The following people were honored at the 2023 Student Recognition Ceremony, which was held Monday, April 17, at the Weber Center for the Performing Arts and emceed by Kiley Silva and Logan Jancsurak:

• St. Catherine’s Medal: Olivia Abernathy, David Caliri, Bridget Proper
• Outstanding Student Leader Award: Paige Buske, Trevor Rowray, Kaitlin Schiferl, Kiley Silva
• Student Service Award: Grace Grogan, Easton Halverson
• Student Organization Member of the Year Award: Caitlin Hause
• Student Organization Project of the Year: Cultural Apparel Program (Global Connections Club)
• Involved Employee Award: Melissa Giefer, Global Connections Club advisor

Photos from the event have been posted in a Flickr gallery.

After opening remarks by President Rick Trietley and a blessing by Matt Jurvelin, assistant dean of student community, this year’s award winners were introduced as follows, with Vice President of Student Life Kirsten Gabriel presenting plaques:

Involved Employee Award winner Melissa Giefer (introduced by Matt Jurvelin)

This person was nominated by former Viterbo Student Engagement Coordinator Paul Butrymowicz.

Over the year, we’ve had the opportunity to observe them collaborating with students and sponsoring different programs and events with the club they advise.

Like many areas, coming back from COVID to build a thriving campus culture has been challenging, but this person’s guidance, compassion, and competence have helped better the experiences not only for the students they work directly with, but also affecting so many others through the outreach and education to challenge us to grow beyond what we know from a cultural and inclusion lens.

This person has actively engaged in program-planning and event coordination with the Global Initiative Week Game Night, Global Connections Club, and a unique International Attire Showcase during the Love EveryBODY Week.

Furthermore, we have witnessed her mentoring students so they become the program and event-planners on campus under the guidance of the entire Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Please join me in congratulating the Viterbo Coordinator for International and ESL Programs, and recipient of this year’s Involved Employee of the Year Award, Melissa Giefer!

Student Organization Project of the Year winner Global Connections Club (introduced by Lea Gillies)

The Global Connections Club’s cultural apparel project showcased a “global connection” to the message of Love Every Body week brought to campus by Student Wellbeing. The members of the Global Connections Club, which is an international club that celebrates cultural diversity and promotes cultural exchange between its members and the wider campus community, worked together to request and collect international garments and photographs. The most impressive aspect of the project was how far reaching the submissions were. The Club received clothing items and photographs from students, faculty, and employees. Through the efforts of the Club’s members and the support of the division of DEI, the Global Connections Club’s project for Love Every Body Week was able to highlight the diversity in beauty standards and body image around the world.

Student Organization Member of the Year Caitlin Hause (introduced by Hannah Dickman)

Good evening, everyone. The recipient of the Student Organization Member of the year is truly the picture of an exemplary student organization member; her deep commitment to service to her community is a deep part of who this student is. When this student started her term as president of Residence Hall Association, the club and its attendance had been deeply affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, this student didn’t let the obstacles of turnover in advisors or a lack of attendance stop her. Rather than let the club die, she stepped into a leadership position. She did a deep dive into the organization constitution, finding ways to improve the policies to better serve the organization. She innovated new events that would appeal to a new class of students. She actively invited people to the club, organized. Most importantly, she showed up, and continues to show up, for the club and its members.

On top of the incredible service and leadership to her club, this student is also an exemplary student and incredibly hard worker. On top of caring for her community by babysitting, she also works as a pharmacy technician at Walgreens. She is also an incredible Resident Assistant who cares deeply for her residents. She is a brilliant biochemistry major, vice president of Tri Beta, and is an Honors Leadership Board Representative. On top of this, this student is a truly generous and radically kind person. She is also finding acts of service to lift up those around her. She is one of the bravest, most brilliant, and exceptional examples of servant leadership I know. It is a privilege to announce the incredible Caitlin Hause as the recipient of this evening’s award.

