College of Arts and Architecture
Spring 2008 - Student Awards
Creative Achievement Award
Nicholas Chelko - Architecture
Matthew Cherubini - Visual Arts
Denise Rae Costanzo - Art History
Justin Couchara - Theatre
Anna Elwood - Theatre
Jeffrey Fitzpatrick - Landscape Architecture
Joseph Kauffman - Music
Zachary Keller - Theatre
Valerie King - Graphic Design
Erica Levy - Music
Caroline Mansur - Art History
James Mares - Landscape Architecture
Allisa Walls Mazow - Art History
Nicole Stern - Landscape Architecture
Justin Towart - Architecture
Sarah Woolley - Integrative Arts (Graphic Design)
Golumbic Awards
Humanistic Achievement - Ryan Emerson - Landscape Architecture
Design Achievement - Elody Gyekis - Visual Arts
Performance Achievement - Mallory Leach - Music Education
Alumni Society StudentAward
Rachel Guth - Music Education
Katherine Kunkel - Art History
Creative Achievement Awards
Nicholas Chelko - Architecture
Nicholas Chelko, son of Frank and Galen Chelko of State College, is a recipient of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture’s Creative Achievement Award. The award honors excellence and achievement in scholarly pursuit, artistic endeavors and service contributions made by undergraduate and graduate students in the college.
Chelko, who received a bachelor of architecture degree from Penn State on May 17, 2008, was the first runner-up in the prestigious 2008 Pennsylvania-wide John Stewardson Memorial Competition in Architecture. He has received several scholarships during his first year and won a departmental award for outstanding design achievement. In 2008, Chelko participated with other students from the architecture department and the Penn State School of Theatre in an interdisciplinary theatre design competition sponsored by the United States Institute for Theatre Technology.
Matthew Cherubini- Visual Arts
Matthew Cherubini, son of Robert and Peggy Cherubini of Brockport, is a recipient of Penn State College of Arts and Architecture’s Creative Achievement Award. The award honors excellence and achievement in scholarly pursuit, artistic endeavors and service contributions made by undergraduate and graduate students in the college.
Cherubini, who received a bachelor of fine arts degree in sculpture and art education from Penn State on May 17, 2008, is a member and president of the student chapter of the Pennsylvania Art Education Association, through which he has attended state and national conferences. He is the secretary of the Sculpture Club and was awarded a monetary prize at this year’s Undergraduate Juried Show. This coming fall Cherubini will attend Ohio State University to pursue a master of fine arts degree.
Denise Rae Costanzo- Art History
Denise Rae Costanzo, Ph.D. candidate in art history at Penn State, is a recipient of the College of Arts and Architecture’s Creative Achievement Award. The award honors excellence and achievement in scholarly pursuit, artistic endeavors and service contributions made by undergraduate and graduate students in the College.
Costanzo, who will graduate in 2009, has an exceptional record of achievements. Before coming to Penn State, she earned a bachelor of environmental design at Texas A&M University. Her M.A. thesis at Penn State was titled “The House of the Griffins, Revisited: Luxury and Taste in Republican Rome,” and she presented papers on her thesis at the annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America and at the Middle Atlantic Symposium on the History of Art (at the National Gallery of Art). She is currently completing her Ph.D. dissertation on “The Lessons of Rome: Architects at the American Academy of Rome, 1947-1966,” supported by an Institute for the Arts and Humanities summer residency, and several grants and fellowships. Costanzo is also a dedicated and accomplished teacher, having taught courses in both the Department of Art History and the Department of Architecture.
Justin Couchara - Theatre
Justin Couchara, son of Joe and Rose Courchara of Worcester, is a recipient of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture's Creative Achievement Award. The award honors excellence and achievement in scholarly pursuit, artistic endeavors and service contributions made by undergraduate and graduate students in the College.
