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Undergraduate PrizesReginald H. Phelps Prize FundThe Reginald H. Phelps Prize Fund for outstanding baccalaureate degree recipients was established in honor of a former director of the Extension School, Edgar Grossman, AB in Extension Studies ’66.
The first Phelps Prize went to Chester James Phillips III, ALB, cum laude. Phillips, a religion concentrator, graduated at the top of his class with a 3.84 GPA. He began his undergraduate career at Jefferson Community College in Kentucky, then continued at Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia. Phillips held a diverse array of jobs and volunteer positions, including farmer, cab driver, welder, machine operator, hospice worker, grassroots organizer, and independent media writer. Phillips studied Eastern and comparative religion at Harvard Extension as well as Sanskrit, Hindi, and German. In spring 2005 he completed a reading and research project with Professor Anne E. Monius, “Chaitanya Caritamrta and the Bhakti Traditions of Eastern India.” Phillips has been accepted to Harvard Divinity School. Gary Todd Higginson, ALB, cum laude, the second-place Phelps Prize recipient, graduated with a 3.80 GPA. Higginson began his undergraduate career at the University of Washington in fall 1987. Soon he replaced full-time school with full-time work as a software engineer at Microsoft and as a drummer for a number of local bands. Higginson, now a successful businessman who owns his own company, came to Harvard Extension in 1998 to finish his undergraduate degree. A humanities concentrator who commuted from Connecticut to Cambridge each week, Higginson studied philosophy, religion, and creative writing as well as German and computer science. He plans to apply to a graduate business program. The third-place Phelps Prize went to Melissa Leach Dowd, ALB, cum laude. Dowd graduated with the third highest GPA (3.78). Dowd began her undergraduate career at Boston University in 1968. Dowd, an environmental management concentrator, is a wife and mother of two children. She plans to continue her career as a museum educator and program developer. Santo J. Aurelio PrizeThe Santo J. Aurelio Prize recognizes academic achievement and character for undergraduate degree recipients older than 50. This year’s recipient, Elizabeth Veronica McNeil, is 82 years old and fulfilling her lifelong dream of earning her undergraduate degree. A native of Massachusetts, she began her undergraduate career at Bunker Hill Community College 32 years ago. McNeil worked at Harvard University’s Health Services for more than 25 years. She took her first course at the Extension School in fall 1999 and worked steadily on her degree thereafter. McNeil was a social science concentrator who studied history, psychology, and government. Now retired from Harvard, she is considering further education or perhaps a career in acting. Derek Bok Public Service PrizeThe Derek Bok Public Service Prize honors the commitment of former Harvard President Derek Bok to continuing education and community service. It is awarded annually to degree and certificate recipients who give generously to improve the quality of life for others. The first place Derek Bok Public Service Prize went to Betty King Cuyugan. Siza Mtimbiri, ALB, and Oliver Orion Wilder-Smith, AA, tied for second place.
A teacher from Zimbabwe, Mtimbiri has been involved in local and international community service for ten years. In Africa, he volunteered with the Andrew Murray Center to improve the lives of squatter-camp residents in Cape Town, South Africa. As a youth minister for Youth Valley for Christ in Chicago, he brought a team of students to Haiti to work on a variety of community service projects. Here in Boston, Mtimbiri volunteers at the Walker Center teaching youth groups race education, conflict resolution, and community service. He also works at the Horizons Initiative, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of homeless children and their families, as well as PEER Servants, making credit and business training available to the poor of Moldova. Mtimbiri is pursuing the Master of Liberal Arts in Educational Technologies at the Extension School and plans to return to Zimbabwe to open the Hope Academy and Medical Center, a school and medical facility for orphaned children whose parents have died of AIDS. For more on Mtimbiri, read his Commencement address, "A Walk to Remember". Wilder-Smith, despite being only 17, has already offered years of service to his community. Since the age of ten, he has volunteered at museums and conservation organizations, including the National Park Service, the Trustees of Reservations, and Old Sturbridge Village. He has worked as a costumed interpreter, educating patrons about blacksmithing, farming, and pottery. He has conducted primary research on nineteenth-century professions that was developed into a middle and high school curriculum for students to read about and role-play nineteenth-century community life. He also writes for a quarterly historical newsletter whose proceeds benefit the Orchard House. A true history buff, Wilder-Smith has inspired countless children to become interested in America’s political, social, and literary history. Class marshals
This year’s class marshals for the undergraduate degree program were Jennifer Irene Harris and Jacqueline Ann Pimentel. Copyright © 2006 The President and Fellows of Harvard College. Webmaster. Last modified Mon, October 16, 2006. |
