Mavie Awards Honor Students, Faculty, and Staff for Contributing to Mercy
The sixth annual Mavie Awards honored Mercy students, faculty, and staff members for their accomplishments and contributions to the Mercy community. Modeled after the Golden Globes, the May 3 event involved a sit-down dinner, a performance by a student a cappella group, and awards presentations. The Office of Student Life — which organizes the event — presented Mavie Awards in 17 different categories, including Faculty Member of the Year, PACT Advisor of the Year, Mercy Maverick Spirit, and Community Hero.
“Everyone’s so excited to be there, so there's a great vibe that happens,” explains student Zaynab Mossolem who won a Mavie Award for Outstanding Senior. “Everybody mingles, and you introduce yourselves to one another. There are people from various campuses too, which is so great.”
After putting out an open call for nominations, the selection committee reviewed the nominees and decided to honor a total of 32 students, faculty, and staff members with Mavie Awards. The award categories reveal the qualities Mercy values: leadership, achievement, and service to the community. Assistant Director of Student Life Railyn Pou describes the Mavie Awards as recognizing “the commitment that students, staff, and faculty have to Mercy.”
Everyone in the Mercy community was invited to attend the awards reception, though nominees received personal invitations. However, the nominees did not know which of them had won awards until the presentations began. Mossolem was particularly surprised because she was attending the event as part of her job with the Office of Student Life: “I was there to take pictures of the event. [The presenter] said, ‘Outstanding Senior’ and called my name, and I was so surprised. Very, very shocked. I knew I was nominated, but there’s only so much of a chance that you’ll win.” Dr. Astrid Mel — assistant professor and head of the Exercise Science program in the School of Health and Natural Sciences — was also caught off guard when she won a Mavie Award for Outstanding Faculty: “It was a surprise and completely heartwarming. I'm humbled and appreciative. I got goose bumps.”
Attendees praised the event’s celebratory atmosphere and enjoyed the opportunity to meet people from across the Mercy community. Mel explains, “Whether you're winning or not winning, it’s fun to celebrate others. And it's important. I see what faculty and students do in terms of making the college a better place. It’s nice to be able to celebrate and appreciate them.”
Celebration and appreciation are exactly what the Mavie Awards aim to achieve: “It's a great time toward the end of the semester to take a step back and reflect on all of the great events and the community — faculty, students, and staff — that have contributed to the success of the year,” says Executive Director of Student Life, Health, and Wellness Felipe Henao. “We have commencement for the graduating students and other traditions for first-year students, but this is a tradition that brings the college together and shines a light on special individuals. It's a feel-good thing that we don't get to do often enough throughout the year.”
Here is the list of 2018 Mavie Award winners:
- Outstanding First-Year: Samuel Novas
- Outstanding Sophomore: Brigitte DeSane, Shaday Rosario
- Outstanding Junior: Rosanny Minaya, Jermaine Cail, Janhel Gonzalez
- Outstanding Senior: Zaynab Mossolem, Carolyn Stewart
- Outstanding Faculty: Orlando Barreiro, Astrid Mel
- Outstanding Club Advisor: Hannah Berling, Louis Cameron, Dr. Abdel-Kader Ben-Mohamed
- Outstanding Club President: Hope Androsko
- Outstanding Club Event of the Year: Caribbean Student Association Fashion Show
- Outstanding Club of the Year: Groove Phi Groove
- Mercy Maverick Spirit: Marisa Scaramuzzo, Edward Castillo, Kevin Joyce
- Faculty Member of the Year: Patrice Sobecki
- PACT Advisor of the Year: Delia Amsterdam, Stephanie Blum, Katherine Torode
- COP/OES Advisor of the Year: Jaclyn Cooke
- Student Athlete of the Year: Rachel Gumowski
- Community Hero: Andrea Cadena, Andrea Loaiza, Grace Creighton, Kristin Ackerman
- Emerging Leader: Etsio Flores, Dzifa Amexo
- Student Leader of the Year: Nicoll Baez