• Dean's Award • Thesis With Distinction • Outstanding Graduates		Catherine Schuck and Dr. Mary Wack, Dean of the Honors College Dean’s Award 2005 Catherine Schuck A winner of a WSU Big Ten Seniors Award, and nominated for the Dean’s Award by multiple faculty reviewers, Catherine is remarkable not only for the breadth of her interests, and the degree of excellence and involvement in each one, but also for her extensive record of volunteerism and service. Whatever the task—whether research, performance, or serving others—Catherine gives herself to it whole-heartedly and shares her gifts for the good of others. Her Honors thesis work in psychology, one of the fields within neuroscience, was rated at Master’s level and could eventually be publishable. Catherine has shared her expertise in her major by serving as a teaching assistant in the neuroanatomy lab. Catherine is also an accomplished vocal performer who contributes her musical gifts to the community. Although not required for a minor, Catherine nonetheless spent a great deal of time preparing and performing a vocal recital. As one of her voice teachers notes, when Catherine chooses a piece to perform, she applies her considerable research skills to the task of giving an outstanding performance. She investigates every aspect of the composer’s and the piece’s background, and of its language, so as to give the most compelling interpretation possible. She will share all this work with the community by repeating the senior recital this summer in Dayton as a public concert. Not only did she spend a challenging and rewarding year studying in Spain, she gave back to the culture where she was learning so much by volunteering her time to teach English with a variety of different organizations. But that is just the tip of the iceberg of Catherine’s service to the world. She has given unstintingly to the Honors College through leadership roles in the Honors Student Advisory Council, particularly the Peer Mentor Program. She has always been willing to serve the College when asked, whether to help at events, provide tours, star in a recruitment video, or sing at events. Her service activities are too long to list, but include being house manager for a Christian women’s house in town, which provides free child care as a community service. She’s a leader in the Campus Crusade for Christ. She is a child sponsor through Compassion International, and a fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity through musical performances. On top of all this, she is a member of a variety of swing and salsa dance clubs. Catherine’s career goal is to provide full optometric services in both English and Spanish to clients in Washington State. She has won a Professional Student Exchange Award from the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education for her study toward the degree of Doctor of Optometry. Once she has that degree, she will work for four years in an under-served area of Washington. Her goal, considering the large Spanish-speaking populations in the Pacific Northwest, is to provide full optometric services in Spanish and English. DEAN'S AWARD The Dean's Award recognizes the graduating senior who best exemplifies the mission and values of Honors. The awardee has challenged him or herself to develop full potential to lead and serve local, national, and global communities; has shown genuine intellectual curiosity and a life-long love of learning, as well as skills in critical thinking, writing, public presentation, and information literacy. The awardee has embodied such values of the Honors College as: respect for diversity among individuals; high standards of scholarship and achievement; integrity, character, and moral responsibility; engagement with, and responsibility to the community; independent thinking and intellectual risk-taking; creativity; global awareness and responsibility; and the spirit of service and philanthropy. Not only will the recipient receive an engraved medallion, he or she will also be commemorated by a tile to be placed permanently in Honors Hall. Through the generosity of the Judy Roberts Honors Student Enrichment Fund, the awardee receives a $250 scholarship.
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