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Academic Achievement Awards

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The Department of Urban Studies faculty and staff proudly presents our Academic Achievement Award winners for 2021.  


Dr. Vincent E. "Jake" Powers Urban Studies Award

This award, in memory of Dr. Vincent “Jake” Powers, a highly respected urban historian and founder of the Worcester State University Urban Studies Department, is given to an undergraduate urban studies student who is an innovative, original thinker, and whose time in the department has emboldened them to pursue personal and professional opportunities they may not have previously considered and to achieve them with determination, grit, and courage.

Katherinne Cornejo
Katherinne Cornejo’s time as an urban studies major has truly transformed her and her career focus. With a second major in Spanish, she is president of the Spanish Club and the Alpha Mu Gamma Honor Society for foreign languages, the SGA Commuter Senator, and an intern with Ascentria Care Alliance. She is also a student advocate with the Student Clinic for Immigrant Justice, working on asylum cases with immigration attorneys. At WSU, her research has focused on Central American immigration, a topic that relates to her own personal journey from El Salvador seven years ago. Katherinne hopes to pursue graduate studies and work in the nonprofit sector.


Schwartz Charitable Foundation Urban Studies Award

This award, in honor of Nathan Schwartz, founding donor of the Schwartz Charitable Foundation, who was a business visionary committed to supporting small businesses and community endeavors in Worcester County, is given to the highest-ranking undergraduate senior majoring in urban studies who best represents the mission of the Foundation.

Sara Stoja
Originally from Worcester, Sara Stoja is a double major in urban studies and psychology and is the vice president of Amnesty International at WSU. Sara completed a transportation planning internship at the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission with a focus on bikesharing and micromobility. Sara is also a member of Psi Chi Honor Society, a recipient of the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship, and a volunteer at the LGBTQ+ Task Force and the Hawden Congregational Church food pantry in Worcester. Sara plans to pursue a career in transportation planning, continue volunteering for different organizations, and later pursue graduate study.




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