Congrats to the CECS and CEHHS Medallion awardees

This commencement season, 12 students are recognized with UM-Dearborn’s top honors.

Chosen by faculty from their respective colleges, graduates are recognized for their outstanding quality of character, intellect, integrity and academic record.

Three Dean’s Medallion awardees are chosen per college with one of those students selected to receive the Chancellor’s Medallion. This semester’s Chancellor’s Medallion winner comes from the College of Engineering and Computer Science. These students will be recognized during the April 27 commencement celebrations.

The College of Arts, Sciences and Letters and the College of Business recipients were featured in a Reporter article on Tuesday.

Here are the awardees from the College of Education, Health and Human Services and CECS.

Chancellor’s Medallion

Zoie Mink
College of Engineering and Computer Science

Zoie Mink is receiving a dual Bachelor of Science in Engineering in mechanical engineering and bioengineering. She is also receiving an undergraduate certificate in engineering mechanics. 

Mink’s outstanding leadership was recognized with the Alan Mulally Leadership in Engineering Scholarship in 2022. This competitive scholarship recognizes students from universities around the globe that “have demonstrated leadership skills in academic or community-based settings.”

Mink was a researcher in the Human Factors Lab under Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Amanda Esquivel. She studied female lacrosse athlete head impacts, as well as dancer and soccer player landing kinematics and kinetics. Mink was also a research intern at Wake Forest School of Medicine during summer 2022 and 2023. During her first summer, she researched soccer athletes performing headers and the kinematic and neurocognitive effects. During her second summer, she worked with NASCAR to investigate rear crashes and the effect of head surround foam on driver head kinematics. Mink published and presented her research results at annual meetings of the Biomedical Engineering Society.

Mink, a supplemental instructor in the Mechanical Engineering Department, is president of the Society of Women Engineers, vice president of Pi Tau Sigma, corresponding secretary of Tau Beta Pi and professional development chair for the Biomedical Engineering Society at UM-Dearborn. As SWE president, she led the organization of the 2024 POWER (Professional Opportunities for Women and Engineering and Research) conference. Mink also is passionate about K-12 outreach and encouraging young girls to pursue majors and careers in STEM. Mink has initiated and helped lead middle school outreach programs, a big sister/little sister mentorship program and a rocketry event for Girl Scouts. 

Mink will work at Ford Motor Company in the crash safety labs for the summer. She will then start a biomedical engineering graduate program in August to work toward her master’s and doctoral degrees.

Dean’s Medallion

Eejoy Lim
College of Engineering and Computer Science

Eejoy Lim is receiving a Bachelor of Science in software engineering.

Lim is involved in research. She’s worked with Assistant Professor of Computer and Information Science Zheng Song on detecting bias and discrimination in web services. Lim also worked with Assistant Professor of Computer and Information Science Probir Roy to fine tune transformer models for detecting performance bugs in high performance computing applications.

She secured an internship position in summer 2023 with Petronas, a Fortune Global 500 oil and gas company, where she developed and designed a website to facilitate and streamline the handover process across teams for more than 1,100 gas stations. Her contribution led to a 30% reduction in processing time, significantly improving efficiency.

Aiming to contribute to the academic success of her peers, Lim worked as a supplemental instruction leader, where she led boot camps and study sessions for core computer and information science courses. Additionally, she aimed to introduce different perspectives and enhance the breadth of student learning. She revived TEDxUMDearborn, which had been discontinued during the pandemic, and is a core team member of Hack Dearborn events. And, as president of the Student Activities Board, Lim organized some of the biggest events on campus, including the Homecoming Carnival, the Cedar Point trip and the Thanksgiving dinner. Lim also helped bring the campus friend, Bruce the Goose, to life.

Lim has applied to several graduate programs in computer science.

Michael Mackiewicz
College of Engineering and Computer Science

Michael Mackiewicz is receiving a dual Bachelor of Science in Engineering in electrical engineering and engineering mathematics.

Mackiewicz is a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success and is highly regarded by faculty in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department as well as the Mathematics Department. Mackiewicz had an internship with Consumers Energy in the summer of 2023, working as a low voltage distribution planning engineer. He worked on many projects that focused on increasing the safety and reliability of power lines. Mackiewicz continued to work for Consumers Energy part time during his final year of college.

Mackiewicz’s outstanding college experience has not been without challenges. In his senior high school year, Mackiewicz was diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease. His treatment carried into college, which included a kidney biopsy, hip and ankle surgery, and a full hip replacement along with many sessions of physical therapy totaling around two years. With the help of the Office of Disability Services, Mackiewicz was able to attend college throughout his medical treatment.

