Student Life
Acheiving Women Students Award 2006
Six women students were honored with the 2006 Achieving Women Students Award. Seventeen total students were nominated by their professors for outstanding achievement in one or more of the following categories: academic or creative achievement; contribution to classroom, campus, or community environment; personal growth and development; leadership; and overcoming adverse situations. The recipients of the 2006 award are:
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Joanna Clinich
Clinich is a 2006 graduate with a degree in English and was selected for this award based upon her outstanding academic record, intellectual curiosity beyond coursework, and dedication to community issues. Her activities include: editor of Hard Freight [college literary magazine]; business owner of Creative Expressions; English Honor Society treasurer; volunteer at after-school program for at-risk teenage girls; and acceptance to a Navigators Missions Program in Africa for summer 2006.
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Vanessa Donoughe
Donoughe is completing her second Penn State degree in Nursing. A survivor of Hodgkin's Disease, Donoughe graduated in 1994 with a degree in Health Policy Administration and then worked with senior citizens and persons with disabilities until she took a leave of absence to start her own family. She was inspired to reenter the academic area to pursue a degree in nursing to provide others with the quality care that was given to her during her months of chemotherapy. Her activities include: involvement in cancer-related fundraising activities; volunteering for her children's schools and activities; and serving as president of the Student Nurses of Altoona Campus.
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Leocadia Mosquea
Mosquea is a 2006 graduate with a degree in Science. Her goals include obtaining a Ph.D. and an M.D. in biochemistry, to find a cure for childhood cancer, and to open hospitals in both her Bronx neighborhood and her native Dominican Republic where "every patient will matter." She has won both first and third place in the Altoona College Honor Student Research Fair. Her activities and honors include: National Honor Society member; recipient of Martin Luther King Jr. Award; resident hall assistant; president of Penn State Altoona Science Club; treasurer of Math Club; and Black Student Union member.
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Amie Myers
Myers, an Environmental Studies major, is a working single mother who maintains a 3.66 GPA. She participated in the 2004 Voter Registration drive and also led a demonstration protesting the role of corporations in the electoral process and government. She is president of the college's EcoAction organization, dedicated to issues of preservation and conservation on campus and in the community. She was nominated for this award for her ability to succeed academically and contribute to her peers and community while overcoming adversity in her personal life.
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Christa Riscigno
Riscigno is a 2006 graduate with a degree in Biology. Her excellence in the classroom is matched by her early success as a talented young researcher; her research already has resulted in four co-authored professional papers that she presented at national and international conferences, as well as one co-authored article submitted to a peer-reviewed journal in the field of biology. Raised by her father in Altoona, Riscigno has helped to support her family and has worked her way through college as a waitress. She plans to pursue a career as a physician's assistant.
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Takira Smith
Smith is a 2006 graduate with a degree in Criminal Justice. She has routinely worked two to three jobs while carrying a full-time course load and maintaining a 3.58 GPA. A first generation college student, Smith is a member of the college's Honors Program and has received a National Collegiate Minority Leadership Award as well as the Student Activities Leadership Award. She completed an internship at the Blair County Courthouse and plans to attend law school as well as pursue her Ph.D. in criminology. She hopes to become a criminal trial lawyer to represent those who do not have a voice in the criminal justice system. Her activities include: vice-president of National Criminal Justice Honor Society; vice-president of the college's Criminal Justice Organization; and peer advocate for the college's Health and Wellness Center.