Seniors Harshitha Talasila and Robert Patch have been named recipients of the Colgate University Alumni Corporation 1819 Award.
The 1819 Award was created by the Alumni Corporation to honor the senior class member “whose character, scholarship, and service to others best exemplify the spirit that is Colgate.” It is the most selective honor that Colgate bestows upon a graduating senior, and the recipient speaks at baccalaureate during commencement weekend.
Nominations for the award are submitted by members of the campus community. A review committee forwards its recommendations to President Brian W. Casey, who makes the final decision and presents the honor during the University’s annual Awards Convocation. “While the decision is always challenging,” Casey said, “there are some years when it is simply too hard to choose one senior. I look at the resumes and testimonials, I think about what I know of these students, and I say, ‘The obvious answer is both.’”
Talasila is an environmental studies and peace and conflict studies double major from Hopewell Junction, N.Y. She is president of the Student Government Association while also serving in leadership roles in groups such as the Hindu Students Association and the Senior Class Gift Committee. A presidential ambassador, she holds a number of additional positions on campus, including sustainability intern and Office of Sustainability peer adviser. She launched her own social-good venture through the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation’s Summer Accelerator and used grant money to research and propose large-scale solutions for food waste on campus.
Through a Projects for Peace fellowship, Talasila designed a substance abuse and mental health program for nearly 7,500 high school and college students in Vijayawada, India. This work involved local collaborations with both government and non-governmental organizations.
Patch is a political science major from Camillus, N.Y. While president of Theta Chi fraternity, he used his position to partner with the Hamilton Food Cupboard and ensure that leftover food from the Greek house would be distributed to local families in need. Under his watch, Theta Chi earned recognition for its fundraising efforts. Patch has also been responsible for reinvigorating the Colgate Political Review, a student-driven publication for political commentary. He is a member and treasurer of the Charred Goosebeak improv troupe and a presidential ambassador.
“I have come to know both of our award winners as presidential ambassadors, and they have inspired me with their different ways of carrying Colgate spirit onto campus and into the world,” Casey said. “They embody the tradition that the Alumni Corporation sought to honor through the 1819 Award.”