The 2022 Grove City College Senior Man and Woman of the Year awards were presented, respectively, to Karsten T. Lagerquist and Annie Passaro on Wednesday, April 27 during the College’s annual Recognition Convocation.
Lagerquist, a finance major from Pittsburgh, Pa., is “an exemplary student and athlete, excelling in the classroom and on the court” and a man who demonstrates “a joyous love for Christ and others in all his actions,” according to those who nominated him for Man of the Year.
His involvement on campus shows both breadth and depth. He was captain of the Men’s Varsity Tennis team during his four years as a player. He was a leader in the Fellowship of Christian Leadership and New Life Ministries. He participated in Crimson Collegiate Investors, serving as sector head and vice president. He is a Trustee Scholar, was vice president of Roundtable, and is a member of the leadership honor society, Omicron Delta Kappa.
Passaro, a Biology/Health major from Chapel Hill, NC, is described by nominators as “bright, involved, and genuine, someone who puts herself out there;” a “classic Grover;” “very mission-driven;” and “servant-hearted with obvious Christian character and a heart for ministry.”
She served on the Chapel Worship team for four years, including being a Team Leader, she was the founder and leader of ICO Chattanooga, and she was selected to participate in the Global Outreach Program doing health-related mission work in Honduras. Passaro served on Orientation Board, in her sorority Gamma Sigma Phi, and as an Ambassador for the Admissions Office. She is a Trustee Scholar, a member of the Tri-Beta Biological Honors Society and Omicron Delta Kappa, and she serves as president of Mortar Board.
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 on the basis of 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.
Wednesday’s Recognition Convocation highlighted academic excellence at Grove City College. In addition to the senior awards, Dr. Seulgi Byun, associate professor and chair of the Department of Biblical & Religious Studies and Philosophy, was presented with the College’s 2022 Professor of the Year award.
Byun is an Old Testament scholar whose research areas include the prophetic books and the ancient translations of the Hebrew Bible, especially the Septuagint. He joined the College faculty in 2016 and has made an invaluable impact on scores of students through his teaching and mentorship.
Nominees for Senior Man of the Year included: Richard Bochicchio, Wexford, Pa.; Joshua Brown, Enumclaw, Wa.; Brogan McCutcheon Springsdale, Pa.; and John Paul Roboski, East Lansing, Mich.
Nominees for Senior Woman of the Year included: Jennifer Baglia, Holly Sprints, N.C.; Brooke Bannister, East McKeesport, Pa.; Gabrielle Hickly, Grove City, Pa.; Elizabeth Swoboda, Wheaton, Ill.