{"id":894,"date":"2019-07-17T18:18:59","date_gmt":"2019-07-17T18:18:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wcsu.wpengine.com\/news-archives\/students-receive-henry-barnard-distinguished-award\/"},"modified":"2019-07-17T18:18:59","modified_gmt":"2019-07-17T18:18:59","slug":"students-receive-henry-barnard-distinguished-award","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/students-receive-henry-barnard-distinguished-award\/","title":{"rendered":"WCSU 2017 – Garcia and Khan receive Barnard Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"DANBURY, CONN. <\/strong>\u2014 Western Connecticut State University<\/a> seniors Evelin Garcia and Madiha Khan were chosen as winners of this year\u2019s Henry Barnard Distinguished Student Award<\/a> for their determination, demonstrated leadership, academic success and contributions to the community. Twelve Barnard Awards are given annually to distinguished students from Western, Central, Eastern and Southern Connecticut state universities.<\/p>\n

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Khan and Garcia, who are accomplished in their own individual ways, also share several similarities. Both students are residents of Danbury. As children of immigrant parents, they have experienced a feeling of powerlessness, which they have transformed into opportunities to create change. Although they come from very different upbringings, they have both chosen paths that they hope will lead them to medical school. <\/p>\n

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Garcia created her own major, a combination of Biology and Community Health Studies, and Khan is a Chemistry major with a focus on Biochemistry. Their hard work and dedication are demonstrated by their involvement with many different campus programs, including the Hancock Student <\/a>Leadership Program<\/a>, WCSU Honors Program<\/a>, the Collegiate Health Services Corps<\/a> and WCSU\u2019s Project Homeless Connect<\/a>. Khan and Garcia have both made the Dean\u2019s List every semester throughout their college careers and have been active in their communities.<\/p>\n

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Garcia has wanted to promote health care availability in her community since childhood. For Garcia\u2019s family, \u201chealth care costs outweighed the concerns of our aches and pains. Going to the doctor was not a norm, but a luxury we would never experience.\u201d After experiencing the \u201cconstant denial of a basic human right,\u201d Garcia became passionate about providing education and advocacy for local uninsured, immigrant and low-income families. She decided the best way she could bring about change was through a career in medicine.<\/p>\n

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As she set to work toward achieving her goals in high school, she said that she met with resistance and was told that she \u201caimed too high\u201d and that \u201ccollege isn\u2019t for people like you.\u201d Undaunted, she applied and was accepted to WCSU. To pay her tuition, Garcia initially worked three jobs while taking classes and has continued to seek opportunities to grow. <\/p>\n

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She took on leadership roles in various on-campus organizations and was accepted to the Yale School of Medicine\u2019s Summer Medical and Dental Education Program<\/a> where she worked clinical rotations, took advanced science classes and served as a Spanish interpreter in the HAVEN Free Clinic<\/a>. Garcia also has participated in other internship placements, including the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, where she conducted cancer clinical trial research, and the Seifert and Ford Community Health Center, where she was an Internal Medicine Observer.<\/p>\n

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Recognizing that the changes she wants to propagate will require more than a medical degree, Garcia understands that she \u201cneeds to learn about the laws, societal issues and the development of progressive policies.\u201d To do so, she plans to complete a public or health policy fellowship before attending medical school. <\/p>\n

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Khan, who recently presented her senior research project at the American Chemical Society National Meeting<\/a> in California, believed prior to attending WCSU that she was \u201cpowerless and couldn\u2019t possibly make an impact on her community.\u201d She is the youngest of four children and reminisced about the struggle her parents went through when it was time for her to attend college. \u201cBy the time it was my turn to head off to college, my parents were in extreme debt. I still remember my mom hunched over the couch, bawling her eyes out to my dad, unaware that I could hear anything,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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Khan began to feel empowered when she received the Presidential Merit Scholarship, which covers tuition and fees and is renewable each semester. \u201cIt was the first instance where I felt I had the power and ability to make a difference,\u201d she said. \u201cI was determined to be the best student I could be in order to make my parents, my community and my university proud. I have done so by making the Dean\u2019s List throughout my entire college career.\u201d She also received the Polyed Outstanding Achievement in Organic Chemistry Award from the Macricostas School of Arts and Sciences<\/a>. <\/p>\n

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Additionally, Khan has become a member of the WCSU Honors Program, served as a mentor and math teacher at the Danbury Masjid<\/a>, and volunteered with numerous community programs including CT Mission of Mercy<\/a> and WCSU\u2019s Project Homeless Connect. She has served as Alpha Delta Pi sorority\u2019s scholarship chair and the fundraising chair for the Chemistry Club, and is currently serving as treasurer for the Collegiate Health Service Corps<\/a>. She also was selected as the featured speaker for the university\u2019s 2017 commencement exercises later this month.<\/p>\n

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Understanding the challenges new college students face, Khan has dedicated much of her time to mentoring students making the transition from high school to college through the Western Connection Program<\/a>. She has been able to help students adjust to the social and academic changes they experience by providing support and guidance. <\/p>\n

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Garcia and Khan received their awards at a banquet held April 4, 2017, in Southington.<\/p>\n

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Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England\u2019s best small private universities.<\/em><\/p>\n

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