On top of managing his health and studies, he has been an active member of the United States Powerlifting Association for more than two years. Through his engagement in powerlifting, Mackiewicz strives to inspire others not to be confined by their disabilities.

Following his graduation, Mackiewicz has accepted a position as electrical engineer at Wade Trim, an energy utility company.

Mary Bradshaw
College of Education, Health and Human Services

Mary Bradshaw is receiving her Bachelor of Science in health and human services with a focus on human services.

Bradshaw is a leader on the field and in the classroom. She was named captain of the women's cross country team from Fall 2022, participated on the Student-Athlete Advisory Council and served as the Team Representative on the Council since Fall 2023. She’s earned multiple WHAC Champions of Character awards and the Chancellor's Award for exemplary leadership and community engagement through athletics. In addition, Bradshaw has worked as a supplemental instruction leader and has been a student associate in the Graduate Studies/Admissions office.

Working as an undergraduate research assistant alongside Associate Professor of Sociology Carmel Price and Associate Professor of Public Health Natalie Sampson, Bradshaw delved into the complexities of using plain language in public notices pertaining to the Clean Air Act — an initiative resonating with environmental justice concerns. Their collective efforts culminated in a publication featured in the journal Environmental Science and Policy. Bradshaw played an active role in presenting the findings at the American Public Health Association annual conference and the Environmental Health Research to Action Academy.

What makes Bradshaw’s academic journey unique has been her commitment to the 4+1 HHS to MSW program where — through her academics, research, athletics and work experience — she has had the opportunity to engage with her various passions, such as mental health, public health, the environment, communities and social work, to generate a vision for change that she wants to see in the world.

Following graduation, Bradshaw will finish her Master of Social Work at UM-Ann Arbor.

Britney Chungag
College of Education, Health and Human Services

Britney Chungag is receiving a Bachelor of Science in health and human services with a focus on public health. Additionally, she has earned an undergraduate certificate in health communications from the College of Arts, Sciences and Letters.

A nontraditional student, Chungag transferred to UM-Dearborn from Oakland Community College. Though faced with challenges and delays in her educational timeline, she attributes her success to the unwavering support of friends and family as she juggled studies, work and personal aspirations.

In her research efforts, guided by Assistant Professor of Human Services Finn Bell, Chungag developed a logic model for the nonprofit Foster Love to evaluate and improve their Family Fellowship Scholarship. This project was pivotal in helping former foster youth with the college process, focusing on nondiscrimination and enhancing student success rates. Chungag also completed a research project dissecting the fashion industry's history and environmental impact. This sustainability-focused research project highlights the effects of fast fashion on society, environmental repercussions and potential legislative solutions. Under Lecturer Michael Montgomery’s mentorship, Chungag developed a fundraising portfolio for Code.org, showcasing effective strategies for individual and corporate fundraising efforts.

Chungag’s extracurricular activities include memberships in the African Student Union, Black Student Union, Criminology and Criminal Justice Collective, Pre-Law Association and Public Health Society, as well as the Phi Theta Kappa honor society and the National Society of Leadership and Success.

Following graduation, Chungag plans to take the LSAT and pursue law school. Envisioning a Fall 2025 entry into a JD/master's program, she is considering specializations in either public health or health informatics.

Hannah Funk
College of Education, Health and Human Services

Hannah Funk is completing her Bachelor of Arts in mathematics, with a vision to transition into elementary education.

Funk participated in multiple field-based learning experiences throughout her academic journey. At Salina Elementary School, Funk not only observed first-grade math lessons, but also delivered an addition lesson. At Thorne Elementary, she assisted in sixth-grade ELA instruction and taught a class, further sharpening her pedagogical skills. As a student teacher at Allen Elementary, Funk was immersed in a kindergarten setting, balancing the instruction of various subjects with the development of classroom management techniques and nurturing educational connections.

Her professional portfolio is further enriched by her undergraduate research experience. During her capstone courses, Funk created educational action plans that utilized researched-based practices to fill gaps in understanding for students. These targeted multiple content areas like science, ELA and math. Within the action plans, Funk reviewed studies that utilized best practices and then used the findings to support students. She also wrote lesson plans that required the use of researched-based practices in order to tailor instruction to support students. During her current semester of student teaching, she continues to research best practices to ensure the success of her students.

Funk has balanced full-time work, achievements and rigorous course loads, while experiencing challenges, including losing a family member. Through it all, she continues to look for ways to help others.

After graduation, Funk plans to teach elementary education and is eager to enter the classroom as an in-service teacher. She intends to begin a master’s degree in special education.