Students from the College of Staten Island received three of the four graduation awards given by the Richmond County Psychological Association (RCPA) last spring. The students are Alokika Fernandes, Snigdha Banerjee, and Elizabeth Iannone, who all graduated last spring from CSI. The RCPA presented the awards in recognition of the students’ outstanding grades and research experience with CSI faculty.
Alokika Fernandes received a Dolphin Award for Outstanding Service and Contribution to the College by a Currently Enrolled Student last May. She is pictured with CSI President Tomas Morales.Alokika Fernandes is an international student from Bangalore, India, who also served as Vice President of CSI Student Government and student speaker at the first annual Honors Convocation. Commenting on her award, she said, “I am both honored and humbled by this award. I know that some of the other awardees have outstanding research experience, so it is an honor to be a co-recipient. This award acknowledges my passion for psychology; I am grateful to the professors who believed in my potential and nominated me for this honor. I must add, though, that the most rewarding part is the pride it brings to my parents.”
Fernandes, who is interested in the study of trauma in children due to domestic violence and sexual abuse, hopes to continue her studies in psychology at the graduate level. She is shown at left accepting a Dolphin Award from CSI President Tomas Morales for Outstanding Service and Contribution to the College by a Currently Enrolled Student last May.
Snigdha Banerjee was also honored to receive her award, stating, “I believe that I have made a significant contribution to the Psychology department at the College of Staten Island in several ways. Through my president and officer positions in the CSI Psychology Club, I was able to allocate funds for members to attend the annual convention for the Association for Psychological Science (APS) for two years. This was a great opportunity for members, as it helped us network with psychology students and professors from other universities, attend research presentations, and better define our own field of interest in psychology.” Banerjee also hopes to continue on to graduate school and study clinical psychology and cognitive neuroscience.
Elizabeth Iannone could not be reached for comment.
Nan Sussman, chairperson of the CSI Department of Psychology noted that, beyond the recognition of our graduates, the RCPA “specifically complimented the CSI faculty for their excellence in teaching and mentoring.”
