West Chester University 1871 Award

The 1871 Award was established in 2018 to recognize West Chester University juniors and seniors who are high-achieving in both the academic and co-curricular realms.

Each year, up to 71 students will be honored for their outstanding accomplishments related to Academics, Leadership, Community Engagement, and Career Readiness.

Who is eligible to apply?

Undergraduate students who have completed at least 60 credits (30 of those must have been earned at WCU)
Must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25
Must be in good standing with regard to personal and academic conduct

On what criteria will students be evaluated?

Academics (GPA): 25%
Leadership: 25%
Community Engagement: 25%
Career Readiness: 25%

View the selection criteria rubric here .

What materials will be requested for the application?

Personal information (e.g., name, contact information, major)
Responses to five short-answer questions
Resume
Two letters of recommendation:
One must be from a WCU faculty or staff member, the second an individual of their choice (e.g., supervisor, mentor, advisor), but may NOT be another WCU student.
View the 1871 Award application
Click here to complete the application

Who will evaluate the applicants?

Applications will be evaluated by a committee of WCU faculty and staff, as well as one student, representing the following areas:

Student Affairs senior leader (chair)
College of Arts & Humanities
College of Health Sciences
College of Business & Public Management
College of the Sciences & Mathematics
College of Education & Social Work
School of Music
Student Affairs staff members (2)
Student (senior, former 1871 Award recipient)
University College

How will award recipients be honored?

1871 Award honorees will be recognized at a spring award ceremony that will be attended by WCU senior leadership.
They will receive a certificate and a special “1871 Award” pin.
They will receive a special designation next to their name within the commencement program.
Their names will also be published and archived on the WCU website.

What is the timeline for this process?

October: Call for nominations
Deadline to apply: November 7, 2021 at 11:45 pm
December: Selections made
January: Applicants notified
April 19, 2022: Recipients honored at an award ceremony

List of Honorees

Jalyss Agosto
Sasha Alvarado
Evan Brooks
Jocelyn Brown
Justin Caniz
Victoria Clayton
Faaith Crawford
Carlyn Crisi
Zaire Cuspud
Emily Dawson
Jacklyn DiPietro
Jared Flora
Grace Fuller
Daniel Gauntlett

Steven Kendikian
Ali Kochik
Casey Lehmann
James Lingman
Brian Lynch
Madison MacLean
Gabrielle Mahoney
Lionel McCulloch
Ronan McDermott
Shannon McKee
Cheyanne McManus
Chelsey Moore
Holland Morgan
Agostino Nigro

Selda Oktay
Fanny Ortiz
Julien Margareth Padillo
Constantina Pappas
Quinaysia Payne
Andrew Sharp
Kayla Smith
Grace Soldacki
Aaron Stoyack
Lauren Torres
Caitlin Viespoli
Erica Westcott
Catherine Young
Zachary Zajkowski

2019 Honorees

2020 Honorees

2021 Honorees

Division of Student Affairs

West Chester 1871 Award