Editor’s note:
A committee of students, faculty, and staff chose Dante Studenko Chamorro (C ’27) and Sanjana Priyonti (C ’28) as the 2026 recipients of the Pearigen Commitment to Community Award. The honor, announced last week at the University’s Opening Convocation, recognizes students for commitment to community engagement, social well being and leadership. The award was created by the student life cabinet in 2006 to honor Vice-Chancellor Rob Pearigen for his service as dean of students at Sewanee, a position he held from 1994 to 2005. In 2026, Vice-Chancellor Pearigen and his wife Phoebe Stone Pearigen funded the award so that the winners could award funds to a local organization or community cause of their choice. It was one of 25 honors in academic scholarship, leadership and academic achievement recognizing more than 50 students during the Convocation ceremony. The full list of awards and honors recipients is included below.
Students nominated by faculty, staff and peers for the Pearigen award are asked to submit statements about why they choose to devote so much time and energy to helping others. Studenko, an international student from Paraguay, was chosen for his work within the community and beyond, including serving as a proctor, Global Arcadian Program Co-Director, chair of the student conduct board, mentor and participant in Office of Civic Engagement outreach trips, Spanish and writing tutor, peer mentor for FYE and Vice President of the University Choir. Priyonti, an international student from Bangladesh, described a similarly wide array of community activities in the essay she submitted to the awards committee. Priyonti reluctantly agreed to let The Sewanee Purple publish her essay. We offer it as a reminder of what each of us can do to make EQB a reality for all on the Mountain and beyond.
In my first year at Sewanee, I had a conversation with Dean Campbell at Commencement that changed the way I thought about community. I asked her about Sewanee’s graduation rate, assuming that it must be close to 100 percent. When she explained that it was closer to 80 to 85 percent and that some students struggled to adjust to Sewanee or ultimately transferred, I was genuinely surprised. I had found a place that I loved, and the idea that someone could come to this Mountain and not feel that same sense of belonging was difficult for me to understand.
That conversation made me think about what it means to help someone find their place. I began looking at ways I could get involved and started noticing the people around me who might be struggling to adjust – to a new country, a new campus, a new academic environment, or simply to the aspect of starting a new chapter in their life. Since then, much of what I do here in Sewanee always circled around one idea: How can I make this place feel more like home for someone else?
I began with the community I knew most personally – international students. Coming to Sewanee from Bangladesh, I understood that even the most beautiful place can feel far from home. It doesn’t take two days before students like us start to long for home. Missing parents, missing siblings, missing the familiar faces, and then missing the comfort food. So, to create a sense of home, I started with a taste of home. When new Bangladeshi students arrive, I often make Biriyani and different curries similar to the food we eat back home. Food might not completely remove longing for home, but the taste of home and a warm welcome to the community definitely helps lessen the longing. It can remind someone that they are not alone here; everyone is here for them. Through these small observations over time, I realized that it is not just the International students who feel this sense of being unseen and unknown; it can also be true for domestic students.
That realization is what drew me to student mentorship and first year programs like PRE and FYE. I still say to almost everyone that FYP helped me find my footing here. I not only got to know the Domain but learned about Sewanee’s past. It helped me see myself as part of the Sewanee community and was not just an outsider. I found my sense of belonging because of the program. I became a PRE leader and am now the assistant student director for FYE to help people experience this same sense of belonging. I wanted to be around new students, and welcome them so that they can start seeing Sewanee as a place where they can belong – not simply a place where they study.
However, the short duration of the first-year programs also meant that I had limited time to be around newcomers. Even if I could create a lasting impact in those first few days, I still wouldn’t be able to continuously check on them. I remember how the small acts of checking in on someone when they are going through a tough time can mean a lot to that person. Being a proctor gave me the perfect opportunity to create community within my dorm. I wanted to build a dorm dynamic where students around me don’t just think of the residence hall as a place to sleep, but as a place where they can find lifelong friends, create endless memories, and always think of Sewanee with a kind of fondness. The kind of community where if people leave the Domain even for the weekend, they would immediately yearn to come back. In other words, I want to help them make Sewanee their home so that they don’t miss home.
Tutoring in different departments allowed me to help ease students’ anxiety and create an environment where they would know for certain that they wouldn’t be judged for anything. Yes, we do solve problems related to courses, but being in a position where I can guide them to navigate college and the many obstacles they face has definitely been my reward. Hearing how much they are looking forward to our tutoring sessions is what makes this work so fulfilling. It gives me hope that they might feel less anxious and our work together might help Sewanee’s graduation rate reach 100%.
I often tell myself I wish I had the financial means so I could help fund this or that at Sewanee. But, since I don’t have that, I can use the gift of time that I have to make this place the best it can be. Either being involved with the Order of the Gown or The Sewanee Purple where I collaborate with other students to make their voices heard, or simply stopping on my way to help somebody find their way to their dorm. I know I can use my time and skills to help not just the Sewanee community but also help those around the Mountain. As a Canale leader, I have had the opportunity to work with organizations serving communities surrounding the University. I have come to understand my presence at Sewanee is a privilege, particularly when I see that many people in our surrounding region do not have access to the same resources and opportunities. I want my time here to be something that I can give back. As a site leader, I have helped organize events and campaigns and am now working with the Office of Civic Engagement to record and share the voices of those working to make a difference in this place. Last year, I worked with New Life, a program for people with special needs. One of the best experiences was when I taught them how to make paper lanterns and they wouldn’t stop showing me the lanterns that they made. The pure streak of happiness and the glitter in their eyes was enough to tell me that they were indeed having a great time. This reminded me that what I do does have some impact on the people around me.
