Georgetown University College of Arts & Sciences celebrated the achievements of exceptional undergraduate students in the Class of 2025 at the 106th annual Tropaia Exercises in Gaston Hall. 

“The students we are celebrating today have shown dedication to their craft, passion for their subjects and determination to hone their technical and analytical skills,” Andrew Sobanet, the interim dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, said during the ceremony. “By simply doing the work that led to their invitation here today, students have already earned the best possible reward.”

This year’s honorees included Dhruvi Banerjee (C’25), recipient of the Coakley Medal; Lisa Kennedy (C’25), who received the Katherine Kraft Medal; and Evan Bianchi (C’25), winner of the Louis McCahill Award. 

Jaden Cobb (C’25) received the Lambert H. Spronck Medal, awarded to the student who combines good scholarship with significant contributions to extracurricular activities and a spirit of giving. Riley Talbot (C’25) was honored with the Loyola Medal, given to the graduating senior who best exemplifies Catholic and Jesuit ideals in their collegiate life. Tiffany Zhang (C’25) delivered the Cohonguroton address, and both Zandria Robinson and Alexandra DeCandia received the Edward B. Bunn, S.J. Award for Faculty Excellence. 

The full list of award winners is below.

Dhruvi Banerjee, Coakley Medal

For Banerjee, an education at Georgetown is rooted in cura personalis – a Jesuit value that means “care for the whole person.” His time on the Hilltop, he said, taught him the importance of understanding the lived experience of others.

Driven by an interest in the intersection of health and culture, Banerjee majored in anthropology and minored in science, technology and international affairs (STIA) with a concentration in global health and biotechnology. Faculty members have praised Banerjee’s deep commitment to ethnographic research of public health, especially his focus on caring for patients diagnosed with incurable diseases. 

“People are what matter in the end, and meeting others where they are is the best start,” Banerjee said. “The Georgetown education I have received has shown me the importance of always being humble and compassionate in whatever work I find myself completing.”

As a sophomore, Banerjee was accepted into the Early Assurance Program for Georgetown School of Medicine as a Joseph Sweeney, S.J. Scholar. He will begin medical school this August. 

Outside of his studies, Banerjee worked for Georgetown University Neurology Clinical Research (GUNCR) in the Department of Neurology. He assisted clinical research coordinators with existing trials from pharmaceutical companies, specifically working with patients with neuromuscular conditions like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). 

Banerjee was also heavily involved with Georgetown Emergency Response Medical Service, a fully-volunteer, student-run EMS agency serving Georgetown and the surrounding neighborhoods. 

The Coakley Medal was established by Elizabeth Coakley in memory of her husband, Henry “Hank” Coakley, a class of 1941 Georgetown alumnus and U.S. Air Force pilot who died in World War II. The award is presented to a College of Arts & Sciences senior who has displayed qualities of loving service, honor and courage.

Lisa Kennedy, Katherine Kraft Medal

Growing up in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, a city with a population of approximately 8,000 people, Kennedy was told that if she wanted to be successful, she would have to leave her rural hometown. 

But her time at Georgetown has made Kennedy realize that towns like Rhinelander are not a place to leave behind. They’re places she wants to serve. 

“What was driving me to go to college was I wanted to advocate for people who have often gone overlooked. I felt like we had been overlooked, and that resulted in a lot of resentment,” she said. “I understand why people feel that way, but I think there’s real value in rural places and rural people. I wanted to change that narrative when I felt that change in myself when I came to college.”

Kennedy, an American studies major, has received numerous undergraduate honors, including the Laidlaw Undergraduate Leadership Research Scholarship Programme, Royden B. Davis Fellowship, Kalorama Fellowship, Lisa J. Raines Fellowship, Penner Family Experiences Award, Lena Landegger Community Service Award and McTighe Prize.

For Laidlaw, Kennedy studied the rates at which Georgetown recruited and admitted applicants from rural areas. She formed and led the Georgetown Association of Small Towns and Rural Students (GU STARS), a community and informative platform for small town and rural Georgetown students. 

This fall, Kennedy will start her master’s program in U.S. history at the University of Oxford as part of the Joseph L. Allbritton Scholarship. 

Cornelia Kraft McKee established the Kraft Medal in memory of her mother, Katherine Kraft, and the award is given to the student who best manifests a spirit of humility, cooperation and commitment as a person for others.

Evan Bianchi, Louis McCahill Award

Bianchi discovered she had a learning disability at a young age. As a result, she said, she received the necessary accommodations and support early on, which not only enabled her to achieve academically but maintain her love of learning.

That experience influenced her research at Georgetown. 

During her first year, Bianchi attended an alternative spring break trip to Appalachia, where rural kindergarten teachers spoke about the importance of early childhood education. 

When she returned from Georgetown, she joined the university’s Context, Development & Social Policy Lab (CDSP). There, she learned that public pre-K students often outperform their Head Start peers in kindergarten. 

Bianchi wondered why, and for her psychology honors thesis, Bianchi examined whether the disruption of switching schools, which is required for Head Start students, might be a factor. She found a range of negative effects on students’ social and emotional development following a school transition. The results suggested that co-locating public pre-K classrooms in elementary schools could better support low-income children.

