Commencement Guide - 2020 - 11

PRESIDENT'S MEDAL FOR OUTSTANDING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
BACCALAUREATE STUDENT ADDRESS
Vanessa C. Schieble

Vanessa Schieble has earned a bachelor of arts in psychology,
attaining a 4.0 GPA while transitioning to academia after
serving in the United States Air Force.
Ms. Schieble is a standout student who has pushed herself
to an extremely high level of academic excellence and proved
to be someone of great character through her record of service
to Buffalo State College, the Western New York community,
and the country. Her academic performance has been nothing
short of stellar, and she carries herself in a humble, unassuming
way. She sets a tone of intellectual curiosity and academic
conversation among fellow students.
Ms. Schieble began building her research experience when
she was chosen for the MindCORE Undergraduate Summer
Fellowship, a program focused on brain and behavior studies
at the University of Pennsylvania. In line with this honor, she
earned a position as lead student researcher in Buffalo State's

physiological psychology laboratory. She presented her research
at the college's Student Research and Creativity Conference.
Along with her instructors, she is crafting a manuscript detailing
findings that will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.
In 2018, she was selected as the senior supplemental instruction
leader in the Academic Success Office, guiding a group of students
in the pilot program for peer teaching of introductory-level
classes. In addition, she was chosen to serve as the first teaching
intern in the Psychology Department, leading tutorial sessions,
creating review materials, and teaching parts of the curriculum
under the guidance of the course instructor.
A dean's list student, she was inducted into Psi Chi, the
international honor society in psychology, and the National
Society of Leadership and Success. She is also a member of the
college's Student Veterans Association. In the community, she
has been actively involved with Prisoner of War and Missing in
Action remembrance events in association with the Air Force
Sergeants Association.

PRESIDENT'S MEDAL FOR OUTSTANDING GRADUATE STUDENT
GRADUATE STUDENT ADDRESS
Christine J. Garas

Christine Garas has earned a master of science in education
in the literacy specialist (birth-grade 12) program, attaining
a 4.0 GPA.
Ms. Garas has distinguished herself throughout her
undergraduate and graduate studies at Buffalo State
College through her relentless pursuit of excellence, her
unmatched devotion to education and literacy-related
service, and her success as a leader at the local and
national levels.
Ms. Garas has engaged in numerous scholarly activities.
She has conducted research locally, nationally, and internationally and presented her results at four national and seven
local conferences, including multiple presentations at the
National Association for Professional Development Schools
(NAPDS) Conference. Her research has focused on the use
of music as a tool for second language instruction, among
other topics. She was awarded the 2019 Emerging Leader
Award by NAPDS.

She has embraced international professional growth
experiences by participating in International Professional
Development Schools (IPDS) trips to Santiago, Chile, and
Torremaggiore, Italy, to widen her knowledge of teaching
strategies. As the graduate assistant in the Elementary Education,
Literacy, and Educational Leadership Department and the
Professional Development Schools (PDS) Consortium at
Buffalo State, she helped coordinate conferences and
meetings, mentored undergraduate students in their
research, and recruited prospective new PDS members.
She has served in a variety of leadership positions on campus,
including as president of the college's chapter of the Student
Council for Exceptional Children, vice president of Kappa
Delta Pi, the international honor society in education,
co-leader and facilitator of the edTPA Jump Start program,
and graduate student representative on the Teacher Educational
Council. She has volunteered with the Anne Frank Project
and Bengals Dare to Care Day. She is a passionate and capable
young leader who uses her natural talents and acquired skills
to inspire others.

Commencement Guide - 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commencement Guide - 2020