Messina Recognition Awards

Each spring semester, the Messina Advisory Board invites nominations for its recognition awards. The four awards for Outstanding Messina Faculty, Messina Mentor, Messina Evergreen, and Messina Resident Assistant, provide Messina an opportunity to recognize the service and contributions of professionals and student leaders dedicated to fostering first-year student success in their transition to Loyola University Maryland. When nominating individuals for one or more of these awards, please consider the following qualities we consider when recruiting leaders to work within our program. 

• Ability to engage with first-year students in and out of the classroom 
• Understanding of Jesuit Mission and Pedagogy
• Understanding of first-year student transition issues and retention
• Demonstrates organization and is able to prepare in advance 
• Flexibility 
• Demonstrates basic multicultural competencies 
• Understanding of group dynamics and working with groups of students 
• Well versed in campus resources and referral sources

Nomination and Selection Process

Is there someone you would like to recognize for their service and contributions to Messina? Submit a nomination form for Outstanding Messina Faculty, Messina Mentor, Messina Evergreen, and Messina Resident Assistant, and tell us about them! Award recipients will be announced during the Spring 2024 Common Text Keynote. See below for more details on each award. Any member of the Loyola University Maryland community may submit nominations using our online nomination form (2023-24 nominations are now closed). Nominations for the 2023-24 awards are due by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, February 26, 2024. While not required, nominators may wish to consider recruiting others to support the nomination they submit. At the conclusion of the selection process, Messina will contact all nominees to inform them of their nomination. At the conclusion of the nomination deadline, the Messina Advisory Board will review all submissions and select a winner for each category.   

In the nomination form, you will be asked to respond to the following questions:

• Your contact info (name, role at Loyola, email address)
• Name of the person you are nominating for a Messina award
• Which Messina award you are nominating that person for
• Please describe why you are nominating this individual for this award. In your response, please provide specific examples, attributes and/or qualities that support your nominee’s contributions to Messina and the first-year experience. (you are limited to a response of up to 5000 characters)
• Is there anything else about your nominee that you would like the selection committee to consider? (you are limited to a response of up to 2500 characters)

Tips for submitting your nomination

• Details and specific examples are really important for all four award nominations!  Instead of: "My Evergreen is great!" please give specific context related to award criteria in your nomination. Here is an example of an actual student nomination received for our Outstanding Messina Evergreen 2018-19 award winner, Chiara Maalouf:
  • “Chiara is the best Evergreen. She was crucial to my development here at Loyola the first few weeks of classes. She would meet up with everyone in our Messina for “Coffee with Chiara” and met with me multiple times as I had roommate issues. She recommended resources I could go to in order to help me out. She took her time and effort into making sure there was a smooth transition into Loyola. Whenever there was an issue with our Messina class, Chiara would speak with the professor to make sure that our voice was heard and that there could possibly be a compromise. Despite being abroad this semester, she is always willing to help out and answer any questions we have from the other side of the world. She absolutely deserves to win this award.”
• The award selection committee uses the criteria listed above for each award to evaluate submissions and select a winner- please consider this when describing why you think someone should receive an award. It is helpful if your award briefly touches on each of the 4-5 bullet points listed for that award as the Messina Advisory Board uses those 4-5 bullet points to evaluate each submitted award nomination.
• Encourage others to submit a nomination- we consider all nominations received for an individual!

Outstanding Messina Faculty Award

This award will be presented to a current Messina faculty member in recognition of their significant contributions and service as a Messina professor. Individuals selected for this award will have demonstrated exceptional leadership that has had a significant positive impact on the lives of their first-year students, fellow working group members, and/or the greater campus community.

Recipients of this award demonstrate the following attributes that will be used as criteria for award selection:

• A student-centered approach- including a commitment to furthering student growth and development through activities in and outside of the classroom,
• A willingness to collaborate with colleagues, students, and/or community members in addressing aspects of the first-year experience,
• Innovation and creativity in teaching and their approach to Messina classes and/or enrichment sessions, and/or
• A commitment to fostering interdisciplinary conversations and/or connections to their Messina theme.

