UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing and its Alumni Society Board honored students, alumni, faculty and staff during an annual Awards Celebration, held at the Graduate by Hilton State College on March 21.
The awards recognize student achievement and service, alumni impact and engagement, and the contributions of faculty and staff. Recipients include:
Alumni Society Board Awards
- The Alumni Achievement Award: Donald Bucher, vice chair of advanced practice in the Department of Medicine at Penn State Health Hershey Medical Center and assistant professor at Penn State College of Medicine. He earned his Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner certificate in 2025.
- The Emerging Professional Award: Kaléi H. Crimi, director of quality, safety, and emergency preparedness at the Wright Center for Community Health. She earned her bachelor of science in nursing in 2020 and doctor of philosophy in nursing in 2024.
- The Paula Milone-Nuzzo Alumni Volunteer of the Year Award: Maxine Lewis, registered nurse, inpatient pediatrics, at Saint Vincent Hospital. She earned her bachelor of science in nursing in 2014.
- The Undergraduate Student Service Award: Braedon Joyce, fourth-year nursing student
- Graduate Student Service Award: Karen McMenamin, doctoral candidate
- Doctoral Student Academic Excellence Award: Nawal Said Alsereahi, doctoral candidate
Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing Awards
- Janet A. Williamson Excellence in Teaching Award: Beth Ann White, associate teaching professor and the coordinator for family and adult gerontology primary care nursing practitioner programs. She earned her bachelor of science in nursing in 1998, her master of science in nursing in 2009, and her doctor of nursing practice in 2018.
- Staff Appreciation Award: Morgann McAfee, director of strategic communications and recruitment
- Beta Sigma Student Achievement Award: Helaine "Lanie" Pishotti, fourth-year nursing student
- Kim Gedney-Guzik Memorial Award: Elizabeth Ann Lundy, fourth-year nursing student
- Norris Himes Adult Critical Care Student Nursing Award: Connor Mehlmann, fourth-year nursing student
- Janet A. Williamson Graduate Award in Nursing: Jess Wellington, doctoral candidate
- Mark T. Kolanowski Award for Excellence in Ph.D. Nursing Research: Pauline J. Hwang, doctoral candidate and assistant teaching professor. She earned her master of science in nursing in 2015, and her doctor of nursing practice in 2019.
Alumni award recipients are selected through a competitive nomination process reviewed by the Nursing Alumni Society Awards Committee. Nominations are submitted by members of the college community and evaluated against established criteria, including professional achievement, leadership and impact.