The Honors College

Students honor faculty mentors with Inspiration Awards

The event also celebrated the launch of OU's Mentorship Institute.

icon of a calendarFebruary 27, 2019

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Students honor faculty mentors with Inspiration Awards
Mina Wassef and Randall Engle

Each day, faculty mentors help guide students toward their academic and personal goals, passing down knowledge and wisdom that will last a lifetime. 

Arsha Ali and Osamah Rawashdeh

Arsha Ali and Dr. Osamah Rawashdeh

Brandy Hewines

Honors College Dean Dr. Graeme Harper and Brandy Hewines

Elan Pszenica and Fabia Battistuzzi

Elan Pszenica and Dr. Fabia Battistuzzi

Mina Wassef and Randall Engle

Dr. Randall Engle and Mina Wassef

Students in Oakland University’s Honors College recently showed their appreciation by nominating their mentors for Inspiration Awards. The students and faculty took time to celebrate one another at a gathering in Oak View Hall. The event also marked the launch of the Oakland University Mentorship Institute, an initiative intended to foster mentoring relationships among faculty and students.

Arsha Ali nominated Dr. Osamah Rawashdeh, from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. In her nomination letter, Ali wrote of her experience working in Dr. Rawashdeh’s Embedded Systems Research Laboratory.

 “Through working in the lab, I have come to love both the challenges and victories that come with engineering. I am now certain that a future centered on research is the perfect path for me.”

Brandy Hewines nominated Dr. Michael Mitchell, from the School of Music, Theatre and Dance. In her letter, she noted his “positive energy” and that “He inspires everyone in chorus and beyond, myself included, with his anecdotes and small, insightful, and thoughtful speeches.”

Elan Pszenica nominated Dr. Fabia Battistuzzi from the Department of Biological Sciences. Her course in Evolutionary Medicine made a lasting impression on him. 

“By the end of the course, I had not only learned the desired information, but am now competent in a number of skills that I never realized I had, as well as discovering a new passion for a whole new field of science I never realized I had interest in before,” he wrote. “Dr. Battistuzzi is one of the many reasons that I am proud to call myself a Golden Grizzly, for helping me discover my potential and getting me excited for my future career in medicine that lies ahead.”

In what was deemed the “most inspirational” nomination, Mina Wassef honored Dr. Randall Engle, from the Religious Studies program. He pointed out that “Dr. Engle understands that lectures can get dull and uninteresting. However, he engages his students by taking us outside of the classroom to experience what he teaches. In his Edwardian England class, Dr. Engle always makes it an obligation to show us parts of Meadow Brook Hall that pertain to the lesson.”

Each faculty mentor received a certificate of recognition. For the “most inspirational” nomination, the student will receive a medallion and the faculty mentor will receive a plaque.

To learn more about OU’s Honors College, visit oakland.edu/hc.

 

 

 

 

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