Academic Achievement Committee names 2022 Honors & Awards recipients

For the first time in three years, Finlandia’s Academic Achievement Committee hosted the University’s annual Honors & Awards Banquet in person. Friends, families, faculty and staff gathered in Martha Wiljanen Hall at Finlandia University’s Finnish American Heritage Center on Friday, April 8 to celebrate the students who have been selected to receive endowed scholarships and honors.

Mikayla Brown received the Virginia Fund Scholarship that is awarded in memory of Mrs. Richard R. Smith to a freshman woman who plans to continue as a student at Finlandia for the 2022-23 academic year. The Virginia Fund Scholarship is awarded on the basis of academic achievement and overall contribution to campus life.

Paulyne Catacutan and Austin Keranen were awarded the Philip and Loret Ruppe Community Service Scholarship which comes as a result of a gift from the Ruppe family to commemorate the service of former Congressman Phil Ruppe, a Houghton native, and his late wife, Loret Ruppe, who served as head of the Peace Corps and as Ambassador to Norway. The scholarship is awarded to two students for their outstanding volunteer efforts and service to the college campus and the local community.

The Kenneth & Lois Seaton Scholarship is awarded to a student who is a continuing junior or senior in a bachelor’s degree program and is a Copper Country resident. The student receiving this award demonstrates high personal and scholastic standards. This year, Annie Miller and Sarah Kuiper each received the scholarship.

Cassidy Becia, Sarah Kuiper, Cassana Ryynanen and Nada Wakeham were the recipients of the David Lauren Jokela Endowed Memorial Scholarship that is awarded to a student of Finnish background from the Copper Country. The recipients of this scholarship will be returning for the Fall 2022 semester with a minimum of sophomore standing and must show leadership, service to others, a caring attitude, and sisu.

This year’s recipients of the Samuel Westerman Scholarship for Nursing are Allison Cooper and Jari Juntti. The scholarship is awarded to upper-level nursing students from the Upper Peninsula who will be returning full-time to Finlandia in Fall 2022. The recipients must demonstrate financial need, be active in volunteer service to the university or community and be in good academic standing.

The Sisu Award is given to graduating students who have shown courage, fortitude and perseverance in overcoming hardship to achieve academic and personal success. The five recipients of this year’s Sisu award were Jillian Foster, Jeremy Huuki, Artsiom Puntus, River Shumate and McEwen Stapleton.

Receiving Sampo Society Membership were John Brundage, Victoria Nagy, Dylan Paavola, Briana Portice, Artsiom Puntus, Anders Saarela and Tyler Watungwa.

Artsiom Puntus, or Arty as most call him, was named the 2022 Student Representative and will speak at the Spring 2022 Commencement Ceremony on behalf of the student body. Puntus, an international student from Belarus studying nursing, serves as Finlandia’s Student Senate President, VP of the Student Nurses Association, a Student Ambassador and Orientation Leader.

A full list of those receiving honors:

Cum Laude (3.5 – 3.699)

• Dariya Goin
• Dylan Harden
• Noah Raisanen
• Taylor Saari
• Michael Stuber
• Frankie Stukel
• Taylor Talerico
• Jackson Deaugustine
• Tam Dinh
• Gabrielle Voisin

Magna Cum Laude (3.70 – 3.899)

• Addie Budzinski
• Jeri Freeman
• Harlee Froberg
• Malone Hiebert
• Courtney Mayo
• Jamie MacFarlane
• Casey Mleko
• Victoria Nagy
• Anders Saarela
• McEwen Stapleton
• Erika Tollefson
• Haley Wright
• Kyle Berryman

Summa Cum Laude (3.90 – 4.0)

• Mialy Brooks
• John Brundage
• David Carlson
• Kevin Danks
• Dillion Farmer
• Bailey Froberg
• Katherine Loman
• Kristi Muonio
• Dylan Paavola
• Katelyn Plesiewicz
• Briana Portice
• Artsiom Puntus
• Tyler Watungwa