Student Service Award winner Grace Grogan (introduced by Colin Burns-Gilbert)

This person has shown a dedication to service from Day 1. They have been extremely active in multiple facets of campus - but has consistently shown up through service.

Fall semester, this person only missed one Service Saturday as a first-year student. Only 3 other students accomplished that feat last semester, but this student has continued to center the common good beyond Saturday mornings, spreading that impact to multiple areas of campus and our community.

This person helps with Campus Ministry efforts - supporting Agape Latte events and our neighbors living at Houska Park. This person has stayed connected through Athletics - helping teach, coach, referee, set-up/tear down for several volleyball & basketball weekend tournaments to build connections with youth athletes through service.

Lastly, they have been one of the most active students on UGetConnected - capturing their impact throughout the year. Since August 26th, this person has logged 85+ hours of service, an amount I haven't seen since I started at Viterbo in 2017. Please join me in recognizing Grace Grogan!

Student Service Award winner Easton Halverson (introduced by Matthew Bersagel Braley)

Easton Halverson is a familiar face to many on campus given his roles as a tour guide, RA, tutor, summer researcher, and active member of the honors program. In all of these roles, I have observed Easton's commitment to leaving Viterbo and this community a better place than when he arrived.

His work ethic is remarkable, but even more remarkable is determination to make his work matter - in the classroom, the ARC, the residence halls, the halls of Gundersen Health System, or the nursing home where he works back home in Iowa. He served his home community during COVID taking on extra shifts as needed to staff an already understaffed nursing care facility.

Upon returning to campus, he did not waste time getting re-engaged after a disrupted first year. He has been a dedicated member of residence life, helping first-year students adjust to life at Viterbo. He is an ambassador for Viterbo because he knows what it has done for him and what it can do for others like him who come from small towns in the Midwest. He genuinely moves through life in a way that exudes gratitude for the opportunities in front of him and an enviable unflappability that allows him to lean into difficult work in and out of the classroom while retaining his sense of curiosity and generosity towards the world around him.

As a member of the Honors Program, Easton has served as a retreat leader through the Exploring Leadership Program. The year he helped lead the retreat we had to make a last-minute adjustment to accommodate COVID restrictions. This past summer, Easton responded to my last-minute request to help me out with my breakout groups during STAR. He faithfully showed up each day, unsure even of what he was being asked to do, and never failed to connect with the incoming students by sharing some of his own journey and the wisdom he learned along the way - including the sage advice that you will get more out of your time at Viterbo if you take the risk to get involved in serving others on and off campus.

I know Easton's heart for serving the common good was nurtured by family before coming to Viterbo, and I am confident it will guide him well beyond his time here as pursues a path to becoming a physician assistant in rural communities. I am grateful that somewhere in between the gravel roads he drifted on in high school led him to our campus and opened himself up to the many ways in which his heart and head might make the Viterbo community better.

Outstanding Student Leader Award winner Kiley Silva (introduced by Kirsten Gabriel)

I am so pleased to present the first of this evening’s Outstanding Student Leader Award. This recipient currently serves as the President of our Student Government Association and has previously served as Vice President and in other roles. Through her work with SGA, this recipient has made significant changes for students - examples include her collaborations with then President (and one of tonight’s emcee’s Logan Janscurak) to bring about a partial remodel/refresh of the Viterbo library and a revision of the SGA Constitution, and her work with other members of SGA this academic year to bring the V-Hawk SAFE Campus Safety app to campus (coming soon!), and the refresh of the Port. While SGA leaders are not able to serve in leadership roles in campus organizations due to conflicts of interest in budget allocations and the significant requirements of the position, this recipient has been a strong leader in Platinum Edition and the music theatre department as a whole. She has been an articulate and active participant in Viterbo University Board of Trustees meetings, working tirelessly - and very effectively - to advocate for students and educate Board members about student needs and experiences. We've been incredibly blessed to have Kiley Silva in leadership - Viterbo would not be the campus it is today without her hard work and delightful presence. Thank you, Kiley!

