WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Missouri State University-West Plains graduate Nadia Pshonyak, West Plains, was one of six students who received the 2015-16 Citizen Scholar Award presented today, Dec. 11, by the Missouri State University Board of Governors during its regular meeting in Springfield.
The award, established in fall 2007, is given annually to students “who exemplify the concept of a citizen scholar,” university officials said.
Pshonyak, who immigrated to the United States with her family from Lviv, Ukraine, to escape religious persecution, graduated cum laude with an Associate of Arts in General Studies degree with a Specialization in Honors at Missouri State University-West Plains in 2013 and transferred to the Missouri State University campus in Springfield where she is on track to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Philosophy degree, with minors in Economics and Political Science and an Honors Distinction in May 2016.
During her time at the West Plains campus, Pshonyak was a member of the Student International Association, serving as its secretary/treasurer and vice president in successive semesters. She also was among the students selected for inclusion in the Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges program and was actively engaged in the activities of the William and Virginia Darr Honors Program. In her free time, she volunteered at the West Plains Public Library.
Since transferring to the Springfield campus, Pshonyak has continued her active role, participating in various activities sponsored by the Honors College, the Economics Club, the Philosophy Club and Model UN. In fall 2014, she was among a group of students who calculated the Consumer Price Index for her peers. Currently, she serves as president of the Philosophy Club, secretary of the Model UN and is a peer reviewer for the campus publication LOGOS: A Journal of Undergraduate Research. In spring 2014, she received the Department of Philosophy’s highest award, the Robert Anthony Foster Philosophy Scholarship, which is awarded based on the individual’s academics and need.
On Sept. 16, the term “citizen” took on a very real meaning for Pshonyak when she became a naturalized citizen of the United States in a ceremony on the Springfield campus.
“Nadia is the epitome of a Citizen Scholar award recipient,” Missouri State-West Plains Chancellor Drew Bennett said. “As immigrant from the Ukraine, she worked hard to become a United States citizen this year. She continued to earn academic distinction on the Springfield campus following her participation in our honors program, and we are exceptionally proud of her. She is an example of the American dream as one who has taken advantage of the opportunities available to those who strive to excel.”
Those nominating Pshonyak for the award noted she epitomizes the key components of a citizen scholar, academically and in public affairs. “Despite the obvious challenges of switching from her native tongue to fully operating in an English-speaking society, Nadia has also challenged herself, her family and her peers to see beyond their immediate surroundings and to consider how each of us shares responsibility in a global community,” one nominator said. “Intuitive, she envisions life and its complexities in large, encompassing ways, all of which serve her well – and will continue to serve her well – as someone critically concerned with the well-being of her fellow U.S. and global community citizens.”
According to her nominators, Pshonyak’s future plans lead her in a direction that fully represents Missouri State University’s public affairs mission. She is working on her application to serve in the Peace Corps for at least two years and hopes to eventually enter a graduate program in peace studies/conflict resolution or international relations. “Those programs are focused on Nadia’s desire to further the understanding of not only being a global citizen, but a citizen rooted in the ideals she finds in being a new U.S. citizen,” they said.
Other recipients of the award this year include Piper-Danay Smith, a senior nursing major from Grandview, Mo.; Melanie Morgan, a senior dietetics major from Springfield; Brianna Duda, a junior socio-political communication major from St. Louis; Zane Clark, a senior majoring in organizational communication with minors in general business and economics from Cameron, Mo.; and Caitlin Kemp-Shukwit, a senior dance and communication major from St. Louis.
The Citizen Scholar Award is given to students who have contributed to the university, advanced the university’s public affairs mission, and have significantly engaged in extra-curricular accomplishments and/or in significant service activities to the community. Each recipient receives a crystal globe in recognition of the award, and their names are added to the Citizen Scholar Wall at Plaster Student Union on the Springfield campus.