University Libraries

The University Libraries present annual awards for international students, teacher education majors or minors, and published student writers. Students apply in the winter term, and a committee for each award selects the winners. This year, each honor includes a $600 award. 

All are welcome to attend the University Libraries Awards and Student Recognition Ceremony at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 26, in the Gathering Place, which is on Roesch Library's second floor. Join us in congratulating these outstanding students, shown from left in the image above:

• Iyana Haggins
• Tori Miller
• Sabin Satheesh

Iyana Haggins: Dr. Nicoletta Hary Award

Iyana Haggins is a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Education with the goal of becoming an early childhood educator. She has a strong GPA and is dedicated to educating the whole person through a nurturing and understanding classroom environment. She has worked with children in daycare settings for the past four years. Prior to transferring to UD in the fall of 2022, she attended Sinclair Community College.

Thomas Falk, an assistant professor in the Department of Teacher Education and Iyana's reference, noted, “Iyana is invested with a sophisticated and articulated sense for her vocational aims and values. I believe that she is well equipped to promote Marianist values of community, the greater good and the development of her students as whole human persons.”

The Dr. Nicoletta Hary Award is named in memory of Nicoletta Mattioli Hary, a University of Dayton librarian for more than 50 years. The honor provides a scholarship to a returning full- or part-time sophomore or junior student with a major or minor in teacher education. Award criteria include financial need, a good academic record, and personal characteristics reflecting the Marianist tradition.

Tori Miller: Brother Frank Ruhlman, S.M., Award of Excellence for Literary Achievement

Tori Miller is a senior from Sandusky, Ohio, majoring in English with a concentration in professional and technical writing and minors in communication and medicine and society. In her time at UD, she's written for both the University of Dayton Magazine and Flyer News, where she currently sits as news editor, creating both print and online articles. A lifelong creative writer, Tori has also pursued her dream of becoming a published author through fiction workshop classes and a novel writing course. “Shoutout to Professor [Katrina] Kittle for encouraging me,” she enthusiastically adds. When not writing, Tori spends time as the president of the UD Running Club (“my favorite club on campus”), a student employee at Roesch Library, and the undergraduate representative on the University Libraries Committee. After graduation, she says, “I plan on pursuing a full-time technical writing job or working in health care communications and writing my novel on the side.” 

The Ruhlman Award committee noted the breadth of her reporting on the multifaceted nature of the UD student experience. One Flyer News article conveyed the English Student Advisory Board’s work to make the English major and minor more inclusive. A University of Dayton Magazine piece, “Value Added,” featured experiential learning partnerships between UD's Multi-Ethnic Engineers Program and Cincinnati-based Messer Construction. From news to editorials to personal testimony, her journalistic voice is a consistent trend in all of her work.

The Brother Frank Ruhlman, S.M., Award of Excellence for Literary Achievement was established in 1975 to memorialize Brother Francis Ruhlman, S.M., who directed the University Libraries from 1920 through the 1950s. The honor includes a scholarship to a UD undergraduate who demonstrates excellence in writing that has been published in University publications (electronic or print) within the previous 12 months. 

Sabin Satheesh: Rev. Theodore Koehler, S.M., International Student Award

Sabin Satheesh is a second-year graduate student from Kerala, India, in the Renewable and Clean Energy Engineering program. He works in the Dayton Thermal Applications Laboratory (DaTA Lab). In addition to community volunteer roles introducing K-12 students to engineering, Sabin is an active team member on the Council of Graduate Students, helping new international students adjust to life at UD.

Professor Rydge Mulford recommended Sabin for the award, noting his interest in sustainability, his dedication to learning and his “surprising depth of understanding” working with Python in the DaTA Lab. In his application, Sabin wrote, “I am eager to pursue a job that will enable me to have a positive influence on the world. I am dedicated to using my education and abilities to effect good change.”

The Rev. Theodore Koehler, S.M., International Student Award was established by University Libraries Professor Emerita Susan L. Tsui with the honorarium from her 1995 Lackner Award. The Koehler Award includes a scholarship for a returning international student; award criteria include financial need, a good academic record and personal characteristics that reflect the Marianist tradition.

Congratulations

The Library Awards committees and the faculty and staff in the University Libraries congratulate the honorees and thank all the applicants for their inspiring submissions. For more information about the Library Awards, visit go.udayton.edu/libraryawards.