Criteria and Process for Serling Institute Student Achievement Award

The Serling Institute for Jewish Studies and Modern Israel Student Achievement Award is an award given to up to three students annually who have been nominated by a Jewish Studies faculty and then selected by an award committee each Spring. The award/s constitute a certificate and $500 and are awarded at the annual Serling Institute Undergraduate Research Conference each April.

Awardee Criteria:

-Strong candidates for the award are students who have carried through on an important investigation or project, written a compelling scholarly paper, achieved special distinction in a course or set of courses, been involved in important community service or Jewish Studies related internship, especially excelled in study abroad program courses, or otherwise achieved distinction in an area of Jewish Studies. 

– Nominees need not be pursuing a Jewish Studies minor.

Student candidates must be nominated by a Jewish Studies core or affiliated faculty member. Nominations will be received in the form of a letter of recommendation submitted to Jewish Studies stating the students’ special achievements. There is no restriction on the number of nominees a single faculty member can advocate. 

Past Awardees:

2023 Ellie Baden
2022 Samantha Chaben, Troy Distelrath, Leah Welch
2021 Yael Eichhorn, Hannah Margolis
2020 Ben Francis
2019 David Warshay
2018 Mackenzie Cater, Anna Cumming, Kaila Waineo
2017 Micaela Procopio
2016 Benjamin Lyth
2015 Brad Isaacson, Aaron Walden, Laura Williams
2014 Travis Colwell
2013 Helena Bentley
2012 Rebecca Farnum
2011 Daniel Bittker, Ashley Delamater, Megan Holland
2010 Geoff Levin
2009 David Mindell
2008 Ariana Segal
2006 Sarah al-Kabour, Nicholas Setterington