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Ten University of Wisconsin Oshkosh seniors who demonstrate high academic achievement and leadership qualities each will be awarded the prestigious Chancellor’s Award for Excellence at the University’s 135th Spring Commencement ceremonies.

Chancellor Richard H. Wells will confer the awards at the 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. ceremonies May 16 at Kolf Sports Center, 785 High Ave.

The criteria for the award include academic achievement, University-related service and community involvement other than athletics. The award includes a $500 scholarship.

The recipients of the 2009 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence are as follows:

Rosa Alvarez graduates with a major in elementary education and a minor in bilingual education. She served as president of the Student Organization for Latinos and received the University’s Celebration of Women Award. Alvarez was chosen to attend the 2008 Latinas Learning to Lead Summer Youth Institute in Washington, D.C. She also served as an English as a Second Language volunteer in the community.

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Keith Brownlow graduates with a major in elementary education. He returned to higher education through the Accelerated Licensure Program for Early Childhood Professionals, serving as full-time site manager for Head Start facilities in Marquette and Waushara counties while earning his degree. Brownlow was a presenter at the University’s inaugural Special Education and Early Childhood Education Conference in 2009.

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Anthony Diercks graduates with majors in economics, mathematics and Spanish. A Wisconsin Academic Excellence Scholar, he presented his research at the 2008 Wisconsin Economics Association Conference. Diercks coordinated the University’s Coats for Kids drive in 2006. He was a member of the economics honor society Omicron Delta Epsilon, the Sigma Alpha Pi leadership society and Oshkosh Student Association.

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Anthony Goebel graduates with a major in marketing. He was the Marketing Club president and was involved with AmeriCorps, Campus Crusade for Christ, Special Olympics and Young Entrepreneurship Club. Goebel is the president and founder of Fish for Kids. He won the Cooperative Education and Internship Association’s Outstanding Intern of the Year award for a marketing internship with the Green Bay Packers.

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Amanda Krohn graduates with a major in nursing. She received the John Philip Sousa Band Award and the Chancellor’s Freshman Leadership Scholarship. Krohn was the Reeve Union Board Outstanding Member of the Year for 2007-2008 and was a McNair Scholar in 2008. She served as Reeve Union Board president and as a representative for Oshkosh Student Association.

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Hanna Ladwig graduates with a major in biology. She served as a community adviser and a program assistant for NBC Village and a peer advising liaison for the Undergraduate Advising Office. Ladwig volunteered at the Christine Ann Center and Bethel Home. She has been accepted into the Master of Occupational Therapy program at Concordia University.

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Bren Nimke graduates with a major in criminal justice. He was a member of the wrestling team and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. In 2004, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged after serving in Iraq. Nimke mentored veterans on campus, helping them transition back to civilian life. He interned with the State Public Defender, interviewing clients to determine eligibility for representation.

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Meagan Propson graduates with a major in nursing. As volunteer activities chair and later president of the Oshkosh Student Nurses Association, she facilitated the first Celebration of Life dinner for cancer survivors and organized volunteer and donation efforts for the Christine Ann Center, Project Linus and the Salvation Army. Propson was a member of Sigma Theta Tau National Honor Society for Nursing. She is the University’s 5,000 nursing graduate.

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Phillip Prusinski graduates with a major in medical technology and minors in microbiology and chemistry. He earned an Outstanding Student Award in chemistry and competed in football and, nationally, in track and field. Prusinski was involved in a variety of campus and community organizations, including Father Carr’s Place 2B, Habitat for Humanity, Reeve Union Board, Rotaract and SERV.

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Natasha Steenbergen graduates with a major in supply chain and operations management. She served as president of the UW Oshkosh chapter of the American Production and Inventory Control Society, an OSA senator and vice president of professional development for the International Business Club. Steenbergen interned at Pierce Manufacturing and now works full time at P&H Mining Equipment.

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