Couchara, who received a bachelor of fine arts in theatre (design and technology) from Penn State on May 17, 2008, studied scenic design and his Penn State credits include scenic designer for the premiere production of Push, A Year With Frog and Toad, scenic charge artist for Pentecost, and assistant scenic charge artist for Parade. Professionally he has designed Into the Woods and Cheaper by the Dozen for the Summer Stock 2007 season at the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio. Couchara served as assistant props master for the Discovery Channel's documentary series Crime Scene University. His projection media work can be seen off-Broadway at Roundabout Underground's Black Box Theatre production of Speech and Debate. Upon graduation, he will move to New York City to pursue his dreams as a scenic designer.
Anna Elwood - Theatre
Anna Elwood, daughter of Walter and Terry Elwood of Pittsfield, Mass., is a recipient of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture’s Creative Achievement Award. The award honors excellence and achievement in scholarly pursuit, artistic endeavors and service contributions made by undergraduate and graduate students in the College.
Elwood received a master of fine arts in theatre (actor training) from Penn State on May 17, 2008. She earned her B.F.A. in theatre and English literature from Adelphi University, and studied at the London Dramatic Academy. Her Pennsylvania Centre Stage credits include “Catherine” in Proof and “Nurse Sadler” in Whose Life is It Anyway? Her School of Theatre credits include “Rosalind” in As You Like It, “Jane” in Speaking in Tongues, “Viola” in Twelfth Night, and she originated the role of “Claire” in the premiere production of Push. Elwood is a member of Actors’ Equity Association. Her other professional credits include performances at the Manhattan theatre source, Steinway Hall, Theater Studio Inc., and cabaret theatre in the Berkshires. Upon graduation, Elwood will pursue a professional career in New York.
Jeffrey Fitzpatrick - Landscape Architecture
Jeffrey Fitzpatrick, native of Canada, is a recipient of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture's Creative Achievement Award. The award is made to honor excellence and achievement in scholarly pursuit, artistic endeavors, and service contributions made by undergraduate and graduate students in the College.
Fitzpatrick, who received a master of landscape architecture degree from Penn State on May 17, 2008, grew up in Ottawa, spending his summers at a family farm outside Omemee, Ontario. The rugged Canadian landscape and the ever-changing cityscape inspired Fitzpatrick to pursue landscape architecture. Fitzpatrick received his bachelor of landscape architecture degree at the University of Guelph in 2004, and then worked professionally with Douglas Associates Landscape Architects in Ottawa for two years. This professional experience and an understanding of the environmental realities of a rapidly urbanizing population was his inspiration to return to graduate school to further explore urbanism, community design and environmentally sustainable development strategies. Upon graduation, Fitzpatrick plans to pursue a professional practice in New York City.
Joseph Kaufmann - Music
Joseph Kauffman, son of John and Jeanne Kauffman of Radnor, is a recipient of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture’s Creative Achievement Award. The award honors excellence and achievement in scholarly pursuit, artistic endeavors and service contributions made by undergraduate and graduate students in the college.
Kauffman, who received a bachelor of music degree in violin performance from Penn State on May 17, 2008, has won numerous awards and honors in his career at Penn State, including the Pennsylvania Division Chamber Music Competition sponsored by the Music Teachers National Association. Following his graduation, Kauffman will attend Temple University where he will study with Eduard Schmieder. His career goals include joining a major orchestra, forming and establishing a quality piano trio, and teaching at a major university.
Zachary Keller- Theatre
Zachary Keller, Colorado Springs native and a third-year M.F.A. candidate in theatre, is a recipient of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture’s Creative Achievement Award. The award honors excellence and achievement in scholarly pursuit, artistic endeavors and service contributions made by undergraduate and graduate students in the college.
Keller, who will graduate in August 2008, received his undergraduate degree from the University of Northern Colorado. He served as sound designer for many UNC productions, ranging from plays to large cast musicals and operas. From 2002 to 2004, he served as lead sound designer for the Little Theatre of the Rockies, designing sound for twelve shows. His work as a graduate student at Penn State includes scenic designs for numerous productions and he was honored with a graduate fellowship in 2005. Keller has been an active member of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology since 2001. After graduation he plans to be a freelance designer and photographer before returning to his other passion - teaching.