Outstanding Student Leader Award winner Kaitlin Schiferl (introduced by Colin Burns-Gilbert)

This person has impacted many throughout their time at Viterbo. My most direct interactions with them have come through their work with Viterbo Orientation. They have served as an Orientation Leader for one year and in an elevated role as an Orientation Officer for two years. The Orientation Officer role requires exemplary leadership, role-modeling for other Orientation Leaders, and a commitment to campus by advocating for all of the opportunities Viterbo provides our students.

This person has been instrumental in challenging us to come out of the pandemic with intention and a critical lens, helping us provide more meaningful experiences and opportunities. They have also been a leader in improving and implementing Orientation Leader training and support to create a more welcoming and inclusive home for all our students.

This person’s impact has gone beyond Orientation. They have been a tour guide, served in leadership roles for Service Saturdays, and have been active in the STEM department with hosting community-focused events and through student organization participation and leadership.

Please join me in recognizing Kaitlin Schiferl!

Outstanding Student Leader Award winner Trevor Rowray (introduced by Chris Mayne)

Trevor Rowray is a determined and talented individual with a mature hard-working attitude and a naturally inquisitive nature.

In the classroom, Trevor is a tremendous student. I have had Trevor for four different courses, and he can always be counted on to volunteer answers (and MOST IMPORTANTLY bail out a professor looking for students to participate in discussion!). Trevor is also highly curious and uniquely insightful. He shows a deep love of learning and can always be counted on to ask questions that truly probe at the leading edge of the science we are learning.

Trevor has capitalized on this curiosity and insight as an undergraduate researcher. At Viterbo, Trevor has worked in the lab of Dr. Scott Gabriel, to study bacterial antibiotic resistance. He also Trevor continued his research into antibiotic resistance when he was accepted into the NSF-funded REU program at University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. At Michigan, Trevor performed computer-modeling based analysis of antibiotic resistance. Impressively, Trevor went into this project with very little experience in coding. However, over his time in the lab he became proficient with numerous coding languages, a testament to his fearless love of learning. Trevor presented this research at our interdisciplinary undergraduate research conference Seven Rivers and was awarded as the best poster presentation for the entire conference.

Trevor is quite simply a joy to work with in the classroom and as part of a team. Trevor’s love of learning and endearingly nerdy sense of humor makes him universally liked. Trevor is also a selfless leader and takes on challenges with a consistently positive attitude. I witnessed this firsthand when working with Trevor on science and public health education and outreach. After the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines, I (an immunologist) teamed up with Dr. Matthew Bersagel-Braley (who is an ethicist) to work on a funded project meant to help educate and increase vaccine access and uptake in our community. For this work we had to create a team of student “vaccine ambassadors.” Tellingly, Trevor was one of the first students we recruited. During this work, Trevor used his scientific knowledge and naturally affable personality to help create initiatives to increase vaccination rates on our campus and the surrounding community. Trevor took the lead on his team and made connections with numerous campus stakeholders to help develop new opportunities for vaccine clinics on campus. He also created educational materials about the vaccine to help debunk misinformation and help students make an informed decision about vaccination upon their return to campus.  

This is only one of the ways Trevor demonstrates leadership and service to others. He is also a leader of our main service projects on campus and has coordinated monthly events since his first arrival on campus, organizing a cumulative total of 2,400 volunteers and an estimated community impact of $213,000.

As a student, researcher, and person, Trevor is naturally curious, skilled, hardworking, and possesses remarkable resolve. Trevor uses these characteristics to help others and to give back to his community, making him an ideal recipient of our Outstanding Student Leader award. After graduation Trevor is pursuing his Ph.D. in biochemistry at UW-Madison and I have absolutely zero doubt that he will be a natural fit in a Ph.D. program and will certainly be an excellent young researcher and will reach his goal of becoming a college professor.

