Emeriti Fellowships awarded at Fall 2004 Luncheon
Left to right, Emeriti Association president Barbara Sinclair; Fellowship recipients Andre Petroikovets, Kerri Rivas, Maria Palmieri, Victoria Byczkiewicz, Lee Anne Craighead and Fellowship Fund chair Janet Fisher-Hoult.
The Emeriti Fellowship Fund Committee recommended awarding fellowships to five students: four graduate and one undergraduate. Two Emeriti Fellowships were awarded. Awards were made for the John L. Houk Memorial Fellowship, the Jane Matson Memorial Fellowship in Counseling and the David Cameron Fisher Memorial Fellowship for an undergraduate in Biology. There were no candidates for the William E. Lloyd Memorial Fellowship. Funds available are not as great as in years past, due to the lower interest rate on the endowment. However, the Committee decided to award as much as possible to the students, although the individual awards will not quite cover tuition, even with an augmentation from the Emeriti Association budget. With more than 30 well-qualified candidates, the Fellowship Fund Committee had a difficult task making decisions.
Recipients of Emeriti Fellowships are Lee Anne Craighead (Special Education) and Victoria Byczkiewicz (TESOL). Kerri Rivas (Social Work) is receiving a combined award from the Emeriti Fellowship Fund and the John L. Houk Memorial Fund. The recipient of the Jane Matson Memorial Fellowship award is Maria Palmieri (Counseling). Andrey Petroikovets (Biology undergraduate) is the recipient of the undergraduate emeriti fellowship, established in the memory of David Cameron Fisher, son of Janet Fisher-Hoult.
Lee Anne Craighead is majoring in Special Education. Her goal is to become a teacher of Special Education in urban settings, although she grew up on a rural ranch in Northern California . While teaching English to the children of Indian immigrants working on her father's farm, who were "drowning in a school system that was unable to cope with the Hindi language barriers", she realized that she was moving towards a career as a teacher. Lee Anne is member of the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society and, while in high school, was the Soroptimist's "Girl of the Year", a delegate to California Girl's State in Sacramento, a Presidential Classroom delegate to Washington, D.C. and on Governor Deukmejian's staff for the Teenwork Convention. She currently does volunteer work with Jefferson High School 's Garden/Environmental Club and has assisted in raising funds for the school program.
Victoria Byczkiewicz , recipient of an Emeriti Fellowship for the second year in a row, is a student in the MATESOL program. Victoria is a founding member and current President of the TESOL Society at CSULA. While in Germany for 6 years, she developed her skills in teaching EFL and intercultural communication. Her work in counseling developmentally disabled teens and developing and administering health programs for the homeless and people with AIDS also influenced her ultimate goal: to complete a doctoral degree in clinical and educational psychology.
Kerri Rivas is a student in the Social Work Master's Program with an emphasis on Gerontology focused on aging and families. She is currently a foster care social worker who coordinates and monitors visits with foster children and their birth family. An active volunteer, Kerri has completed the Citizen's Academy program with the Covina Police Department in order to be able to better serve her clients. She has volunteered at the LAMP homeless shelter and the David and Margaret Home , a group home for girls in La Verne , as well as mentoring a troubled sixth grader through the Cougar Pals Program. After completing her MSW, she plans to work in the field before pursuing a Ph.D.
The recipient of the Jane Matson Memorial Fellowship in Counseling, Maria Palmieri, is pursuing a Master's degree in School Counseling with an emphasis on Child Welfare and Attendance. A summa cum laude graduate of Cal Poly Pomona, she is planning to pursue an EdD in Educational Leadership and a School Administration credential. Born in Caracas , Venezuela and an immigrant to the U.S. at a young age, Maria has always wanted to help those in need. She is a state-certified domestic violence advocate and volunteers regularly at a battered women's shelter.
Andre Petroikovets , the recipient of the David Cameron Fisher Memorial Fellowship Award, immigrated when he was 5 years old to the United States from Kazakhstan, a former part of the Soviet Union. An undergraduate student in Biology, Andre's career objective is to become a medical doctor. At the age of 15, Andre was accepted into the CSULA Early Entrance Program. He is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, the Golden Key Honor Society and is a co-founder of Hillel at CSULA. He is a volunteer as a member of Jewish Big Brothers and is on the board of the LA chapter of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. Andre also currently volunteers at the Cedars Sinai Medical Center and has completed internships in OB/GYN at Tarzana Medical Square .