Valerie King - Graphic Design
Valerie King, daughter of Phil and Gail King of River Vale, N.J., is a recipient of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture’s Creative Achievement Award. The award honors excellence and achievement in scholarly pursuit, artistic endeavors and service contributions made by undergraduate and graduate students in the college.
King, who received a bachelor of art degree in graphic design from Penn State on May 17, 2008, had maintained several leadership roles involving design in the Penn State community over her four years in college. She was a captain and a freelance designer for the Penn State Dance Marathon for the past two years, and a teaching assistant for a sophomore-level graphic design course. Most recently, she was selected to participate in the Art Director’s Club national student portfolio review. This past summer, King worked as an intern at Laird + Partners, a prestigious New York advertising agency specializing in fashion. After graduation, King will return to New York City to pursue her career as a designer.
Erica Levy - Music
Erica Levy, daughter of Gerri and Richard Zacharczyk of Rockland County, N.Y., is a recipient of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture’s Creative Achievement Award. The award is made to honor excellence and achievement in scholarly pursuit, artistic endeavors, and service contributions made by undergraduate and graduate students in the College.
Levy, who received master of music degree in flute performance from Penn State on May 17, 2008, is the principal flutist of the Penn State Philharmonic Orchestra and the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and has won numerous competitions. She currently holds the graduate teaching assistantship in flute. She has also made significant contributions to the Penn State Dance Marathon, in which she served as an integral liaison between Penn State and the Hershey Medical Center. Recently, she has been selected for the intensely competitive New York City Teaching Fellows program. In her appointment as a special education teacher next fall, Erica will be teaching young inner-city students with complex learning disabilities.
Caroline Mansur - Art History
Caroline Mansur, daughter of Bahir and Leticia Mansur of Chicago and a junior, is a recipient of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture’s Creative Achievement Award. The award honors excellence and achievement in scholarly pursuit, artistic endeavors and service contributions made by undergraduate and graduate students in the college.
Mansur, who will graduate in 2009, is a Schreyer Honors Scholar who is pursuing concurrent majors in art history and French (language and literature). Her research for her honors thesis centers on Géricault’s portraits of monomaniacs, the medical discourse on monomania in early nineteenth-century France, and the possible medical uses of the images. Mansur is an undergraduate research assistant and has worked as a tutor to foreign-born students on campus in a required communications course, and as an instructor of English as a Second Language.
James Mares - Landscape Architecture
James Mares, son of Jim and Barbara Mares of Abbottstown, is a recipient of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture’s Creative Achievement Award. The award is made to honor excellence and achievement in scholarly pursuit, artistic endeavors, and service contributions made by undergraduate and graduate students in the college.
Mares, who graduated with a bachelor of landscape architecture degree from Penn State on May 17, 2008, enlisted in the United States Marines Corps in 2000 as a way of seeing the world and doing something meaningful while attempting to figure out a career path. He served four years as an infantryman gaining invaluable life experience, most notably as a Platoon Sergeant and member of Operation Iraqi Freedom. During his academic career, he has received three department excellence awards, as well as several scholarships, and achieved Dean’s List honors every semester. After graduation, Mares will begin work at Derck & Edson Associates, located near Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Alissa Walls Mazow- Art History
Alissa Walls Mazow, daughter of Cathy Umlauf Walls of Elizabethtown and Jim Walls of Danville, is a recipient of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture’s Creative Achievement Award. The award is made to honor excellence and achievement in scholarly pursuit, artistic endeavors, and service contributions made by undergraduate and graduate students in the College.
