Student Service and Leadership Honored at President's Award Luncheon

The event, held in Main Lounge, Moulton Union, on Friday, May 1, 2026, recognized eight students for their leadership and service to Bowdoin and, for the Commencement speaking awards, for good writing. Those awardees submitted essays that won them the honor of being asked to prepare their speeches for presentation at the upcoming Commencement and Baccalaureate ceremonies. After a welcome from President Safa Zaki, the eight awards were presented at the luncheon:

The Goodwin Commencement Prize and the Class of 1868 Prize are both awarded for written addresses that the students will present at Commencement, to be held this year on May 23.

This year’s Goodwin Commencement Prize goes to Jickinson Louis ’26 for his address, “What We Carry Forward.” A proud son of Haitian immigrants, Louis plans to talk about Bowdoin’s first Black graduate, John Brown Russwurm, who spoke of the Haitian Revolution in his commencement address two hundred years ago.

An economics and government double major and philosophy minor, Louis will also reflect on his own time at Bowdoin, where he learned to create the sense of belonging that he had been seeking.

Among his many achievements, Louis, who is a Geoffrey Canada Scholar, has served as president of the Black Student Union and co-president of the Bowdoin Alliance for Immigrant Rights.

The Class of 1868 Prize goes to Kaya Patel ’26, a neuroscience major and chemistry minor whose address, “A Story Described by Many Titles,” describes how “titling” each of her days allowed her to reflect on key moments in her college experience.

She says it helped her evolve from passively experiencing Bowdoin to actively shaping both her own experience and the community around her.

Patel’s extracurricular activities include being executive editor for The Bowdoin Orient, vice president of the Class of 2026, and a leader of Active Minds and Bowdoin Women in Science. She has also choreographed dance performances for the South Asian Student Association.

Two other students were recognized for their writing:

The DeAlva Stanwood Alexander First Prize goes to Kasei Lin ’26, who will present the student address at the Baccalaureate ceremony, held the day before Commencement.

Lin, who is from Toyko, Japan, is a double major in Asian studies and government and legal studies and an education minor. His talk, “Bowdoin: A Community That Shows Up,” describes the everyday acts of care and support he experienced after he faced a medical crisis early on in his college career.

During his time at Bowdoin, Lin helped lead the Japanese Student Association and the Ping Pong Club. He also helped set up the Japanese Cultural Association of Maine.

The DeAlva Stanwood Alexander Second Prize was awarded to Michael Bagnoli ’26, who will serve as alternate speaker should any of the other award recipients be unable to deliver their speeches as planned.

Bagnoli, who was not present at the ceremony, has been involved with the Peucinian Society, Bowdoin Rugby Football Club, and men’s club soccer. But it is his work with Bowdoin Central Mentoring through the McKeen Center that has been especially meaningful, because it has pushed him, as he describes it, “beyond the campus bubble.”

The title of Bagnoli’s talk, Consider the Lobster, is taken from an essay by David Foster Wallace. He says it encourages students to leave their chosen shells behind when they leave Bowdoin—not to discard everything they have learned, but to recognize that they must continue to grow.

Leadership awards were presented to three students for their exemplary contributions to the campus community:

The Andrew Allison Haldane Cup went to Moana Gregori ’26. 

Originally given by fellow officers in the Pacific in memory of Captain Andrew Haldane, United States Marine Corps Reserves and a member of the Class of 1941, the cup is awarded to a member of the senior class who displays outstanding qualities of leadership and character.

Gregori, who two years ago at this event received the FDR cup for her leadership skills, is an economics major and anthropology minor from Klagenfurt, Austria.

A thread running through many of her experiences is her commitment to fostering connections and expanding awareness, often by facilitating dialogue across differences. For instance, in her role as conversation coordinator for Bowdoin’s What Matters series, Gregori created spaces where students could disagree with and learn from one another.

During her time here, Gregori has engaged with the Conduct Review Board, Peucinian Society, Outing Club, Res Life, and the McKeen Center.

Last summer, she received the anthropology department’s Riley Research Fellowship to do research with a cultural preservation organization in India—work that has led to her current independent study on how rituals and rites of passage help communities during transitions.

After graduating, Gregori will join an education start-up in San Francisco and continue working on her equality course to broaden its impact.

The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Cup was awarded to Harper Stevenson ’27

Furnished by the Bowdoin chapter of Alpha Delta Phi Society, the cup is awarded to the member of the three lower classes whose vision, humanity, and courage most contribute to making Bowdoin a better college.

A visual arts and environmental studies major from Burlington, Vermont, Stevenson is a member of the varsity swim team and vice president of Bowdoin Student Government.

Serving the student government, she works with a diverse team of about thirty people to bring ideas into action and advocate for change. Her leadership at the BSG has produced tangible improvements to campus life, including the creation of a campus-wide free laundry detergent program and the implementation of significant changes to the College’s party registration process.

Last summer, Stevenson interned with mission-driven advertising agency Blaze Partners in Falmouth, Maine, promoting issues like clean energy, public education, and outdoor recreation.

After graduation next year, she hopes to find a creative role that helps move the needle on any number of issues, such as reproductive rights, climate change, or inefficient governance structures.

The Michael F. Micciche III Award went to Libby Riggs ’26.

The is given annually to that student who embodies the entire Bowdoin experience, who engages the College community, achieves academic excellence, and earns the respect of their peers and professors. The recipient must plan on broadening their education following graduation.

Riggs is pursuing a self-designed major in disability studies with a minor in government and legal studies. She has been actively involved on campus, with many roles centered on accessibility, disability advocacy, and academic support. She has served as a writing assistant and neurodiversity programming assistant at the Baldwin Center for Learning and Teaching, a student delegate to the Accessibility Task Force, a Bowdoin Public Service in Washington participant, a Bowdoin Conversation Fellow, a Brunswick High School peer, and a member of the Bear Tones a cappella group.

Her most meaningful role, she says, has been as co-president of the Disabled Student Association, helping to foster a sense of community and belonging while organizing events that celebrate disability culture and identity.

Using a Projects for Peace grant, Riggs will facilitate an arts advocacy workshop this summer, designed to build leadership skills for Maine high schoolers with disabilities. Her long-term goal is to attend law school to become a public interest lawyer.

The President’s Award went to Catherine Uwakwe ’26.

The President's Award was inaugurated in 1997 by President Robert H. Edwards to recognize a student’s exceptional personal achievements and uncommon contributions to the College.

During her time at Bowdoin, Uwakwe, a double major in government and legal studies and Africana studies, has taken on roles that bring people together and strengthen the fabric of campus life.

She has served as both proctor and head proctor in Residential Life, helping to create spaces where students feel supported and seen. As an athlete, Uwakwe has distinguished herself as captain and sprinter-hurdler on the varsity track and field team. She is also a valued member of the Thorne kitchen crew, working with a team as a cook and an expediter—to nourish others “and in so doing, nourishing ourselves,” commented President Safa Zaki, “a perfect metaphor,” she added, “for all that Catherine has contributed to Bowdoin.”

Studying overseas at Yonsei University in South Korea offered Uwakwe opportunities to study the Korean language, international relations, comparative law—and K-pop!

Following graduation, Catherine will return to New York to continue her work with the legal and compliance team at investment firm Siguler Guff. She also plans to return to South Korea in 2027 to teach English.