Bianchi, a psychology major with a minor in disability studies, was named a 2024 Provost’s Distinguished Undergraduate Research Fellow, and her early education research won first place at the 2025 Big East Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium in New York. Outside of her research, Bianchi has worked with First-Year Orientation to Community Involvement (FOCI) through the Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching & Service. 

After graduation, Bianchi will conduct psychology research at Children’s National Hospital before pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. 

The McCahill Award was established in 1960 by Eugene McCahill and Francis McCahill in memory of their brother, Louis, who died in service during the First World War. It is given to the student who has shown perseverance and determination of a high order in pursuing educational objectives at Georgetown.

Tiffany Zhang, Cohonguroton Address

Zhang, a double-major in biology and American musical cultures, was selected to give the Cohonguroton address. 

“Cohonguroton” is an Algonquin word for the Potomac River that roughly translates to “river of swans.” The address is considered a symbolic “swan song” delivered by a member of the graduating class.

Zandria Robinson and Alexandra DeCandia, Edward B. Bunn, S.J. Award for Faculty Excellence

Robinson, an associate professor of Black studies, and DeCandia, an assistant teaching professor in the Department of Biology, received the Bunn award, which is determined by a direct vote from the senior class.

Established in 1967 by the College Student Council in honor of Father Bunn, the award is presented to faculty members in the College of Arts & Sciences, who, in the eyes of the senior class, are admired and respected for their services to Georgetown in the classroom and campus community.

Departmental Awards

Mary Catherine Mita Award: Lisa Kennedy

(given to an American Studies Program student)

Alma Thomas & Bruce Nugent Award in Black Studies: Rams-Lyne Thomas

Clifford T. Chieffo Award: Sarah Pedley

(given to a studio arts major student)

Leo Doran Award for Art History: Chloe Potamianos-Homem

Kircher Medal: Tiffany Zhang

(given to an American musical cultures major student)

Davis Medal: Katherine Martinez

(given to a theater and performance studies major student)

Outstanding Senior in English Award: Daniella Arevalo

Outstanding Senior Award in Women’s & Gender Studies: Emily Kalyvas

Founder Mark Lance Award: Julianne Meneses

(given to a Justice and Peace Studies Program student)

Senior Award for Outstanding Research in Anthropology: Dhruvi Banerjee

B.J. Phoenix Medal: Reed Uhlik

(given to an economics major student)

Father Robert Hoggson, S.J. Award for Excellence in Sociology: Francin Vasquez

Ryan Medal: Jackson Karas

(given to a philosophy major student)

Department of Government Award: Ruowei Yu

Morris Historical Medal: Jackson Karas

(given to a history major student)

Sebastian Brenninkmeyer Medal for Uncommon Accomplishment in Psychology: Bijan Tabrizian

Brennan Medal: Nami Bolat

(given to a theology and religious studies student)

Horace Medal: Nathaniel Ting

(given to a student for proficiency in both oral and written translation of the odes of Horace)

E. Joseph McCarthy Award: Nami Bolat

(given to a French and francophone studies major student)

George M. Roth Award: Alexandra Roe

(given to a German major student)

Global and Comparative Literature Award: Audrey Sun

Dante Award: William DiGiovanni

(given to an Italian major student)

St. Francis Xavier Award: Isabel Asker

(given to a Japanese major student)

Eric Duffell Class of 1996 Dobro Slovo Award for Achievement in Russian Language, Literature and Culture: Adriane Longhurst

(given to a student in the Department of Slavic Languages)

Coutinho Medal: Cameryn James

(given to a Portuguese major student)

Caíno Medal for Achievement in Spanish: Cody Slutzky

Francis P. Dinneen Award for Distinction in Linguistics: Ifeoluwaposimi John-Idiagbonya

Miljevic Chemistry Award: Tessa Block

Kidwell Medal: Arden Dombalagian

(given by the Department of Physics)

Henry M. Leslie Award: Jonathan Riess

(given to a Mathematics student)

Computer Science Award: Reed Uhlik

Edward L. Mahoney Medal: Ella Boasberg

(given to a senior pre-medical student for outstanding achievement in the humanities)

Dr. Michael Barrette Medal: Lili Rodgers

(given to a pre-medical or pre-dental student)

Biology Award: Tiffany Zhang

Biology of Global Health Award: Dua Mobin

Environmental Biology Award: Catherine Dell’Olio

Neurobiology Award: Alexandria Sorensen

Thomas Francis Graham Award: Owen Carapellotti

(given to a senior who has demonstrated concern for others, academic achievement and sportsmanship as a member of an intercollegiate team)

College-Wide Awards

Lambert H. Spronck Medal: Jaden Cobb

Louis McCahill Award: Evan Bianchi

Katherine Kraft Medal: Lisa Kennedy

Coakley Medal: Dhruvi Banerjee

Edward B. Bunn, S.J. Award for Faculty Excellence: Zandria Robinson, Alexandra DeCandia

–Kelyn Soong

(Photos of the ceremony by John McDonnell for Georgetown University)