HWS News
27 June 2025 Leadership Celebrated
The HWS community gathered to recognize students completing HWS leadership programs and their mentors.
This spring, the Hobart and William Smith community came together in Bartlett Theatre to celebrate the achievements of students completing the Leadership Distinction and HWS Leads Certificate programs.
The evening opened with warm remarks from Lisa Kaenzig, Dean of Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation and Director of the Centennial Center, who welcomed attendees and set the tone for an evening of reflection and recognition. The ceremony’s keynote, delivered by Holly McCarty ’25, captured the personal and collective growth of the graduates, offering both gratitude for the journey and inspiration for what lies ahead.
Throughout the evening, the program honored not only the students but also the faculty and staff who have supported the leadership development initiatives. Students in the HWS Leads Certificate Program were recognized for completing this foundational leadership experience, while those receiving the Degree with Leadership Distinction represented a wide range of academic disciplines and had completed specialized leadership programming within their fields.
HWS Leadership Distinction and HWS Leads Certificate Awards
Craig Talmage, Centennial Center Entrepreneurship Faculty Fellow and Associate Professor of Business Management and Entrepreneurship, offered closing remarks, underscoring the significance of the graduates’ dedication to personal and professional development. He emphasized the positive impact these emerging leaders are poised to make in their communities and careers.
Each graduate received a specially made boutonniere from Darling’s Dahlias to wear at Commencement as a symbol of their leadership journey.
Members of the Class of 2025 who received the Degree with Leadership Distinction included: Delores Amponsah, Luke Aquaro, Zoe Aracena, Hannah Baker, Rebecca Barr, Olive Blair, Tucker Budd, Annelise Campino, Georgia Craven, Declan Curry, Arianna Hansen, Natalie Haythorn, Lucy Howe, Emma Johnston, Jovan Joseph, Ava Lee, Holly McCarty, Abigail Soika, Anjalee Wanduragala and Mercedes Wiegel.
Students from the Class of 2025 who completed the HWS Leads Certificate Program included: Hailee Catalano, Abigail Cole, Djeneba Diop, Alex Karpawich, Ryan Pero, Caroline Ruffner, Charlotte Sanford, Helena Shimeles and Tessa Yohan.
