Two Old Westbury Students Earn SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence

SUNY Old Westbury seniors Agustin Beas Romero and Colette Vaughan have been selected as 2024 State University of New York Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence recipients, the highest honor bestowed upon students in the SUNY system. The students received the honor at the award ceremony on April 11, 2024 in Albany, New York.

The Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence acknowledges students who have demonstrated the integration of academic excellence with other facets of their lives, including leadership, community service, campus involvement, and career, athletic, or creative achievement.

"There is a place at SUNY for every New Yorker, and each year we come together to herald and celebrate the achievements of a diverse group of some of SUNY's most accomplished students," said SUNY Chancellor King. "This year's winners include first-generation students, researchers, a single mother and grandmother, a cancer survivor, international students hailing from over 16 nations, athletes, and a student who worked with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center-among so many more with inspiring stories of excellence in the classroom and beyond. It is my honor to celebrate the achievements of the nearly 200 CASE awardees as they inspire others and illustrate what is possible with a SUNY education."

SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr., SUNY Chancellor Award winner Agustin Beas Romero and President Dr. Timothy E. Sams.

Agustin Beas Romero, from Brentwood, New York, will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences in May. He has been on the Dean's List with a current GPA of 3.98 and is a member of the Tau Sigma, a national honor society recognizing academic excellence in transfer students. Beas Romero, a member of the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP), has been praised for his academic skills and work as an undergraduate researcher for Dr. Zulema Cabail.

Due to his research efforts, Beas Romero earned a travel award to attend the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Students and presented at various conferences including the Old Westbury Institute for Cancer Research and Education, and the Annual Metropolitan Association of College and University Biologists. He also serves as a volunteer at the Smithtown Gospel Tabernacle, where he is a member of their Medical Emergency Response Team.

Colette Vaughan, a Psychology major from Franklin Square, New York, will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in May with a 4.0 GPA. She is a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa National Honor Society and the Tau Sigma Transfer Honor Society, and has earned an inaugural Old Westbury Social Justice Writing Award during her time at Old Westbury. Vaughan, a DACA recipient, was the keynote speaker at The Dream.US scholarship award ceremony on-campus.

SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr., SUNY Chancellor Award winner Colette Vaughan and President Dr. Timothy E. Sams.

In addition to her published work in Discordia, the Old Westbury English Department's scholarly journal, Vaughan has been an undergraduate researcher with Dr. Erik Benau and Dr. Marty Cooper conducting studies on implicit biases, and suicide risk. She is a peer teaching assistant and volunteer with Pride for Youth.

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