Covenant News - North Park University Celebrates 110th Commencement

Covenant News

North Park University Celebrates 110th Commencement

CHICAGO, IL (May 16, 2003) - North Park University (NPU) celebrated its 110th Commencement last Saturday as President David G. Horner and Provost Margaret J. Haefner presented 236 undergraduate degrees and 85 graduate degrees to individuals representing 21 countries.

Five students received special honors from the school for their academic and extracurricular efforts on and off campus:

Daniel La Spata of South Plainfield, New Jersey, received the Senior Par Excellence Award from the Office of Student Development for demonstrating the best in campus involvement and leadership during undergraduate years, including participation in activities and campus life and service to the community. A psychology major and a resident assistant at NPU, La Spata hopes to work at Sojourners, a Christian ministry with a mission to proclaim and practice biblical principles and to integrate spiritual renewal and social justice. Last fall, he was one of four students honored by University Ministries with the Outstanding Servant-Leadership Award for his service and ministry in the community. This year, he was the student director of Urban Outreach, overseeing all student community service programs. He also sang with the University choir.
Marissa Riojas of Waukesha, Wisconsin, also received the Senior Par Excellence Award from the Office of Student Development for demonstrating the best in campus involvement and leadership and for participation in activities and campus life and service to the community. Riojas served as president of the Latin American Student Organization (LASO) and participated in athletics at NPU, playing two years of varsity softball. With LASO, she worked cooperatively with other student association groups to achieve unity in purpose and to promote respect for differences. Riojas graduated with a major in biblical and theological studies and hopes to attend seminary in the future to be trained as a missionary.
David Eads of Kennewick, Washington, received the Outstanding Senior Award in recognition of academic excellence as well as extraordinary leadership on and off campus. The award recognizes individuals who embody the principles and spirit of North Park University and who maintain a grade point average of 3.50 or above on a 4.0 scale. Eads served as Student Association senator, academics and education director, member and treasurer of the Society of Physics Students, member of Urban Institute Board, member of the Math Club, member of the Middle Eastern Student Association and organizer of the 2003 North Park Peace Initiative. He was also active in the Threshold program, taking students to visit housing projects and he spoke in a class about God and public housing this spring. Outside of North Park, Eads has been involved in computer programming, web design, community outreach and political advocacy. Eads graduated magna cum laude with a major in physics and a cumulative grade point average of 3.86.
Britt Erickson of Minneapolis, Minnesota, also received the Outstanding Senior Award in recognition of academic excellence and extraordinary leadership on and off campus, as well as maintaining a grade point average of 3.50 or above on a 4.0 scale. Erickson has exhibited on-campus leadership through her work with the North Park Press student newspaper, the Provost's Diversity Task Force and the Physics Students Association. She also was involved with community service through North Park's Urban Outreach program, serving as a computer tutor at Covenant Home of Chicago and volunteering at and coordinating clothes drives and book sales for the Sarah's Circle Women's Homelessness Shelter. She was a member of the University's first crew team, physics tutor, teacher's assistant and she also spent a year studying in Jönköping, Sweden, and participated in North Park's Sankofa racial reconciliation trip to Mississippi this spring. Most recently, Erickson organized a benefit concert that raised more than $2,000 for a clinic in Haiti that she will be working at next year. Off campus, Erickson was recipient of an American Association of Physicists in Medi cine (AAPM) research fellowship, conducted independent research in Medical Physics (radiation therapy) at Mayo Clinic and served as assistant director of the PBS preschool TV show Jay Jay the Jet Plane in Los Angeles, California. Erickson graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts in science in physics and a cumulative GPA of 3.91.
Amy Lymburner of Londonderry, New Hampshire, received the Ahnfeldt Medallion, which is awarded to the undergraduate student with the best academic record.

Honorary doctorates were awarded to Daniel Alvarez Sr., former commissioner of Chicago's Department of Human Services; Janet Wolter, professor of medicine; and Brian Piccolo, chair of Cancer Research at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center. Twenty-eight members of the North Park Junior College Reunion Class of 1953 took part in the processional to celebrate their 50-year reunion.

North Park University is located on Chicago's north side and enrolls 2,800 students from around the globe. Founded in 1891 by the Evangelical Covenant Church, North Park has been repeatedly named one of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S. News & World Report. For more information on the school, call 773-244-5567.

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