Presidential medals honor the 'best of the best'

UC President Neville G. Pinto celebrated six of the university's "very best of the best" among the 2022 undergraduate and graduate class who best exemplify scholarship, leadership, character, service and the ideals of the University of Cincinnati. In a celebration at Cincinnati's Queen City Club surrounded by family, mentors and university leaders, the four exceptional undergraduate students awarded "Presidential Leadership Medals of Excellence" included Maria Bobrowski-Artola, Shivane Chawla, Xiyanna Kellogg and Daniel Posmik. The university's two graduate students awarded the "Presidential Medal of Graduate Student Excellence" were Abdullah Bdaiwi and Christin Godale.

Each year, strong candidates show significant experience in one or more criteria that includes academic learning and discovery, innovation through leadership, community participation, supporting diversity, global engagement and the potential for future success and achievement. And this year's candidates were no exception.

Through battles with personal health, security issues in their homeland or financial hurdles, president Pinto made it clear that, "You are our NEXT! I'm confident that each of you will make us proud — continuing on your path toward success in your field of study, your careers and your nonprofit work."

As a child born in Mexico, Bobrowski-Artola immigrated to the U.S. at five years old. After being diagnosed with leukemia, Bobrowski-Artola’s father found comfort in bringing his family back home to his native Cleveland to seek his treatment at the nearby Cleveland Clinic. 

Before graduating high school, Bobrowski-Artola had already developed an interest in the social determinants and deeper issues in health care that had impacted her family and the families of other immigrants. 

As a Cincinnatus Scholar, Bobrowski-Artola hit the ground running by participating in several discussions on human rights. Before long, she was leading outreach efforts as a freshman volunteer for GlobeMed, an international organization that partners students with grassroots nonprofits around the globe to further health equity and human rights. Focusing on women and children’s issues, Bobrowski-Artola worked with local agencies as well as the Cincinnati GlobeMed partner in Thailand and became co-president of the Cincinnati chapter during the early pandemic in 2020.

It was her role as volunteer coordinator for UC’s Latinx en Accion, however, where she says she made the biggest impact. Serving the Hispanic and immigrant community in Cincinnati’s Price Hill led to her receiving an Annie Fitzgerald Rising Star Award, awarded each year to UC undergraduate students who have shown leadership and possess a passion for service. 

“During the early part of the pandemic, we took innovation to the test as we joked that we were handed a sinking ship and asked to build a plane,” says Bobrowski-Artola. “But in that effort to continue to further the equity for women and refugees during the pandemic, it was the perfect place and time for me to explore where my passions really lie.”

As a university honors student, Shivane Chawla earned a bachelor’s degree in medical sciences from UC’s College of Medicine. With a particular interest in women’s health, Chawla studied the role of environmental toxins on endometriosis with Katherine Burns, PhD, a leading researcher who mentored her as an undergraduate in Women in Science and Engineering (WISE).

“Empowered by researching a disease that has affected so many women in my life, including my mother, I was able to find purpose in Dr. Burns’ lab,” noted Chawla.

During her time in WISE — now rebranded as UC UPRISE — Chawla learned how to approach research in an environment that was supportive and nonjudgmental, something she found extremely valuable while learning on the ground level.

As a medical sciences student, Chawla served as the director of community building for the UC chapter of GlobeMed, was on the Ambassador Leadership Team within the University Honors Program and was a communication and project manager with Cincinnarti's Crossroads Community Health Education Program, part of a faith-based nonprofit serving patients of all economic levels. There, she and the team made a strong impact in local Dohn Community High Schools where she presented to students on human anatomy, aspects of reproductive health and how to navigate other useful resources.

As a high school student interested in news broadcasting and film, Xiyanna Kellogg had the opportunity to intern with Cincinnati’s local WCPO Channel 9 TV station before entering UC as a freshman in both the College-Conservatory of Music media production program and UC's College of Arts and Sciences film and media studies program.

As part of the Cincinnati Public School Ambassador Program with UC and as a first-generation college student, Kellogg received UC’s Gen-1 housing scholarship before traveling to Munich, Germany, in UC’s study abroad program. 

Later, during an internship with the Cincinnati educational television public broadcasting tation CET, Kellogg helped build sets and set up cameras to gain further hands-on experience in TV production.

As an international exchange student from Germany, Daniel Posmik came to the U.S. in 2016 as an athlete to play football at a Cincinnati high school. While there, Posmik’s acumen in sports more than made up for his lack of interest in academics. But his love for everything sports soon turned to a desire to learn more about the business world, especially economics and statistics. 

After spending his first two years at one of the university's regional campuses, UC Blue Ash, he was inspired by UC student adviser Mike Roman to establish the UC Blue Ash Sustainability group. Posmik combined his passion for the human face of climate change with his newfound talent for economics where in his own words, “the rest is history,” after transferring to UC’s Carl H. Lindner College of Business.

As a native Iraqi, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Tikrit, Abdullah Bdaiwi’s life was suddenly turned upside down. Shortly after earning his master’s degree in physics at UC in 2017, ISIS terrorist groups invaded Iraq and took over almost a third of the country, including his hometown.

After his family quickly left their home and fled to the north, Bdaiwi’s choices for where to go were now limited. That is when he decided to stay in Cincinnati and enter UC’s doctoral program in biomedical engineering from the College of Engineering and Applied Science.

As a stalwart student used to making the best of a stressful situation, Bdaiwi persevered through research focused on the development of quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the respiratory system’s structure and function in patients with lung diseases.

Diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of two, Christin Godale grew up to be both a patient and scientist — and has spent her academic career chasing after a cure.

Growing up, Godale understood all too well both the stigma and exclusion that can result from a condition defined by recurrent, unprovoked seizures. But early support by her neurologist helped Godale accept her diagnoses and work toward turning her challenge into a career.

After earning her bachelor’s degree with a double major in biology and neuroscience, Godale sought out UC to pursue her doctorate in neuroscience, particularly to work alongside UC’s leading epilepsy researchers.

"I am ecstatic to receive this distinct presidential honor,” claims Godale. “At UC, my doctoral research experience has been outstanding. The neuroscience graduate program, the College of Medicine and the UC administration have all been extremely supportive throughout this journey.”