Student Awards
Nominations for CEC's 2010 Student Awards and Scholarships are now closed. Click here for more information about the program.
2009 Student Awards and Scholarship Winners
Congratulations to our 2009 winners!
2009 Susan Phillips Gorin Award
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Dr. Wendy Ehrensberger |
Dr. Wendy Ehrensberger is Assistant Professor of Special Education at Dowling College, the faculty advisor to the Dowling College Student Chapter, and Co-Advisor for New York CEC’s Student Association. She has been involved with and provided leadership for the Dowling College chapter and its members for the last 15 years. Because of her efforts, Dowling College is now the largest student chapter in New York CEC. Dr. Ehrensberger, along with Dr. Margaret McLane, began the New York State CEC Student Association annual Leadership Training/Student Convention. Now in its ninth year, the convention features professional development sessions and provides the opportunity for student members to learn strategies for leading their chapters and encourages their participation in leadership at the state and national level.
2009 Outstanding Graduate Student Member of the Year Award
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Sara Aronin |
In her first year in the doctoral program at the University of Central Florida, Sara Aronin was selected to work with the Toni Jennings Exceptional Education Institute. She developed a relationship with the NASA Education Resource Center, combining her knowledge in science with the field of special education. Ms. Aronin is an intern for the Personnel Center Project at NASDSE as part of an OSEP-funded Special Education Faculty Needs Assessment, and for the past three years she has worked on the new state-of-the-art virtual classroom that will prepare teachers in an environment that does not put children at-risk. She is the Senior Student Representative for the Teacher Education Division and the Student Representative to Florida CEC. Ms. Aronin will graduate this August with her Ph.D. in Exceptional Education.
2009 Outstanding Undergraduate Student Member of the Year Award
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Amanda Tester |
Amanda Tester is Vice President of the CEC Student Chapter at East Tennessee State University. She was one of the first students to develop and implement Siblings United workshops, a local network for siblings of individuals with disabilities, and expanded this program beyond what the student chapter was sponsoring into Elizabethton/Carter County, Tennessee. Ms. Tester is a member of several civic groups and organizations including Kappa Delta Pi and Sigma Alpha Lambda. After graduation this spring, Ms. Tester plans to teach elementary students with severe to profound disabilities and later seek a master’s degree in early childhood special education.
2009 Undergraduate Graduation Award
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Karissa Gonzalez |
Karissa Gonzalez is President of the New York University CEC Student Chapter. Under her leadership, the chapter doubled its membership, increased participation in campus-wide activities, and was actively involved in the silent auction at the state conference that brought $200 to each of the state’s student chapters. Ms. Gonzalez is also Vice President of the New York State Student CEC, a vibrant and active program supporting the state’s student members and student chapters. She will be graduating this May with a B.A. degree and a triple major in Early Childhood Education, Special Education at the Early Childhood level, and Psychology.
2009 Kayte M. Fearn CEC Ethnic Diversity Scholarship
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Tiffany Cohen |
Tiffany Cohen is President of the CEC Student Chapter at North Carolina A&T State University. She energized the chapter’s student members for service projects including as a Holiday Book Drive, and horseback riding and an Easter Egg Hunt for students with special needs. Ms. Cohen is also a volunteer with the Special Olympics and at CEC state conferences. She serves in on campus leadership in the Student Government Association and Kappa Delta Pi, and is a campus life mentor. Ms. Cohen has assisted with conducting university workshops and training sessions, and was a session co-presenter at the 2009 North Carolina CEC conference.
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