Maccolades for Summer 2022: Brainy athletes, a Hollywood adaptation, and more

Maccolades is a monthly round-up of the most recent accolades and accomplishments earned by members of the Macalester community. Below are highlights from Summer 2022.

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Tyler Sanchez ’24 was awarded a Joy of Giving Something Fellowship from Imagining America. The annual award recognizes undergraduate students who actively serve their local communities through photography or media arts. The program is aimed at elevating photography and digital media as pathways for undergraduates to pursue careers and make a difference in their communities. During the fellowship year, Sanchez will receive a $2,000 tuition scholarship, obtain mentorship and financial support for a community project, attend Imagining America’s National Gathering in fall 2022 through complimentary registration and travel awards, participate in virtual learning exchanges, and join the consortium’s national network of scholars, artists, and community organizers. At Macalester, Sanchez studies psychology, English, and media and cultural studies. 

A German exchange

Macalester graduates Audrey Kellar ’22 and Grace Armon ’22 were two of 75 Americans selected to study and work in Germany as part of the yearlong Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals program. While in Germany, Kellar and Armon will attend a two-month intensive language course, study at a German university and complete internships in genetic counseling and public health, respectively. Participants are usually placed with host families throughout Germany, where they act as citizen ambassadors of the United States, promoting a positive image of the U.S. abroad and creating lifelong friendships and professional connections to keep German-American relations strong.

Pipe dreams

Macalester won second place in their division in the largest pipe band competition in the United States — the Chicago Scottish Festival and Highland Games. Mike Breidenbach ’96, the director of piping at Macalester, accepted the win on the band’s behalf. Students Zippa Curiskis ’25 and Rhys O’Higgins ‘24, as well as alumna Meridith Richmond ‘12, are members in the band. 

Connecting through street art

Elissa Cedarleaf Dahl ’01 was awarded a Fulbright to study murals and street art in Medellín, Colombia. The Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Research Program provides opportunities for U.S. educators to research and explore topics of educational significance in a foreign country and incorporate their findings into their school and community upon returning to the U.S. 

Cedarleaf Dahl teaches art at Justice Page Middle School in Minneapolis. “After the murder of George Floyd, our city responded with murals and public art on practically every building and every street,” she said. “We are now a mural city, much like Medellín, Colombia, and the voice of our people is being broadcast through our public art.” 

Her research project will investigate intersections between Medellín and Minneapolis’ mural arts movement and create a collaborative curriculum for community muralism projects and histories in Medellín and Minneapolis.

Hollywood adapts

English professor and department chair Peter Bognanni’s book Things I’m Seeing Without You is being adapted for television by A+E Studios. The book tells the story of a teenage girl coping with her boyfriend’s suicide. Alyssa Milano will pen the TV series adaptation with Oscar-winner Peter Farrelly directing.

An academic grand slam

Twelve athletic teams were recognized for stellar academic performance and high grade point averages. For the second year in a row, the softball team recorded the highest team grade point average among all NCAA softball programs across all divisions. The Scots turned in a team GPA of 3.851 for the 2021-22 academic year.

The men’s basketball team received the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ Team Academic Excellence Award. 

The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams were both named Scholar All-America Teams by the College Swimming Coaches of America Association. The men’s team posted a 3.73 team GPA for the spring semester to rank tied for fifth among NCAA Division III men’s swimming and diving teams. The women’s team recorded a 3.76 team GPA, which is tied for fourth in Division III. Both teams also recorded the highest team GPAs among MIAC members.

The men’s track and field team received All-Academic Team recognition from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, ending the season with a cumulative team grade point average of 3.615. 

The women’s basketball team earned a spot on the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Academic Top 25 Honor Roll. The Scots ranked second in Division III, registering a GPA of 3.763. 

The cumulative GPA for the women’s golf team ranked second among all Division III women’s golf programs during the 2021-22 academic year, according to the Women’s Golf Coaches Association. The Scots registered a 3.819 collective team GPA.

The women’s track and field team received All-Academic Team recognition from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, ending the season with a cumulative team grade point average of 3.693. 

The volleyball team received the Team Academic Award from the American Volleyball Coaches Association. This the 12th consecutive year that the Scots have earned the honor, which recognizes teams for their academic achievement.

The water polo team received the All-Academic Team Award from the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches after posting the eighth-highest team grade-point average (3.67) among all women’s collegiate water polo teams.

The men’s soccer team received the Team Academic Award from the United Soccer Coaches after posting the highest team grade point average among all men’s college soccer teams during the 2021-22 academic year. The Scots’ GPA of 3.75 is tied with Stevens Institute of Technology for the highest GPA across all three NCAA Divisions.

The women’s soccer team received the Team Academic Award from the United Soccer Coaches after posting a 3.73 team grade point average during the 2021-22 academic year. The Scots’ GPA ranks 11th in Division III and 18th in the nation.

How to be considered for future Maccolades

If you or someone you know recently earned an award, fellowship, or honor and would like it to be considered for inclusion in next month’s Maccolades, please let Communications & Marketing know by filling out this Maccolades form. For recent book publications, please use this book publication form.