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Corning, N.Y. -- SUNY Corning Community College’s Bryan Armpriest and Kaitlyn Walz have been recognized by the State University of New York (SUNY) with the prestigious Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence (CASE). 

Armpriest and Walz were two of the 193 students from 63 campuses across the SUNY system who received this award, making them among the group of students who have demonstrated excellence in academics, leadership, community service, and extracurricular activities.

"I was honored to be in Albany with Kaitlyn and Bryan when they received Chancellor's Awards, the highest academic student honor bestowed by SUNY,” said Dr. William P. Mullaney, President of SUNY CCC. “They are shining examples of the best and brightest of the student body at Corning Community College and the embodiment of the College's vision that ‘students reach new heights.’” 

Dr. Mullaney proudly accompanied Armpriest and Walz to the ceremony along with Dr. Matthew Skerritt, Associate Professor of Biology, and David Pindel, Professor of Biology, who nominated the students. 

Armpriest, a native of Addison, New York, is pursuing the Mathematics and Science and Environmental Science programs at SUNY Corning Community College. Prior to attending CCC, he earned credit for coursework through the Accelerated College Education (ACE) program at Campbell-Savona High School. 

“I'm honored to have received the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence,” said Armpriest, who intends to transfer into a four-year program of study in the biological sciences at SUNY Geneseo, and then earn his secondary education teaching credential.

“The SUNY Chancellor’s award will propel me to continue to engage in extracurricular activities and excel wherever I may be.”Armpriest has accumulated a GPA of 3.98 while pursuing a rigorous program of study. He also participates on CCC’s men’s cross country team, serves as a work-study student, is the president for the College’s ASL club, and volunteers in the local community.

Walz is a native of Corning, New York, and an ambitious second-year student at SUNY CCC that will graduate this spring with an associate degree in environmental science. 

“Receiving this award was such an honor,” Walz said. “The ceremony was a wonderful recognition of all the hard work that led us to that moment and I am incredibly grateful to be surrounded by professors that pushed me to work harder and recognized everything I accomplished in my time at CCC.” 

Upon graduation, Walz plans to further her education at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), focusing on environmental science and biology. Walz has accumulated an incredible 3.97 GPA while participating in several campus clubs such as the Mathematics in Training (MiT) Club and the Environmental Protection Information Coalition (EPIC) Science United Club. She is also active on campus as a peer tutor and lab assistant. 

“As I move on, this award will always stick with me and push me to do better,” she added. “I’ll keep pushing the standards that I set for myself and that others set for me.”