In a testament to the quality of the Class of 2005, Sweet Briar President Elisabeth Muhlenfeld eschewed the usual singling out of a student to award the SBC Presidential Medal to three exemplary seniors. She presented the coveted honor to Casey Dineen Knapp '05, Karlena Mariel Sakas '05, and Denva Edelle Jackson '05 at the annual Academic Recognition Dinner ceremony in Prothro Hall on Wednesday, March 23.
The highest accolade the College bestows on a senior class member, the Presidential Medal goes to the student who has demonstrated exemplary intellectual achievement and distinction in areas including service to the community, contributions to the arts, enlargement of the school's global perspective, athletic fitness and achievement, leadership, and contributions to community discourse.
Members of the College faculty, staff, and administration submit nominations, and a committee headed by Muhlenfeld makes the final decision. Although it is rarely cut and dried, this year's choices proved particularly difficult, she admitted to the audience.
"After careful thought and, I might add, very spirited debate, we have decided that we could not select just one, but would award three exceptional people among an outstanding group," Muhlenfeld said. "Each young woman is very different, and has brought to Sweet Briar different talents and has contributed in different ways, but each exemplifies the highest values of this community."
Casey Dineen Knapp of Mequon, Wis., who will graduate with a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy, will attend Washington and Lee School of Law in Lexington, Va., this fall. She was a National Merit finalist, received the Sweet Briar Founder's and Honors Scholarships, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Selected for the 2005 "Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities," Knapp serves on the Alumnae Relations Committee and is president of Alpha Lambda Delta.
She also has volunteered for the COPE Crisis Hotline and worked at Sweet Briar as a tutor in the Academic Resource Center, a campus tour guide for the Admissions Office, and as overnight hostess co-chair. During the summers of 2003 and '04, she secured a challenging internship with Robert W. Baird and Company in Milwaukee. Knapp found an outlet for her musical and athletic talents by playing in the chamber orchestra, riding for the Spring Equestrian Show team, and playing anchor on the varsity soccer team.
Denva Edelle Jackson, who will graduate with a bachelor of arts degree in art history and Italian studies, has been an honors scholar for four years and is a member of Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Beta Kappa. The Darlington, S.C., native is also a 2005 member of "Who's Who in American Universities and Colleges."
At Sweet Briar, she has served as judicial representative for the class of 2005, chairwoman for the Leadership Conference in 2002 and '03, and participated in the "A Step Forward" community service organization. She is a member of Young Democrats, the Italian Club, Nations United, and the Friends of Art Board. She's worked at Sweet Briar as an art history assistant, a tutor in the Academic Resource Center, and is president of the Pannell Gallery Docents.
Jackson has held impressive internships at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Cloisters in New York City, as well as the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. At The Cloisters she coordinated and conducted tours for New York City youth, conducted research, and presented a gallery talk to the public. At Walters, she personally assisted Dr. Joneath Spicer in the Renaissance and Baroque Department and helped conceptualize the Palazzo installation for its opening this fall.
Springfield, Va.-resident Karlena Mariel Sakas, who will graduate with a bachelor of arts degree in German and a minor in sociology, spent her junior year in Bamberg, Germany, where she was a leader in student government. She is an honors scholar and has been on the dean's list each year she has been at Sweet Briar. A finalist in competition for a prestigious Fulbright Teaching Assistant position in Germany, she has been elected to Phi Beta Kappa, Delta Phi Alpha, and Alpha Lambda Delta honor societies.
Sakas is president of the German Club, chair of the Sunshine Committee for Employee Recognition for Residence Life, member of the sub-varsity swim team, member of Kaleidoscope, a DJ for the college radio station, and a volunteer for the Sweet Briar "Kids in College" program. She also has worked as a tutor for the German department, served as community assistant, resident assistant, media services aide, tour guide for Admissions, Saturday Enrichment Program instructor, and as swimming instructor for Sweet Briar as well as the Red Cross.
Further demonstrating her passion for German language and culture, she is a member of the German Academic Exchange Service Alumni Association USA, the American Association of Teachers of German, Foreign Language Association of Virginia, Friends of Goethe Institut in Washington, D.C., and Sweet Briar's Friends of the Library.
Sakas is also an author. The Sweet Briar Honors Journal will soon publish her work "Ecofeminism in the United States and Germany."
"These brief descriptions can't do justice to such multifaceted women," Muhlenfeld said. "But I hope you have a sense of the impressive contributions [of these young women]. "These three students make all of us on the faculty and staff proud."
