SUNY Old Westbury seniors Amelia Cariddi and Priscila Ortega were recognized as 2020 State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence recipients, the highest honor bestowed upon students in the system. They were among the 213 students statewide, out of more than 415,000 total SUNY students, to receive this honor.
"These students are some of the most exceptional individuals across the SUNY System," said Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson. "They excel academically and go to great lengths to give back to their campus and its community through their service. Their success is a source of great pride for us all."
The Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence was created to recognize students who have best demonstrated, and been recognized for, the integration of academic excellence with accomplishments in the areas of leadership, athletics, community service, creative and performing arts or career achievement.
Amelia Cariddi, from Seaford, New York, plans to graduate with a Psychology major and Social Work minor. She is a member of the Honors College, captain of the softball team, founded the Old Westbury chapter of LoveYourMelon, and volunteers with numerous organizations including HorseAbility on the College’s campus. As a musician, Amelia has professionally recorded and released seven songs. Amelia has received recognition on the Skyline Athletic Conference and Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll several times, and earned First-Team All-Skyline Conference in 2018. She has conducted research in disability and aging, stress levels and subjective age, and only children and narcissism.
Priscila Ortega, a resident of Amagansett, New York, is a self-described activist “seeking opportunity when it is not there.” Priscila's campus and community advocacy includes representing the undocumented community, co-founding the Undocumented Student Alliance, and raising awareness of the plight of the immigrant community. As a Politics, Economics and Law major and Public Policy minor, she has maintained academic excellence over four years and is looking to further her education in the field of immigration law. She is a member of the Honors College, Student Government Association, and Omicron Delta Kappa Student Leadership Honor Society.