B.A. in biology and international studies; minor in dance
Zurich, Switzerland

Presentation Remarks:

Sibylle, you are only the second student in Denison history to combine International Studies and Biology into a single, integrated program. Your creative joining of these fields allowed you to engage in a multi-focused, interdisciplinary inquiry to ensure that our responses to the growing global environmental problems meet the simultaneous demands of environmental need and human justice. Then you added a minor in Dance to the mix. Although you came here with a background in ballet training, you challenged yourself to discover Improvisation, Capoeira, Flamenco, Contemporary and most recently, Music/Movement/Interaction, opening yourself to brand new, challenging experiences. One of your professors says, “What really sets Sibylle apart from her peers is how quickly she learns, how thoroughly she grasps the implications of the information and how she applies what she has learned to new and challenging situations.” Biology Department faculty members agree that you pursue biology because you love learning about the natural world. Accordingly, in the spring of 2010, you received the Margaret Ann Watkin Award given to juniors who display not only academic excellence in the biology major, but a genuine passion for biology and learning. This spring, you were the co-recipient of a $10,000 award from the prestigious Davis Projects for Peace initiative to create documentary films about the successes of women living in Indian slums. Beyond the classroom, you have been a class senator, and for two years you served as the DCGA Finance Chair, entrusted with over $850,000 of student activity funds. You displayed leadership in your effort to bring forward a proposal to renovate part of Slayter Student Union to make it more conducive to casual student gatherings. Your other contributions to the community are many: resident assistant, admissions host, member of the June Orientation staff, participant in DIRE (Denison International Relief Effort), tutor for Chemistry and Biology, member of Denison Religious Understanding, La Fuerza Latina, La Sobremesa, Sustained Dialogue, the Black Student Union and the Asian Culture Club. And you found time to be active in the Big Brother Big Sister program in Newark. Sibylle, you are an ideal student of the liberal arts, partaking of science and the arts in equal measure, and bringing your intelligence and thoughtfulness to each. Your combination of leadership, community involvement and intellectual aptitude make you most deserving of this President’s Medal.

Student Achievements:

Denison Summer Scholar; CIEE - Costa Rica Tropical Ecology and Conservation; Honors Program; Dean’s List; Department of Chemistry Award; Margaret Ann Watkins Award for Excellence in Biology; 2010 Alumnae Endowed Scholarship; Distinguished Leadership Award; Office of Campus and Residential Life - Resident Assistant, Head Resident; Denison Campus Governance Association (DCGA) - Finance Chair, Member of the Executive Board, Senator, Co-Governor; University Governance - Student Representative: University Finance Committee; University Personnel Committee, University Committee on Residential Life; Office of Academic Support and Enrichment - Biology and Chemistry Tutor; Big Brothers /Big Sisters; June Orientation - Student Staff , Staff Coordinator; Denison International Relief Effort (DIRE)- Co-Chair; Haiti Relief Coordinating Committee (HRCC); LEADERSHAPE Institute; Denison Religious Understanding (DRU); Black Student Union (BSU); Asian Culture Club; La Fuerza Latina; Office of Admissions - Host; La Sobremesa (Spanish Discussion Group); Sustained Dialogue; Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration - Volunteer; Davis Project for Peace Grant Recipient