service. She has also participated in Fredonia’s “Dancing with the Athletes.”
To top it all off, Crossan is a 4-year member of the women’s varsity softball team.
Crossan attributes much of her motivation and drive to her mother.
“She’s had a lot of issues in the past few years,” Crossan said. “She suffered from a major heart attack. She has multiple blood clots in her lung that are travelling to her heart. But this whole time she’s been there for me, motivating me, supporting me, pushing me. She taught me that no matter what knocks you down, you just keep going.”
Crossan has a plethora of hobbies, including baking and sports. “I play softball here. I’ve been playing since I was five or six years old. I enjoy baking. My teammates can attest to that; I bring brownies, or their favorite: banana pudding,” she laughed. “I love just being fit. Going to the gym, trying new workouts. I’m a movie fan. I’m down to just cuddle up on a Friday with a movie. For a love movie, it’s ‘P.S. I Love You,’ but for a comedy, it’s ‘Benchwarmers.’ Typical athlete, right?”
The most important question is, with everything Crossan has going on, when does she ever sleep?
“Sometimes it’s not easy,” Crossan said. “I try to nap. Just give me a couple of shots of espresso, and we’re good!”
Devine, an audio production and media management major with a minor in English, is enrolled in the Honors Program and is a member of Lambda Pi Eta; the National Communication Association’s official honor society; Chi Alpha Sigma, a national organization that recognizes student athlete academic successes; Alpha Lambda Delta, an honor society for students who excel academically during their first year studies; and Rotaract, the collegiate version of the Rotary Club.
Devine is the general manager of the Fredonia Radio Systems and oversees many areas of two different radio stations, which consist of 50 campus and community members and the shows they produce. She has also worked for Entercom Communications Corp. in Buffalo, working with Kiss 98.5 FM and Jud Heussler, a 2012 Fredonia graduate.
She is a member of the Fredonia track and field team and, like Crossan, has been named to the SUNYAC All-Academic Team and SUNYAC Commissioner’s List. She was team captain for two years and, at the end of 2014, was awarded the Bleed Blue award, which recognizes on- and off-track leadership, positive attitude and sportsmanship. She has also volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, Chautauqua County Blood Drive, Kid’s Night Out, Fall Sweep and the Move-In Crew.
“I honestly think I’m like my mom, but 20 years younger. She’s always been really involved in a lot of things, and even when we were kids, we were always involved in a million things,” Devine said, explaining the reason for her motivation. “If an opportunity presents itself, why not take advantage of it to see what works for you or what you want to do? Coming to Fredonia, everything about Fredonia I loved. Anyone I’ve ever talked to about Fredonia is so steadfast about how great this school is, how much they love it here, how they wouldn’t change anything about their time here, and I embody that. I have been so grateful for all the opportunities.”
Devine likes to watch movies with her roommates, knit, crochet and is learning to cook. When she has time, that is.
“I don’t know if it’s my extreme A-type personality, but I always get into a rhythm, and if it gets thrown off, I get panicked a little bit. Everything fits into a pattern. It makes it easy when you have the same schedule throughout the whole week. I don’t really nap very often. Worst case scenario, I come back [to the back of the studio] for a few minutes.”
Loiacono, an English and women’s and gender studies double major, is the president of the Women’s Student Union and the Sigma Tau Delta English honor society, as well as a student representative on the Women’s and Gender Studies Advisory Board. She is a student member of the Chautauqua County League of Women Voters and the Dunkirk/Fredonia branch of the American Association of University Women.
Loiacono has also served on the Rules Committee of the Student Association, FRED Leads, through the Center for Multicultural Affairs, and is also a writing and English tutor for native speakers and international students in the learning center.
As for her motivation, Loiacono sings the praises of a couple choice professors.
“Definitely the professors that inspire me are Dr. Jeanette McVicker. I’ve had her as a professor every year. She’s one of those professors where you can’t get enough of their brilliance,” she explained. “Same thing with Dr. Jeffry Iovannone. Between the two of them, they’ve always just challenged me to keep learning.”
“In my free time, Netflix is definitely a hobby of mine,” Loiacono said. “I really like to wind down binge watching great shows, like ‘House of Cards,’ or ‘Battlestar Galactica,’ or ‘Orphan Black.’ I also like to listen to and play music with my boyfriend who plays, like, every instrument under the sun. I play the piano, and I also sing.”
Just like the other award winners, Loiacono manages to find time to sleep despite her busy schedule.
“I have never pulled an all nighter. I hope that I can keep that!” she laughed. “I really value sleep and self care, even though I wished I got more sleep and needed less time for self care. I’m of no use to anyone, including myself, if I don’t find some time to sleep.”
Additionally, Antonio Regulier, a senior double-majoring in social work and English, has been awarded the Lanford Presidential Prize from the Oscar and Esther Lanford Endowment of the Fredonia College Foundation. This award is presented at Commencement to a senior who, as described by the Fredonia website, displays “a high degree of personal honesty and integrity, substantial intellectual growth and achievement during university years, a minimum grade point average of 3.25, and exemplary service to SUNY Fredonia, including active participation in more than one area of university life.”
Congratulations to all award winners, and good luck with any and all future endeavors.