Celebrating Student Prize Winners
Wesleyan students excel in multiple ways and each year dozens of them are awarded prizes for their contributions to the community or to their fields of study. This year, undergraduate students received one of more than 150 university and department prizes. Following are highlights about just a few who exemplify outstanding student achievements.
Adam Cyzner ’25, Desaree Edwards ’25, and CJ Joseph ’25 each received the Butterfield Prize, which honors graduating seniors who exemplify the qualities of character, leadership, intellectual commitment, and concern for the Wesleyan community shown by former President Victor Lloyd Butterfield.
Cyzner has been very active in the Wesleyan community during his time here. He co-directed Collective Motion, an all-levels, all-styles inclusive dance group, and works as an academic peer advisor through the Student Academic Resources office. “We highly value inclusivity and believe that anyone can dance, no matter their background or skill level, and I love the supportive environment that we cultivate in the studio,” Cyzner said of Collective Motion. “I've been a dancer since middle school, so I love that I am able to foster and support that passion in other students.”
Cyzner will be heading to Los Angeles to learn about the entertainment industry at Creative Arts Agency (CAA) by working in their mailroom program, after interning for the agency this past summer.
Edwards, like Cyzner, was nominated by Senior Class Dean Kelly Dunne. She has been influential at Wesleyan, working with Wesleyan Student Veterans Organization as president and the Center for Prison Education (CPE) as a peer success mentor. She was also Wesleyan’s first Truman Scholar since 1998. She will be interning for the Connecticut Federal Public Defender’s office this summer before starting at Yale Law School in the fall. “My passion lies in providing legal advocacy for adult survivors of human trafficking, and I'm excited to be moving towards the next step in achieving that goal,” Edwards said.
Joseph, an American studies and theater double-major, was recognized for her work with the Title IX Office, the “After Bill of Rights” she wrote for the Theater Department, and her senior thesis, all of which explored the intersections of race, gender, and equity and are central to her career plans. In the short term, she will be acting in some short films over the summer before pursuing a pre-law program.
“I’m especially passionate about questions of visibility—who is heard, who is silenced, and how representational politics shape that dynamic,” Joseph said. “For women like me, it can be difficult to assert oneself in spaces that resist our existence. This work has been my way of amplifying voices that are too often overlooked and understanding the complex, specific ways oppression operates. It’s about helping people reclaim power in systems designed to take it from them.”
Jadyn George ’25 is one of two students who received the Heideman Award for service to the Wesleyan community. She was nominated by Residential Life, where she has worked since her first year at Wes. “It's something that I've looked forward to every school year,” she said. “I grew up around hospitality so it was natural to tend to the concerns and needs of students. The environment also contributed to me having a great four years.”
George, who was highlighted in a Wesleyan Magazine article about university-wide efforts to teach students and student leaders how to have difficult conversations, plans to work in the corporate sector and possibly attend grad school in the future.
Laine Gorman ’25 won the Limbach Prize for social service to Middletown or Wesleyan for her work in the Sustainable Middletown program office at the Sustainability Office. Laine’s efforts included creating resources and conducting community outreach to foster participation in local politics, and starting an online publication reporting on city meetings and other issues. “As someone born and raised in Washington D.C., I’ve always had an appreciation for the importance of democratic participation, especially at the local level,” Gorman said. “While Connecticut doesn’t share D.C.’s unique circumstance, I believe local politics are equally impactful, yet underutilized, here and in other states.”
A double economics and environmental studies major with a concentration in environmental justice, Gorman plans to go to law school in a few years. “My ultimate career goal at this point is to do environmental impact litigation for a public interest firm like NRDC [National Resources Defense Council] or for a smaller, community-based organization,” said Gorman.
Jesus Martinez Montes ’25 received the Vanguard Prize, which was established by Black alumni in the Class of 1969, whose perseverance and leadership earned them the designation of the Vanguard Class. The Vanguard Prize is awarded annually to a graduating senior who has achieved academic excellence and contributed to maintaining Wesleyan’s racial diversity.
Martinez Montes said he learned about the prize through a message from Ashraf Rushdy, Benjamin Waite Professor of the English Language and chair of the African American Studies Department, and a conversation with his mention and senior thesis advisor, Assistant Professor of African American Studies Khalil Anthony Johnson.
“More than anything, this prize is a reflection of relationships like [mine with Johnson] and others I’ve come to have at Wesleyan and them showing respect and gratitude toward me as not only a student, but bringing my authentic self—a young, brown Mexican man from a prideful working-class family raised in Bushwick, New York—at Wesleyan,” Martinez Montes said.
He has been an active member of the campus and off-campus community, doing both service work and advocacy throughout his time here. Once graduation comes and goes, he will be returning to Bushwick with the dream of becoming an educator in his home community.
Daniel Tung ’26 has received the Wesleyan Memorial Prize, which recognizes outstanding character, leadership, and scholarship among juniors. As an academic peer advisor (APA), Tung has supported fellow students and helped them work toward their goals. “I was excited and surprised to learn that my experiences would warrant such a nomination,” said Tung, who has been an APA for the past two years. APAs are returning students who work during New Student Orientation and throughout the academic year to enhance student access to academic resources.
“I know how overwhelming it can be to make academic choices, especially early on,” said Tung, who is a double major in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and Science and Technology Studies and also minoring in chemistry. “Being able to offer guidance and share information on resources available has been deeply rewarding. It is a privilege to be able to serve the broader Wesleyan community and create a welcoming space that encourages opportunities for growth.”
Simon Schwartz ’25 is one of several students recognized for their work in chemistry. He won the American Chemical Society’s Analytical Award, which honors excellence in a discipline focused on developing and applying precise measurement techniques to determine compositions, structures, and properties of substances, he said.
In addition to doing a research project involving Nuclear Magnetic Resonance—a powerful spectroscopic technique that provides information about molecular structure and dynamics—Schwartz has applied his analytical skills outside of Wesleyan. “Last summer, I interned at Henkel, where I led research to optimize the performance of photocured resins for 3D printing. This experience built directly on the analytical skills I developed at Wesleyan and gave me the opportunity to apply what I’d learned in the classroom to industry research and product development,” said Schwartz.
In addition to chemistry, Schwartz has developed strong interests in math and physics while at Wes. Upon graduation, he plans to take a year off to work in materials science or a related field that combines engineering, physics, and chemistry. “I’m hoping that experience will help me figure out exactly what I want to focus on when I apply to Ph.D. programs,” he said.
Mike Mavredakis and Ziba Kashef contributed reporting to this story.