Past Faculty Winners

• 2023-24: Arthur Sutherland, Ph.D. (Theology)
• 2022-23: Rev. Timothy Brown, S.J. (Law & Social Responsibility)
• 2021-22: Andrea Giampetro-Meyer, Ph.D. (Law & Social Responsibility)
• 2020-21: Lesley DiFransico, Ph.D. (Theology)
• 2019-20: Nina Guise-Gerrity (Philosophy)
• 2018-19: Andrea Leary, Ph.D. (Writing)

Outstanding Messina Mentor Award

This award will be presented to a current Messina Mentor (staff or administrator) in recognition of their significant contributions and service as a Messina Mentor. Individuals selected for this award will have demonstrated exceptional leadership that has had a significant positive  impact on the lives of their first-year students, fellow working group members, and/or the greater campus community.

Recipients of this award demonstrate the following attributes that will be used as criteria for award selection:

• A student-centered approach- including a commitment to furthering student growth and development through activities in and outside of enrichment sessions,
• A willingness to collaborate with colleagues, students, and/or community members in addressing aspects of the first-year experience, 
• Innovation and creativity in their approach to Messina enrichment sessions, and/or
• A commitment to fostering interdisciplinary conversations and/or connections to their Messina theme.

Past Mentor Winners

• 2023-24: Patrick Murnane
• 2022-23: Mike Puma
• 2021-22: Charlie Hiebler
• 2020-21: Mary Beth Mudric, Ph.D.
• 2019-20: Emily Poyraz
• 2018-19: Christina Spearman, Ed.D.

Outstanding Messina Evergreen Award

This award will be presented to a current Evergreen who has demonstrated exceptional leadership within their role of working with first-year students. This award recognizes creativity, integrity, innovative thought, and an ability to collaborate with other student leaders, faculty, and staff through programming and purposeful interactions with first-year students in an effort to support and improve their social, psychological, and/or academic well-being.

Recipients of this award demonstrate the following attributes that will be used as criteria for award selection:

• A student-centered approach- including a commitment to furthering student growth and development through activities in and outside of enrichment sessions,
• A willingness to collaborate with peers, faculty, administrators, and/or community members in addressing aspects of the first-year experience, 
• Enthusiasm for Loyola University Maryland and Messina, and/or
• Creativity in fostering student connections to their Messina theme.

Past Evergreen Winners

• 2023-24: James Donoughe
• 2022-23: Caroline Moore
• 2021-22: Meg Cappabianca
• 2020-21: Grace Baltimore
• 2019-20: Ryan Brooks
• 2018-19: Chiara Maalouf

Outstanding Messina Resident Assistant Award

This award will be presented to a current Resident Assistant in Hopkins, Thea Bowman Hall, Butler Hall, Hammerman Hall, or Campion Tower who has demonstrated exceptional leadership within their role of working with first-year students. This award recognizes creativity, integrity, innovative thought, and an ability to collaborate with other student leaders, faculty, and staff through programming and purposeful interactions with first-year students in an effort to support and improve their social, psychological, and/or academic well-being specifically in their residential community.

Recipients of this award demonstrate the following attributes that will be used as criteria for award selection:

• A student-centered approach- including a commitment to furthering student growth and development through activities in and outside of the residence hall,
• A willingness to collaborate with peers, faculty, administrators, and/or community members in addressing aspects of the first-year experience,
• Innovation and creativity in their approach to residential programming and community development
• Enthusiasm for Loyola University Maryland and Messina, and/or
• Creativity in fostering student connections to their Messina theme.

Past Resident Assistant Winners

• 2023-24: Aiden LoBiondo
• 2022-23: Niya Cyrus
• 2021-22: Ifey Olukemi
• 2020-21: Abdulrahim Ahmed
• 2019-20: Mark Rose
• 2018-19: Oscar Rodas-Falla