(Which, I have to say is a role reserved only for the COOLEST of science nerds)

Congratulations Trevor!

Outstanding Student Leader Award winner Paige Buske (introduced by Matthew Bersagel Braley)

Paige Buske has consistently held herself and her peers to the highest standards academically and through her co-curricular involvement during her four years at Viterbo. She emerged as a class leader in her first semester of VUSM100, pushing her much more reticent peers to engage deeply with the course content and, often stepping into the silence to move the conversation forward when her peers were less than enthusiastic. Her insatiable curiosity, clear commitment to get the most out of her classes, and witness to the possibility of putting one’s academic gifts to work in making the world better led to an invitation to join the Honors Program, where she immediately had an impact.

She stepped into leadership roles in both the Exploring Leadership Program and the Honors Leadership Board (an elected position by her peers). In both positions Paige was the one I could count on to get things done, respond to emails, and make sure everything was moving forward as planned - whether in the first-year honors retreat she helped lead or the annual honors chili cook-off. She rarely says no when asked to help out - which may be why she has also served as the president of both the Pride and Spanish Clubs the past couple of years.

Club leadership on Viterbo's campus has always presented challenges, and those challenges were amplified by COVID. Despite the challenges of low participation in clubs across campus, Paige has found ways to carry the mission of both clubs forward. I am most familiar with Pride, serving as a faculty advisor through part of her tenure – a time that navigated not only the challenges of COVID but also conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion in the wake of incidents on campus that directly impacted the LGBTQ+ community on campus. She was instrumental in helping Pride navigate this challenging campus climate in 2020-2021. One of her most significant contributions, I believe, was her co-leadership of professional-level conversations and trainings on transgender concerns and allyship open to the whole Viterbo community. Her commitment to staying in the difficult conversations throughout this time resulted in a long overdue campus reckoning with what it means to live the Franciscan values of hospitality in the 21st century – a reckoning that saw for the first time in my 13 years here created space for not only students but also staff and faculty to share their experiences as LGBTQ+ members of our community.

What has continued to impress me about Paige is her consistent commitment to the success of these three campus organizations. She continues to show up and lead by example even as senioritis pulls others away from their commitments. Paige believes that her work is laying the groundwork for the next generation of leaders on campus. She does not seek recognition for this work; instead, she models what it means to roll up one's sleeves, do the work, and inspire others by example. In a phrase that I often refer to in teaching about servant leadership, Paige is not waiting for the world to change, she is creatively, courageously, and compassionately engaging with an imperfect world. May her example inspire us all to go and do likewise.

St. Catherine’s Medal winner Bridget Proper (introduced by Hannah Dickman)

The first recipient of the St. Catherine Medal this evening is truly a student who, in every way, exemplifies the objectives of this award, and I am so deeply honored to be introducing Bridget Proper.

Bridget is a senior nursing major at Viterbo, with a minor in religious studies and theology. Hailing from St. Paul, Minn., (Como Park), she has been involved as a cross country runner and manager, as well as in various roles in campus ministry, including recently as a leader at the Magnify Retreat. She is also a second year Resident Assistant, where I have had the privilege of supervising Bridget. Bridget is, without a doubt, one of the most integrity filled and radically inclusive people I have ever met, and I am so excited to be introducing her this evening.

In her role as a resident assistant, I have gotten to witness Bridget show radical hospitality over and over again. Bridget is the rare kind of person who slows down and sees people. She asks questions that show others that she cares, and she is an excellent example of the Franciscan virtue of seeing and caring for those whom society has deemed as less than worthy. Additionally, she is an excellent example of the virtue of stewardship and service. Whether through her personal actions, such as being a vegetarian and living sustainably, or through her commitment to attending service Saturdays, Bridget’s commitment to Viterbo values is interwoven through her life.

