The University of Notre Dame’s Division of Student Affairs recently recognized four outstanding seniors with student leadership awards.
The Rev. A. Leonard Collins, C.S.C. Award, given to a graduating senior who has made substantial personal effort to advance the interests of Notre Dame students, was presented to Janeva Waked, a Winter Springs, Fla. native who completed a double major in business and Arabic.
Serving on the freshman and junior class councils, as sophomore class secretary and senior class vice president, Waked also was co-leader of the senior retreat and served as a resident assistant in Howard Hall.
The John W. Gardner Student Leadership Award, presented to a graduating senior who exemplifies the ideals of Notre Dame through outstanding volunteer activities reaching beyond the University, was given to Megan Rybarczk, a biology major from Muncie, Ind.
Rybarczk’s service activities include participation in international service programs in Ecuador and Haiti, as well as service trips to Appalachia and New Orleans through Notre Dame’s Center for Social Concerns. She also served as social concerns commissioner for Lyons Hall, where she organized several successful donation drives for South Bend’s Center for the Homeless.
The Denny Moore Award for Excellence in Journalism, named in honor of the University’s late associate vice president for public affairs and communication and presented to a senior who exemplifies the qualities for which Moore was known, including personal integrity and character, commitment to Notre Dame and writing ability, was given to Christopher Hine, a history major from West Pittston, Pa.
Among Hine’s honors are the Harry Ornest Memorial Award for Sports Journalism and the James Reston Reporting Fellowship. He served as sports editor for The Observer in 2007 and as editor-in-chief in 2008, managing a staff of some 150 students. He has interned as a sports writer for The Los Angeles Times, and as recipient of the Reston Fellowship, earned an internship with the New York Times, where he will serve as a sports staff writer.
The Ray Siegfried Award for Leadership Excellence, established in 2006 in memory of the alumnus and University Trustee, was presented to Daniel Rodgers, a Phoenix, Md. native who completed a double major in theology and pre-professional studies.
A resident assistant in Siegfried Hall, Rodgers also was a four-year member of Siegfried’s cross country, ice hockey, lacrosse and soccer teams. He served as president of the boxing club and was a three-time Bengal Bouts champion. In addition to his excellence in athletics, he participated in the South Africa Public Health Program and in the Center for Social Concern’s Urban Plunge program. Rodgers also served as leader of the sophomore road trip and as a sacristan of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.