The 2024 Grove City College Senior Man and Woman of the Year awards were presented, respectively, to Ari Campbell and Alarie Findley on Wednesday, April 24 during the College’s annual Recognition Convocation.
Findley, a Mechanical Engineering major from East Earl, Pa., is a Trustee Fellow and gifted violinist who played for three years in the String Quartet and is currently the concertmaster for both the Symphonic Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra. She has served as a leader in Orientation Board, Senior Women’s Bible Study, MECE Student Leadership Club, and her Senior Capstone Research Group.
Findley has worked as a Physics teaching assistant and exam proctor for Disability Services, participated in the Deeply Rooted mentorship program, and served on ICO Ashland. She also played IM Spikeball for three years and participated in the Ultimate Frisbee Club and the Human Powered Vehicles Club.
Woman of the Year nominees also included: Annalese Aderholt, a Biblical and Religious Studies major from Wheeling, W.Va.; Megan Gagnier, Spanish Secondary Education major with a minor in Musical Theatre from Pompey, N.Y.; Caroline Garrett, a Biology major from Hillsborough, N.C.; and Carolyn Scott, a dual Philosophy and French major from Oxford, Miss.
Campbell, a Biology/Health major with a minor in Biblical and Religious Studies from Memphis, Tenn., is a Trustee Scholar and volunteered for two months in Cambodia with the Global Outreach Program, led ICO Chattanooga for three years, served as President of New Life, worked as a freshman RA, led 24-Hour Worship, and participated in the MENtorship program.
Campbell conducts research with Dr. Brian Yowler and is a Student Ambassador for the Pre-Health Society, as well as an active member of TriBeta Biology Honor Society. He has played on the men’s soccer team and participated in multiple IM sports leagues since his freshman year. Ari has been inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa and is the recipient of the Frederick S. Kring Leadership Award.
Man of the Year nominees also included: Ethan David, an Entrepreneurship major with a minor in Biblical and Religious Studies from Mars, Pa.; Timothy Gibson, a Mechanical Engineering major from Warminster, Pa.; Collier Kaufman, an Exercise Science major from Lowell, Mich.; and Kristopher Sekera, a Finance major from Trafford, Pa.
The awards are presented jointly by the leadership honoraries Mortar Board and Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) as a service to Grove City College. Man and Woman of the Year selections are made based on scholarship, leadership, and service. The candidates were voted on by students and faculty.
The senior awards are the highest honors that the College can bestow on students. Their names are recorded for posterity on a memorial plaque on a boulder outside Harbison Chapel on campus. Former recipients of this prestigious honor have gone on to become leaders in faith, education, business, law, and health care.
Grove City College celebrated student achievement and academic excellence at Wednesday’s Recognition Convocation.
Dr. Michael F. Falcetta, professor of Chemistry, was presented with the 2024 ODK Professor of the Year award on Wednesday. Falcetta joined the faculty in 2003 and has taught general chemistry, physical chemistry, molecular modeling, and other courses over the years. He has also served as an adviser to student organizations, most recently Phi Omega Sigma, the “Possums” men’s housing group. An expert in physical chemistry, Falcetta is an active researcher who publishes regularly with his Grove City College collaborator Dr. Mark Fair in leading journals, including The Journal of Physical Chemistry, and speaks at scientific meetings and conferences.
Whether teaching non-STEM students, engineers, or chemistry majors, students say he is known for his ability to explain complicated ideas in a way that makes chemistry both understandable and engaging.