This sense of creating a lasting impact also relates to the research I do in the chemistry research lab. The work involves synthesizing novel anticancer pharmaceuticals to destroy only cancer cells, reducing the side effects too often suffered during current cancer treatment. The potential of our project helps me believe that what we do in the lab will be able to impact and even change the lives of people for the better.
I am fortunate enough to be in all these different roles. They have allowed me to keep noticing where someone needs support, when someone needs a little nudge of encouragement, or when I can make even a small difference by being present to listen to someone’s stories. My goal is always to dedicate myself and the time I have to make this place a little more welcoming, connected, and meaningful for those around me. I have been fortunate enough to find my place on this Mountain. So I hope that through my time here, I can help others find their place at Sewanee – and in turn, help them create that same sense of belonging for someone who comes after them. I am because you are. I am because we are. Maybe that’s the beauty of EQB. It’s helped me find purpose by making someone else a bit more part of our community.
Awards and Prizes announced at Advent Convocation 2026
Bain-Swiggett Prize—for poetry
Teigan Bright Edwards of South Carolina
Clayton Lee Burwell Scholarship—for excellence in Asian Studies
Christian Drake Garcia of Alabama
Clara Ann Hamilton of Georgia
Joseph D. Cushman Scholarship—for excellence in History
Eli John Bastiaansen of Arizona
Antonia Eve Cuevas of California
Marion Adele Reese of Mississippi
Mary Susan Cushman Scholarship—for integrity, academic distinction, extracurricular achievement, and contributions to the life of the University
Marion Adele Reese of Mississippi
Davis Family Scholarship—for leadership and community service
Christian Drake Garcia of Alabama
Robert P. Davis Memorial Scholarship—for the outstanding senior who is interested in medicine or business who exemplifies integrity, leadership, and loyalty
Stella Grace Martin of Louisiana
Ivy Kathryn Wilson of Oklahoma
Jim Davidheiser Memorial Prize—for outstanding achievement and demonstrated enthusiasm in the study of German
Kiera Rose McClellan of Kentucky
Arthur B. Dugan Memorial Prize—for the outstanding junior major in Political Science
Eloise Lischer Bradford of Colorado
Grace Whitley Olson of Tennessee
Trinity Ketura Reddick of Maryland
First-Year Chemistry Achievement Award—in recognition of outstanding scholastic achievement in Chemistry during the freshman year
William Maxwell Kilburn of Tennessee
Anna Calleigh Sonntag of North Carolina
First-Year Prize—for the sophomore who completed the first year at Sewanee with the highest academic average
Madeleine Ann Brockwell of Alabama
Ellie Grace Caudill of Tennessee
Domenic Joshua Desmond of North Carolina
Celeste Diane Dieringer of Tennessee
Sara Jessica Giezentanner of Tennessee
Charles Garland Hardwick of South Carolina
Rylin Amaryllis Hubbard of South Carolina
William Maxwell Kilburn of Tennessee
Brady Charles Lloyd of North Carolina
Madeline Hill Lloyd of Colorado
Adrian Richard Loud of Georgia
Christian Paul Myers of Louisiana
Samuel C. Ramberg of Texas
Aribah Farzeen Shah of Bangladesh
Daksh Tyagi of United Arab Emirates
John M. Gessell Fellowship in Social Ethics Kristen Dawn Davidson of Kansas
Kristen Michelle Merren of Honduras
Peter V. Guarisco Merit Award in Art and Art History
Beatrice Amelia Johnson of North Carolina
Shalom Amelia Richard of Louisiana
Atlee Heber Hoff Memorial Scholarship—for attainment in Economics
Harris Blackburn Fox of Georgia
Atlee Henkel Hoff Memorial Scholarship—for attainment in Economics
Alexandra Wei-Lin Kelly of Texas
Louis George Hoff Memorial Scholarship— for attainment in Chemistry
Jamie Lee Jenkins of Mississippi
Robert Hooke Prize—for achievement in Calculus
Aashray Chapagai of Nepal
William C. Jennings of Alabama
Robert Samuel Lancaster Scholarship—for attainment in Political Science
Virginia Anne Hobby of Florida
Sophia Camille Vowels of Kentucky
Charles Pollard Marks Memorial Scholarship—for the outstanding junior man exemplifying integrity, leadership, and scholarship
Brayden Joseph Petras of Georgia
Isabel Caldwell Marks Memorial Scholarship—for the outstanding junior woman exemplifying integrity, leadership, and scholarship
Eleanor Alyce Quinn of New Jersey
Marks Merit Scholarship—for the entering freshman exhibiting outstanding academic achievement
Aeron Daemon York of North Carolina
Pearigen Commitment to Community Award
Sanjana Jahan Priyonti of Bangladesh
Dante Ezequiel Studenko Chamorro of Paraguay
Stephen Elliott Puckette II Award—for exceptional academic performance
Allison Jocelyn Barrera Flores of Tennessee
Annelise Marie Matthiesen of Oregon
Chloe Suzanne Sims of Kentucky
William G. Seabold Scholar—for the outstanding junior who shows strong intellectual ability, originality of thought, great intellectual curiosity, and the ability to master concepts in his or her field of study
Lillian Louise Murphy of South Carolina
Robert Bowden Shepard Jr. Photography Award
Florence Korley of Alabama
Anna Elizabeth Smith of Tennessee
Woods Leadership Award
Adefunsho Ashley Ademitayo Adeyemi of Maryland