Philosophy students honored for their achievements
This year the philosophy department instituted two prestigious new awards for undergraduate students, the Outstanding Graduating Senior Award and the Academic Excellence Scholarship. Department Chair Josh Wilburn hopes they will serve as "new ways of celebrating and supporting our students." The inaugural recipients received their awards at a ceremony in the Philosophy Department at the end of the winter semester.
The Outstanding Graduating Senior Award will be awarded annually to one to two graduating philosophy majors who distinguish themselves throughout their undergraduate careers in a variety of different areas such as academic performance, written work, research projects, mentorship and engagement with the department, university and/or Detroit community.
The Academic Excellence Scholarship will be awarded to two to four continuing students each year who have demonstrated academic excellence and promise in their philosophy coursework.
The inaugural recipients of the Graduating Senior Award for the 2022-2023 academic year were Kit Tran, a philosophy and neuroscience double-major and Shane Tinsley, a philosophy major.
Despite being in a self-described "state of chronic existential crisis", Tran finds solace in their choice to take philosophy classes. "Growing up in an immigrant family and having attended Catholic school, I was always told that asking questions was a bother. It always meant a lot to me that philosophy faculty-as accomplished, intelligent and busy as they were-not only answered my questions but clearly respected me as a person and encouraged my curiosity. Receiving this award isn't just a validation of my academic achievements, it's a reminder that I should continue being my ever-curious self."
The recipients of the scholarship award for the 2022-2023 academic year were Dayton Briggs, Sukhmani Mandair, Adeline Navarro and Fatima Yahya.
Briggs, who hopes to attend law school in the future, says, "it means the world to receive this scholarship. Ever since I graduated high school, I have lived on my own, commuted [to my all of classes] and worked full time to pay for school as I go. Before I started college, I had a goal to graduate debt-free. This scholarship undoubtedly supports my endeavors and I sincerely appreciate it."
Navarro, a first-generation college student who attributes her success to her cats, says that this award, "feels like confirmation that I'm making the right choices even if there is not a path set out for me to follow. It's also overwhelmingly comforting to receive recognition for the work I put into academia."