Among the students who have been nominated for the 2018 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence, there have been five who have been chosen to receive the awards.

The 2018 Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence was held on April 10 in the Albany Capital Center. According to Holly Reitmeier, one of the students who received the award, it was the first time they have had the event there.

The Chancellor’s Award is the highest honor within the SUNY system. It honors students that achieve accomplishments such as academics, campus involvement, athletics, community service and performing arts. The students chosen for the award from Oswego State have a wide spectrum of the attributes needed to receive the award. A lot of them have committed hours to community service, sports and especially their GPA, so it is fitting that they receive an award that recognizes their hard work.

Many of the students seemed to be thrilled to receive the Chancellor’s Award, especially Zachary Hiris. Hiris, who is a meteorology major, said he was not even expecting to receive it.

“I was nominated, I filled out an application in January, and I just filled it out hoping for the best,” Hiris said. “Not only was it a surprise, it was incredibly rewarding just to be chosen by a bunch of SUNY higher-ups means a lot to me.”

Hiris was nominated by one of his professors like other nominees who received the award. He is the president of the Meterology Club, has been a member of the Golf Club for three years and is currently working internships within Oswego State. He is still able to help out with local charities, such as the hockey team’s toy drive.

Stephanie Facchine is another student who is among the five to receive the award. Facchine, a zoology major, said she was excited as well when she heard the news.

“It’s just a great honor to all things I’ve attributed over campus and the achievements I’ve made over the course of my college career,” Facchine said.

Facchine dedicated her summers to internships and community service. She spends most of her time at the Newman Center, a Catholic church at Oswego, which plays a huge factor in Facchine’s success.

“They’ve really given me an opportunity to learn how to balance school work and my personal life,” Facchine said.

Facchine has been involved with Newman since her freshman year. Facchine’s next goal after she graduates is to be in a field of wild conservation or the conservation of water resources. From spending a summer at a biostation, Facchine found out that she really enjoys the water. She even has a paid internship in northern Michigan.

“I’ll be staying in northern Michigan and doing lake surveys,” Facchine said. “I really love water and I want to hopefully protect it for everyone one day.”

Holly Reitmeier is another recipient who has built a name for herself at Oswego State. Reitmeier, who is majoring in human computer interaction, also found out she was nominated in January, then applied and eventually was selected from Albany.

“I was nominated by one of my professors here in Oswego. After that, I was contacted to fill out an application for myself saying all the things I’ve been involved in,” Reitmeier said.

Reitmeier is involved in many projects, including working with a CEO out of Boston, and she is currently working with one of her professors on a project called Algorithm Observatory.

The purpose of the Algorithm Observatory is to see if there is any connection as to why certain advertisements target a specific user.  Reitmeier is also involved in volunteering for the American Hiking Society, which took her to Virginia in the spring.

“We worked with the American Hiking Society to repair mountain biking trails for a local school in Richmond. We did various projects and assisted any way we could,” Reitmeier said.

Reitmeier will attend the Digital Humanities Summer Institute in British Columbia and obtain a career in the competitive marketing industry.

Photo provided by Office of Communications and Marketing/Jim Russell