Mazow received a Ph.D. in art history from Penn State on May 17, 2008. While at Penn State, she distinguished herself as a scholar and teacher. Her dissertation, “Plantae, Animalia, Fungi: Transformations of Natural History in Contemporary American Art,” examinedf the ways in which contemporary artists have adopted the visual traditions of natural history guidebooks, field scrapbooks and curiosity cabinets. Her articles on modern art and architecture have already appeared in periodicals, and she has been the recipient of many awards and fellowships, including the Douglas Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship from the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery and a graduate student summer residency at Penn State’s Institute for Arts and Humanities. Mazow has presented papers at many prestigious conferences, including the American Studies Association, and has taught at Penn State and Bucknell University. Next year, she will join the Penn State faculty as a visiting assistant professor in the Departmentsg of Art History and Science, Technology and Society at Penn State.
Nicole Stern- Landscape Architecture
Nicole Stern, a California native, is a recipient of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture’s Creative Achievement Award. The award honors excellence and achievement in scholarly pursuit, artistic endeavors and service contributions made by undergraduate and graduate students in the college.
Stern, who graduated with a master of landscape architecture degree from Penn State on May 17, 2008, received a bachelor of landscape architecture degree with a minor in sustainable environments from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2002 and then worked at a small design-build firm in Saratoga, California, for three years. Her research focus at Penn State has been on translating the science and engineering of wastewater treatment into a design language for landscape architects to use to design new forms of water treatment integrated into the landscape. Stern received the Pohland Graduate Fellowship in 2007 to fund her research travels in Germany, Denmark and the United Kingdom. After graduation, she is hoping to find a job working on green design, wetland restoration and urban ecology projects.
Justin Towart - Architecture
Justin Towart, son of Carolyn Towart of State College and Richard Towart of Danville, is a recipient of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture’s Creative Achievement Award. The award honors excellence and achievement in scholarly pursuit, artistic endeavors, and service contributions made by undergraduate and graduate students in the College.
Towart, who received a bachelor of architecture degree from Penn State on May 17, 2008, has won a number of departmental awards for his design work, in addition to earning an honorable mention in the 2005 Pennsylvania Concrete Masonry Association competition. He also received second prize in the Edward Nichols Competition for Creative Writing in 2006, and first prize in the Education Abroad Photography Contest in 2007.
Sarah Woolley- Integrative Arts (Graphic Design)
Sarah Woolley, daughter of John and Nancy Woolley from Califon, N.J, is a recipient of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture’s Creative Achievement Award. The award honors excellence and achievement in scholarly pursuit, artistic endeavors and service contributions made by undergraduate and graduate students in the college.
Woolley, who received a bachelor of arts degree in graphic design from Penn State on May 17,2008, has embraced every opportunity offered her to grow as a person and as a designer, and her passion for graphic design has already led to numerous achievements outside the classroom, including the opportunity to present her work and speak about the program to incoming students and parents. One of her works was selected for publication in the German graphic design magazine Novum, and her logo design was selected for Penn State’s 2007 Homecoming celebration. She completed an internship at Harper’s Bazaar magazine and was selected to participate in the Art Director’s Club national student portfolio review. Her plan upon graduation is to begin her graphic design career at a fashion magazine in New York City, Boston or Washington, D.C.
Golumbic Awards
Humanistic Achievement - Ryan Emerson - Landscape Architecture
Ryan Emerson, son of Karl and Nancy Emerson of Lewisberry and a fourth-year student in landscape architecture at Penn State, is a recipient of the College of Arts and Architecture’s Golumbic Award for Humanistic Achievement. The award honors undergraduates approaching their senior year of study who have demonstrated superior design, humanistic or performance records and who have proven their potential for significant contribution to the arts and humanities. Emerson recently learned that he will be receiving a coveted Morris K. Udall Foundation scholarship for 2008.
Emerson, who will graduate in 2009, is a Schreyer Honors student with a minor in civic and community engagement. He was involved in the Penn State entry in the 2007 Solar Decathlon, an international competition sponsored by the Department of Energy to promote sustainable design. During summer 2006 and 2007, he participated in internships with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. The first year he was placed in York, to collaborate with residents to revitalize their neighborhood square. The second summer he was placed in Middletown, where he worked with residents, business owners and the local government to design and implement welcome signage for the community. Emerson has been actively involved in the Christian Student Fellowship, and ministries such as Big Dudes/Little Dudes, Friday night nursing home ministry, and a spring break trip to New Orleans to assist residents.
