LATROBE, PA – Saint Vincent College is pleased to announce the five seniors who have been named finalists for the 52nd annual President’s Award.
The honor is the College’s highest student accolade and is presented to the member of the graduating class who best exemplifies the College’s Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts values, including outstanding academic achievement, student leadership and community service.
This year’s finalists for the prestigious award are Victoria Barone, a mathematics and data science double major from North Huntingdon; Cassandra Lanza, a computer science major from Marysville; Grace Scoville, an organismal biology major from Broadview Heights, Ohio; Kennedy Sheriff, an English major pursuing secondary education certification from Shippensburg; and Carolina Walters, a philosophy and theology double major from Latrobe.
The award will be presented by Father Paul Taylor, O.S.B., C’87, S’91, PhD, president of Saint Vincent College, during the 2026 Spring Honors Convocation celebrated from 1-3 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, inside the Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica.
In addition to the presentation of the President’s Award, the College will also announce the Honorable Judge Bernard Scherer Award, the John and Theresa Ragan Poetry Award, the Fr. Ronald R. Gorka Scholarship awardee, various Student Government Association awards, Academic Excellence for graduates and undergraduates awards, A.J. Palumbo Student Research Endowment Fund Award recipients, Elizabeth and Tom Andreoli Traveling Scholar awardees, the Quentin Schaut Faculty Award and the Boniface Wimmer Faculty Award.
Dr. David A. Dzombak, C’79, Hamerschlag University Professor Emeritus in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, will deliver the Honors Convocation address.
Victoria Barone, of North Huntingdon, is a mathematics and data science double major and in the College Scholar Honors Program. She is a McConnaughey Scholar and an inductee of both the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society for First-Year Academic Success and Pi Mu Epsilon honorary national mathematics society. She served as a captain for the Saint Vincent College Performance Dance Team for four years and has fulfilled multiple tutoring roles, including for the Summer Bridge Program’s Quantitative Reasoning course, the College’s Math Department, and junior and senior high school students within the Greater Latrobe community. Barone is a three-year member of the College’s Orientation Committee and serves as a Herbert W. Boyer School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Computing ambassador.
Barone plans to pursue a doctorate in statistics at the University of Pittsburgh.
Cassandra Lanza, of Marysville, is a computer science major and Wimmer Scholar in the College Scholar Honors Program. Lanza completed two National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF REU) summer programs. One program involved conducting digital humanities research with the University of Southern Mississippi’s Mapping Freedom project as she worked on visualizing enslaved mobility during the Civil War. Lanza’s second NSF REU was in Kettering University’s Controls and Sensing in Autonomous Vehicles program in Michigan. She investigated user trust and distrust in autonomous vehicle interfaces using a car simulator integrated with a vision-language model. As a student-athlete and cross-country team captain, she earned regional athletic and academic recognition. Lanza serves as a tutor in the College’s Computer Science Department and volunteers as a notetaker for peers with learning needs in upper-level computer science courses. She serves as secretary of the Computer Science Club.
Lanza plans to pursue master- and doctorate-level studies in computer science, focusing on geographic information systems, mapping, and related subfields and intends to enter academia.
Grace Scoville, of Broadview Heights, Ohio, is an organismal biology major. She is a member of the College’s Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society and Student Society for Catholic Scientists chapters and organizes and participates in various events for both groups. Scoville volunteers for multiple Boyer School events aimed at recruiting prospective students to the College and serves in Campus Ministry and as a prefect. She also has volunteered her time at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s thrift store in Greensburg. She is a member of the Bearcat cross-country and track and field teams. Outside of campus, Scoville volunteers her time helping children with disabilities enjoy horseback riding.
After participating in a wide range of job shadow experiences with area veterinarians over the past four years, Scoville plans to attend the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in the fall.
Kennedy Sheriff, of Shippensburg, is an English major pursuing secondary education certification and is in the College Scholar Honors Program. She is a member of the Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society in Education, Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society and Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society for First-Year Academic Success, serving in multiple leadership roles for each society. She is the vice president of the Student Government Association, chair of the Academic Affairs Committee and secretary of the Multicultural Club. Beyond her coursework, Sheriff serves the College as a prefect, mentoring peers and fostering a supportive living environment, and as an admissions ambassador, representing Saint Vincent to prospective students and their families. She organizes contributions for the SVC Wraps for Kids initiative, provides attentive care to young children in her role as a teaching aide at Trinity Day Care Center, and serves as a Saint Vincent College Writing Center consultant, offering individualized academic support to peers across disciplines and strengthening the broader learning community.
Sheriff is currently student teaching in the Norwin School District and upon graduating plans to teach middle or high school English.
Carolina Walters, of Latrobe, is a philosophy and theology double major and in the Benedictine Leadership Studies Certificate Program. She serves as team captain of the College’s World Series of Birding team and secretary of the Respect Life Club. She helped plan the Marian Procession for Campus Ministry, within which she has taken on various leadership roles. Walters volunteers at Westmoreland Food Bank and as a notetaker for peers with learning needs. As a student-athlete, Walters serves as tennis team captain and recently eclipsed 100 career wins. She also plays for the College’s lacrosse team. In summer 2023, Walters spent several months at Our Lady of the Rock Monastery in Washington, where she formed friendships with the Benedictine community.
Walters plans to work in the Catholic publishing field.
