MORRISVILLE, NY—Morrisville State College students Latorsha Washington, of West Hempstead, and Haley Kilmartin, of Fort Plain, have been honored with the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence.
The prestigious award recognizes students who have best demonstrated, and have been recognized for, the integration of academic excellence with accomplishments in the areas of leadership, athletics, community service, creative and performing arts, campus involvement, or career achievement. It is the highest honor bestowed upon a student by SUNY.
“I am immensely proud of these students, who have demonstrated academic excellence and dedication to enriching their campuses and communities,” Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson said. “From research publications in industry journals to volunteering in hospitals and local clinics to holding leadership roles at their institutions, I am inspired by each student we recognize. Congratulations to all of the students receiving this year’s award.”
Washington, a criminal justice Bachelor of Technology student, is chair of the college’s Campus Activities Board and secretary of the Alpha Phi Sigma National Criminal Justice Honor Society.
A leader on the Morrisville campus, she served as vice president of Mo’Pride, a peer and Mustang mentor, a resident assistant and student representative on the Morrisville Auxiliary Corporation Board. She is also a co-captain of the African Student Union Black Alliance (ASUBA) dance team and a member of the Caribbean American Student Union (CASU).
Washington excelled academically, earning a spot on the Dean’s List three semesters. She is currently completing an internship with the McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center, in Syracuse, while pursuing her goal to work within the criminal justice field.
In just three years, Washington graduated with an advanced Regent’s diploma from Malverne High School, in Malverne, in 2014. She is the daughter of Marietta Washington and Sylvester Washington, of West Hempstead.
Kilmartin, a human performance and health promotion Bachelor of Science student, was a standout member of the Morrisville State College women’s basketball team.
Serving twice as team captain, Kilmartin was a three-time recipient of the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Scholar-Athlete Award. She surpassed 1,000 career points scored for the Mustangs, while being named to the NEAC All-Conference Third Team during the 2017-18 and 2015-16 seasons, the 2016-17 NEAC All-Conference Second Team and the Susquehanna University Tip-Off Tourney All-Tourney Team in 2015.
Active on campus, she was an officer in the Human Performance Health Promotion Club and a summer orientation leader who facilitated group activities with incoming students.
Academically, she was named to the Dean’s List five semesters and received the Morrisville State Crawford Scholarship, which is presented annually to an outstanding returning student in the School of Science and Technology.
Driven to help in her community, she participated in youth services which assisted veterans with spring and yard cleaning at their homes, volunteered as a playground monitor at Morrisville-Eaton Elementary School and collected school supplies for a local elementary school for three consecutive years.
Her philanthropic efforts also helped feed the needy in her hometown community, through Stop Hunger Now and Manna Meals programs, at the Fort Plain Reformed Church. A volunteer with Special Olympics, she has been a camp counselor at the Fort Plain Summer Youth Program for the past two years.
Kilmartin is currently completing an internship at the Morrisville State College Wellness Center, where she develops workout plans for various clients and assists with strength/conditioning testing. She was also a rehabilitation intern at Crouse Community Center, in Morrisville.
A 2014 graduate of Fort Plain High School, she is the daughter of Barbara and Joseph Kilmartin, of Fort Plain.
Morrisville State College’s curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.
The college was ranked among the Best Regional Colleges in the North by U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges 2018 issue and was also recognized in the Top Public Schools, Regional Colleges North in the 2018 Best Colleges rankings.