Design Achievement - Elody Gyekis - Visual Arts
Elody Gyekis, daughter of Loanne Snavely and Gary Gyekis of Spring Mills and a student in visual arts, is a recipient of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture’s Golumbic Award for Design Achievement. The award honors undergraduates approaching their senior year of study who have demonstrated superior design, humanistic or performance records and who have proven their potential for significant contribution to the Arts and Humanities.
Gyekis, who will graduate in 2009, is a Schreyer Honors student with a double concentration in ceramics and drawing/painting and minors in both sociology and civic and community engagement. She has organized, designed and painted three community murals in inner-city Harrisburg as part of two internships with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and has been a teaching assistant in the beginning painting class at the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts and in three Penn State sociology classes. Gyekis is the president of Penn State’s chapter of Free the Slaves and Asha for Education and is a fellow with Young People For (a student activist leadership program run by People for the American Way).
Performance Achievement - Mallory Leach - Music Education
Mallory Leach, daughter of Susan and Gary Leach of Doylestown and a junior in music education, is a recipient of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture’s Golumbic Award for Performance Achievement and Presser Scholarship. The award honors undergraduates approaching their senior year of study who have demonstrated superior design, humanistic or performance records and who have proven their potential for significant contribution to the arts and humanities.
Leach, who will graduate in 2009, is a Schreyer Honors student who plays the saxophone in many ensembles, including the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Outer Dimensions Jazz Ensemble and the Marching Blue Band. She has also studied clarinet and flute extensively and is playing principal clarinet in Penn State’s Philharmonic Orchestra, in addition to playing clarinet in the Symphonic Wind Ensemble. Mallory is also a member of the Isometrix Saxophone Quartet, which has represented the School of Music and saxophone studio with performances at the U.S. Naval Academy Saxophone Symposium and other conferences.
Alumni Society Student Award
Rachel Guth - Music Education
Rachel Guth, daughter of Lt. Colonel David and Jeannine Guth of Oil City and a junior in music, is a recipient of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture’s Alumni Society Student Award. The award honors undergraduates approaching their senior year of study who maintain a high level of academic achievement while exhibiting outstanding leadership or service through employment, extracurricular activities or community service.
Guth, who will graduate in 2009,is an Air Force ROTC cadet and currently a Flight Commander responsible for seventeen other cadets. As a sophomore, she was recognized by Penn State President Graham Spanier as one of three Rising Sophomores at the President’s Convocation. Rachel was recently accepted into the Schreyer Honors College and is currently working on her undergraduate thesis. Upon graduation, she will serve a four-year commission in the Air Force, after which she hopes to teach high school band or elementary general music, and pursue a master’s degree in theory or music education. She is a member of Pennsylvania Collegiate Music Educators Association (PCMEA), National Association for Music Education (MENC), The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, and Phi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society, and is the recording secretary for Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity for Women.
Katherine Kunkel - Art History
Katherine Kunkel, daughter of Frank and Carol Kunkel of Pittsburgh and a junior majoring in art history and chemistry, is a recipient of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture’s Alumni Society Student Award. The award honors undergraduates approaching their senior year of study who maintain a high level of academic achievement while exhibiting outstanding leadership or service through employment, extracurricular activities or community service.
Kunkel, who will graduate in 2009, is a Schreyer Honors Scholar and serves as a mentor to science and honors students. She has worked for the chemistry department as a teaching assistant, grader, or proctor for the past two years. In addition, she volunteers her time in the community as an emergency medical technician. Kunkel has studied art in Italy and takes graduate-level courses in both art history and organic chemistry. Ultimately, she hopes to pursue a career in medicine.