EDP Awards Ceremony rescheduled for April 8

The Educational Development Program will host its 32nd Annual Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, April 8, at 4 p.m. in the Horizon Room of the Williams Center.

Faculty, staff, parents, alumni, and students are invited to attend the annual event. Registration and donation information can be found at www.fredonia.edu/edu.

The ceremony is an opportunity to recognize EDP students’ academic achievements. EDP students who earned a minimum grade point average of 2.7 while completing 12 credits or more for the Spring ʼ13 and/or Fall ’13 semesters will receive certificates. Silver certificates will be presented to students with a 2.70-3.29 GPA and gold certificates to students with a 3.30-4.00 GPA.

Special awards will include Exemplary Service, Distinguished Alumni, Outstanding EDP Tutor of the Year, Community Service, Arthur O. Eve Scholarship, Gregory Antonio Scholarship and the Director’s Award.

Facilities Services will receive the Exemplary Service Award for its contributions to supporting the EDP program.

Outstanding EDP Tutor of the Year awards will be presented to Mary Cappotelli, senior, Psychology, LeRoy; Laura Hirst, senior, Political Science, Watertown; Myungsun Kim, junior, Chemistry, Seoul, South Korea; and Ramses Rodriguez, senior, Molecular Genetics, Homestead, Fla.

Arthur O. Eve Scholarships will be presented to Brittany Fraczek, senior, Social Work, Rochester; Kimberly Reynolds, senior, Childhood Education: English 7-9 Ext., Buffalo; and Michael Rowe, senior, Molecular Genetics, Geneva.

The Director’s Award will be presented to Nuruzzaman Rafit, junior, Business Administration –Management, Woodside.

The Gregory Antonio Award will be presented to Kenneth Dawson, senior, Sport Management, Poughkeepsie.

Also part of the event is the Chi Alpha Epsilon (XAE) national honor society induction. Inductees for 2014 include Danielle Bikofsky, senior, Communication Disorders and Services, New City; Alyssa Buckley, senior, Childhood Inclusive Education – Earth Science, Fredonia; Kristine Bushnell, sophomore, Childhood Inclusive Education – Math, Endwell; Brittany German, sophomore, Music Therapy, Port Jervis; Lauren Goeing, junior, Communication – Public Relations, Clarence; Emmanuel Guzman, sophomore, Communication Disorders and Services, Bronx; Brittney Herbst, junior, Communication – Audio/Radio, West Seneca; Krystal Lebron, sophomore, Biology, Dunkirk; Jelissa Lebron, sophomore, Communication –Video Production, Brooklyn; Brittany Matthews, sophomore, Visual Arts and New Media, Syracuse; Melyssa Proctor, sophomore, Visual Arts and New Media – Animation, New Rochelle; Alexander Vivinetto, junior, Criminal Justice, Rochester; and Jamirah Williams-Johnson, sophomore, Social Work, Albany.

In addition, Satoria and Kevin Donovan will be honored as 2014 EDP Distinguished Alumni.

Satoria (Polk) Donovan, '96

A Buffalo native, Satoria (Polk) Donovan graduated in 1996 with a degree in Psychology. She continued her education at D’Youville College where she earned a master’s degree in Special Education. She is an educator with the Buffalo Public Schools, currently a special education consultant teacher at the Academy School where she works with over-aged and under-privileged youth who have encountered adversities. Elected 2010 Business Woman of the Year by the Minority Bar Association of Western New York, Satoria recently earned her education administration certification through Canisius College.

Syracuse native Kevin Donovan graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science in 1994 and a master’s degree in English in 1996. While at Fredonia Kevin served as class president and played on the Blue Devil basketball team. He started his career journey as a financial representative at AXA Equitable and within four years he was named regional vice president. In 2006, Kevin ventured into the financial world of ownership as an independent financial representative. Today, Kevin is the co-founder and director of the Benefits Consulting Group (BCG), a growing financial services organization in the Western New York and Rochester area where he and his group of eight are financially impacting over 300 new homes per year. He has served on the board for the Buffalo Zoological Gardens, is a member of Lasting Education for Women, Adults, and Children LEWAC) ), is active in the Zion Dominion Church of God in Christ, and coaches little league football and basketball.

The Donovans are co-founders of Urban Professionals of WNY, Inc., in which area professionals gather for networking and communicate about mentoring students from age 16 through college age; as well as Eternal Euphoria, LLC, and Milk Productions. Mr. and Mrs. Donovan reside in the Buffalo area with their three children.