IVCC President Jerry Corcoran awards Hope Beelman the 2022 F.W. Matthiessen Award PHOTO IVCC
OGLESBY – Sophomore Hope Beelman of the Peru won the prestigious Frederick W. Matthiessen Award at Illinois Valley Community College’s 56th annual commencement last month. Beelman earned a 3.9 GPA, was editor of the student newspaper, the IV Leader, was a member of the social media marketing team “Hype Crew” and worked in financial aid. Last fall, she was a finalist for the IVCC Foundation’s 21st Century Scholars Society award.
In announcing the award, Vice President for Academic Affairs Gary Roberts said, “Our winner has excelled academically and has been involved in a number of leadership roles on campus and in the community.”
IVCC journalism instructor and IV Leader advisor Lori Cinotte nominated Beelman for the Matthiessen.
“Despite working with a very small staff, Hope and her team led the IV Leader to second place in General Excellence at the Illinois Community College Journalism Association Conference this year,” Cinotte said.
“We continue to do well because of students like Hope who are dedicated and passionate about what they do.”
IVCC established the Matthiessen Award in 1978 to recognize graduates who demonstrate high scholarship and volunteer service in the college and community. It has been awarded 29 times in 44 years.
Matthiessen winners are: Cynthia Liebhart, 1978; Michelle Mueller, 1979; Sheila Lyons, 1980; Mary Jo Menendez, 1982; Paulette Nesbitt, 1987; Donna Joerger, 1988; Melissa Leone, 1992; Joseph Ablett, 1993; Cathy Thorsen, 1995; Scott Forrest, 1995; Nancy Kochis, 1997; Beth Whittington, 1999; Elizabeth Zelenski, 2000;
Kristin Abrahams, 2004; Megan Guilfoyle, 2007; Michelle Franklin, 2008; Cassie Fuller, 2009; Tyler Swanlund, 2010; Caitlin Rinker, 2011; Kristopher Sienza, 2011; Jackie Heim, 2012; Ashley Williams, 2015; Matthew Phillips, 2016; Trevor Finnan, 2017; Martha Hoffman, 2018; Lillian Rodrigues, 2019; Devanshi Patel, 2020; Grace McCormick, 2021; and Beelman, 2022.
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