College Honors Outstanding Seniors
Faculty, staff, students and their families gathered with Dean Phil Bailey at the college's annual awards banquet to honor this year's outstanding graduating seniors. The top seniors in each department were recognized along with the following students who received collegewide awards.
Shannon Capper – Academic Excellence
Shannon Capper, a biological sciences major, earned the top spot in the college with a 4.0 GPA. Capper was named to the Dean's List every quarter and to the President's List every year.
She has worked as a teaching assistant in the anatomy lab and as a physical therapy aide at San Luis Sports Therapy and Orthopedic Rehabilitation.
Luke Paik – Contributions to the Objectives and Public Image of the University
Luke Paik, a biological sciences major, founded Be the Match On Campus, a club that encourages bone marrow donations; served as president of the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) for the past two years; and acted as the running coach for the Cal Poly Triathlon Team. Through AMSA, he participated in many service activities on campus and in the community. As founder of Be the Match On Campus, he represented Cal Poly at the organization’s National Leadership Summit in Minneapolis.
Paik also represented the college at a science advocacy and policy-making conference in Washington, D.C.
“Luke is by far the most on-the-ball and effective AMSA President I have worked with in my time at Cal Poly,” said Emily Taylor, a professor in the Biological Sciences Department and the club’s advisor.
Julie Sakaki – Contributions to the Objectives and Public Image of the College
Biological sciences major Julie Sakaki served as a College of Science & Mathematics Ambassador for four years, a rare accomplishment as few freshmen are named ambassadors. Sakaki led the ambassadors' Open House efforts for two years and was president of the club during 2014-15.
As president, Sakaki focused on increasing the ambassadors' engagement with the local community. Among other activities, she designed and led tours for junior high students in the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program, which helps children with no family history of college attendance understand and prepare for the college experience.
“Julie is an excellent leader,” said Bailey, the club’s advisor. “She does a great job of taking initiative and organizing a wide range of activities.”
Kelsea Weber – Service to the Community
Kelsea Weber, a math major, is passionate about STEM education. Weber was awarded a Baker and Koob Learn by Doing grant of $5,000 to provide paid opportunities for Liberal Studies students to work in local, high-needs elementary schools. Through the program, students assisted public school teachers while gaining real-world experience.
Weber was also president of the Cal Poly chapter of the Student California Teachers Association and worked as a math tutor in high needs junior high and high schools in the Lucia Mar School District.
Top Club – College of Science & Mathematics Ambassadors
The ambassadors are the public face of the college. They give tours to prospective students and their parents, assist with the Cal Poly Pier Open House, and represent the college at universitywide events such as Parents’ Weekend and Open House.
This year, the ambassadors added a number of outreach programs in the local community focusing on sharing their enthusiasm for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) with K-12 and community college students to spark students’ interest in STEM.
“The ambassadors are an outstanding group,” said Bailey. “They’re responsible for helping at all the public events in the college, and they do a great job.”
