The Department of French & Italian Studies is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 FIS Academic Awards and Photo Contest!
The Department of French & Italian Studies would like to commend all of the students who submitted projects during this academic year. We would like to thank Professor Maya Smith and Professor Richard Watts for their efforts to evaluate and select our academic awards winners. The photo contest was voted on by faculty and staff in French and Italian Studies, selecting a Francophone and Italian photo winner.
Photo Contest
Francophone photo contest winner: Sophie Biernacki with the image "Black Pearl Farm in Ra'iātea, French Polynesia, February 2024".
Italian photo contest winner: Rylee Cooper with the image "Photo of Rome".
Academic Awards
The Department of French and Italian Studies gave away awards in three major categories this year to award a broad spectrum of students.
Overall performance Awards
These awards highlighted French graduate students or French/Italian undergraduate students who have excelled in their course of study. Considerations included sustained academic achievement, quality and execution of work, consistent engagement, service to the department or community at large, innovation and creativity, and/or alignment with UW values. Each student was nominated by an instructor in French & Italian Studies.
Outstanding Graduate Award- Jessie Dixon, French MA student
Outstanding Undergraduate Award- Helen Murphy and Aries Chen
Project-based Awards
Students who submitted projects completed for French or Italian courses were eligible to receive this award. Decided by the Awards Committee, projects were chosen based on academic merit and/or creativity and innovation. Project submissions range from research papers, recorded presentations, or creative projects.
Outstanding Achievement Award- Ruby Keller, Hunter Jung, and Grace Schamber
Outstanding Group Achievement Award- Group from Italian 102: Alexa Thompson, Asanatou Ceesay, Camille Tetreault, and Sydney Hebb
Participation-based Awards
These awards are given to outstanding students in French or Italian language courses. Considerations included consistent engagement, positive attitude, willingness to help others, contributions to class success, and/or going beyond just being present. Each student was nominated by an instructor in the Department of French and Italian Studies.
Outstanding Participation Award in the French Language Program- Elle Mukherjee
Outstanding Participation Award in the Italian Language Program- Azita Balsara