Bridget is also the kind of person who knows herself well, and because she knows herself well, she is able to really see those around her. I’ve thought a lot about what makes Bridget so incredibly mature and wise beyond her experiences. Something I have come to deeply admire about Bridget is that she knows who she is. She is quick to laugh and see the humor in the situations she finds herself in. She is contemplative about her day- seriously, Bridget was doing the examen prayer as a child before she even knew what it was or was taught it. This tendency towards reflection is obvious in the way she leads those around her, whether a small group discussion at a campus ministry event, or in a one-on-one conversation with fellow students. Her insights are well developed and full of wisdom.

Please join me in congratulating Bridget Proper.

St. Catherine’s Medal winner David Caliri (introduced by Polly Pappadopoulos)

The Saint Catherine’s medal is awarded to an exemplary student, who embraces their Catholic University education and upholds Viterbo’s core values. Sharing his many gifts of music, leadership and faithful service, David Caliri embodies the spirit of this high honor.

Nominated by Colin Burns-Gilbert, he states:

About 12 hours before Move In Day August 2020, we found out that 8 of our Orientation Leaders either tested positive for COVID OR had to quarantine due to direct exposure during Orientation Leader training. Our small Orientation Officer team spent the evening texting and calling people who may be able to be “trained” during Move In to start as an O Leader at 2p the next day. David was one of the first to answer the call and came highly recommended. He demonstrated leadership and service in that moment to answer a call that launched him out of his comfort zone. He has since continued to put himself in position to serve others and has served as an Orientation Leader each year since, providing guidance and support for new Orientation Leaders while also challenging us to support new students who may be struggling with invisible identities not always on our radar.

I have had the joy of working closely with David in the St. Francis Choir at San Damiano.

David has jumped at the opportunity to share his gift of song with our San Damiano and Viterbo community on several occasions as a soloist, notably at President Trietley’s Inaugural Mass, at our Palm Sunday Celebration a few weeks ago and in our Triduum services. He has also helped lead Praise and Worship events for Campus Ministry and is a true leader in the choir and a valued member of our San Damiano Community (soon to be married at our chapel as well! David and his lovely fiancé Caitlin contribute to our music ministry together.)

He has also been active and vital in building community through the TRAP Club. David was one of the founding members to help start the Tabletop, role & action play experience for students. During the years when gathering together had many barriers, David helped lean into a passion of his to help create a community for people.

David’s leadership on campus, dedication to service and commitment to the Viterbo community is evident and makes him the ideal recipient of the St. Catherine’s Medal.

St. Catherine’s Medal winner Olivia Abernathy (introduced by Michelle Pinzl)

The final recipient of the St. Catherine’s Medal this evening, nominated by Marlene de la Cruz Guzman, has demonstrated outstanding dedication to Viterbo's Catholic Franciscan values by serving both as a student leader on campus and in the community. As part of the Breaking Barriers Diversity Club executive team, she has managed budgets, raised funds, brought national speakers to campus who represent diverse voices like Eboné Bell and Chevara Orrin and organized important events such as a Black Mental Health Matters workshop through the non-profit organization Art with Impact. She has engaged in on-going service with the Social Justice and Equity Student Committee, where she has championed various projects, led sub-committees, and worked her way to the position of Chair in her junior and senior year. She has eloquently presented the work of the SJE Student Committee to the President of Viterbo for four semesters, and she has been a champion for racial justice on campus. All the while, this excelling student has focused on academics and her dream of becoming a physician. Deeply intuitive, a woman of immense integrity, she has also engaged in extensive community service in La Crosse as well as in her home community. As a Black leader on campus during particularly challenging times of racial and social incidents and tensions at our institution, she has grown into a strong advocate for social justice and has overcome so much to thrive and lead at Viterbo University. This community role-model of resilience displays a conscientious contribution to society and inspires others to join her in these efforts to center social justice and equity at this institution and beyond. We could not be more proud of Olivia Abernathy. A wholehearted congratulations to you, Liv.