On the evening of Saturday, November 12, various members of the Stevens community gathered at the Plaza Hotel in New York City for the 2022 Stevens Awards Gala. Honoring the achievements of outstanding alumni, the ceremony marked the first time in three years of the Gala being held in person.
Seven awards were given over the course of the evening, with recipients being selected by a committee of Stevens alumni. In true awards-ceremony fashion, awardees gave acceptance speeches upon the announcement of their accolade, as attendees, dressed in gowns and tuxedos, dined and socialized.
The event also had its fair share of performative flair, with entertainment from the Axel Tosca Trio, featuring Distinguished Artist in Residence Carlos Alomar; alumna Kameelah Samar Majied ‘00 M.S. ‘08; and the President’s Ensemble. The last group made up a subset of a large group of current student leaders who were invited to the Gala.
The accomplishments honored in the awards were as impressive and diverse as the awardees themselves. This year’s International Achievement Award was received by Hermes O. González-Bello ‘89 M.S. ‘95 for his spearheading of projects to ensure clean water in communities and workplaces around the world. In his speech, González-Bello spoke on his immigrant experience growing up and his acceptance into Stevens’ Technical Enrichment Program (STEP) despite the doubts of his high school counselor.
Meanwhile, for her award-winning filmmaking and directing pursuits, Aimiende Negbenebor Sela ‘04 received the Distinguished Alumni Award in the Arts and Humanities. Sela, a native of Nigeria, talked about the “stick-to-it-tiveness” she learned at Stevens, leading to her pursuing her passion for the arts against all odds.
Keeping up Stevens’ strong engineering tradition, Frank J. Effenberger ‘88 was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award in Engineering for his expertise and contributions to optical communications. The prowess of Stevens alumni in business was the focus of the Young Alumni Achievement Award, given to Sheila Xuan Sun ‘06 M.S. ‘06 for her mentorship in entrepreneurship and investment management of companies across the globe.
The remaining awards were the Friend of Stevens Award, received by the Ansary Family for their philanthropy and support of the institution through the years, and the Lifetime Service Award, given to Thomas J. Moschello M.S. ‘65. Additionally, Dr. Henry Morton, the first President of Stevens, was posthumously inducted into the Stevens Hall of Achievement.
Throughout the night, the Gala showcased the many connections that remain between alumni awardees and the current on-campus Stevens community. Awardees had participated in such organizations as the Chinese Student Association, Korean Student Association, Latin American Association, Alpha Phi Omega, and Stevens Dramatic Society. González-Bello co-founded the Stevens chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and Ms. Sela was editor-in-chief of The Stute.
In between acceptance speeches and performances, Chris Cimino, PIX-11 meteorologist, served as the master of ceremonies. Before the awards ceremony, attendees gathered for a cocktail and hors d’oeuvres hour, with a dance being held to close out the night.
President Nariman Farvardin summed up a sentiment of inspiration throughout the event in closing remarks: “Take the lessons in leadership exemplified by tonight’s honorees and make them your own.” The night, indeed, celebrated all the contributions of Stevens community members, providing motivation for more successes in the future.
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