B.A. in English
Upper Arlington, Ohio

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Presentation Remarks:

Katie, you have distinguished yourself as one of our most talented scholar-athletes, with outstanding achievement in your English major, in the broad coursework of your liberal arts education, and in your cross-country running. You are a summa cum laude honoree and a 2010 Academic All American. You also have balanced a work-study job in two Athletics Department offices; you have received the NCAA Post Graduate Scholarship for Women’s Fall Sports; and, somehow, you also run 65-75 miles per week.  One of your professors states that you are an exceptional reader and critic of literature, a skilled speaker, and that you will make a highly capable teacher.  Faculty members in the English department describe your work as some of the best they have ever received from an undergraduate.  Of your senior research, another professor writes that you make connections between “running,” as it is represented in a group of novels such as The Olympian and Once a Runner, and issues of identity, class status and struggle, and the desire to overcome limitations and to change oneself and the world.   We have learned from one of your coaches a story that captures your victorious spirit. It occurred when you took a political science course that culminated in your class’ participation in the Model United Nations, where you were scheduled to present a resolution.  Simultaneously, you had qualified for the Division II Cross Country Championships, which were being held the same weekend—300 miles away.  On Saturday you ran the race in Hanover, Indiana. Then you jumped in the car with your parents, who drove you to Chicago, where you presented your resolution the next morning, and it passed.  Your athletic achievements and stellar work within the field of English are surpassed only by your dedication to make a difference for others.  You have used your electives to create a foundation for a career in athletics training and sports administration.   Off campus, you have demonstrated your commitment to this vision by serving as an umpire for North Columbus Sports and volunteering as a therapist for Arlington Court for five years.   We honor you for being the kind of person who would say that 2010 was “not your best year personally, but it was your best year overall because the team did so well!”  With the presentation of this medal, we thank you for your disciplined leadership and for showing us what it truly means to be a team player.

Student Achievements:

Dean’s List, Phi Beta Kappa, Academic All-American, Student Academic Advisor for James Davis (English), K.I. Brown Scholarship, Vinton R. Shepard Memorial Scholarship, Martha Schurtz Scholarship, Alumni Award, NCAA Women’s Enhancement Program Postgraduate Scholarship for Careers in Athletics, Amnesty International, Model United Nations, 4-time All-American and Denison record-holder in varsity cross-country and track, ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America second-team in 2010.