July 27, 2024

Perfect Day and Perfect 4.0 for Five UMW Grads, and Faculty Pinschmidt Award Winner

As nearly 1,000 Class of 2024 graduates crossed the stage at the University of Mary Washington’s Commencement to the applause of hundreds of faculty and staff and thousands of family and friends, five students and one faculty member received top-of-class honors.

Graduates Anna Blake, Anna Czernia, Hannah Lee, Harmony Peura and Abigail Swanson earned the Colgate W. Darden Jr. Award for Academic Achievement for completing their degrees with the highest grade-point average in the undergraduate program. All five – the greatest number of grads earning this achievement in recent history – finished with a perfect 4.0 GPA, graduating summa cum laude, the highest academic distinction, and earning additional honors through their programs.

In addition, Assistant Professor of Psychological Science Marcus Leppanen was recognized with the Mary W. Pinschmidt Award for having had the greatest impact on the lives of the members of the Class of 2024. Read more.