On Thursday, Apr. 18, Meredith College hosted its annual Celebrating Student Achievement (CSA) Day. For CSA Day, students do not have classes and instead have the opportunity to present their research, attend the various award ceremonies, attend the fashion show, enjoy the food on offer and of course celebrate their peers and colleagues. With many things to celebrate across campus, The Herald chose to give readers a round up and talk to some members of the Meredith community who were involved in CSA Day.
This year, SarahElla Trustman, ‘25, was asked to put together the Arts Showcase. Trustman described feeling both honored and nervous in taking on the role of putting together what she believes is “a cornerstone of the day,” and wanted the event to be “something really special.” As an attempt to include more departments and increase interest in the event, Trustman went with a “Sensory Performance Showcase” theme which centered around the five senses. Trustman shared a list of individuals and organizations involved including, but not limited to, the Art department, the Department of Food, Nutrition, and Human Performance, Extra Theater Company, the Theatre Department, the Raleigh Bubble Man and more. Overall, Trustamn believes that the event was a success and shared thanks to all involved. Trustman concluded by noting that she is “so grateful for and proud of [the] Meredith community!”
Alongside and across from the Sensory Performance Showcase, there were two food trucks to choose from as well as flavored ice. SweetWater Ice provided complementary flavored ice to students and there were also meal vouchers for the two food trucks, “Jessica's Food Truck” and “Vic's Pizza Truck.” Trustman shared that the meal vouchers were made possible due to grant funding.
In addition to events across campus, there were also several award ceremonies. This year, The Herald was among the recipients of said awards. The Meredith Herald Service and Dedication Award was awarded to Shae-Lynn Henderson as voted for by members of The Herald Staff. Other organizations like the Meredith International Association (MIA) also won awards, including the "MIA Outstanding Leadership" awards as well as the "Gold Star Organization of the Year" award. Atiqua Prithu, ‘25, Co-President of MIA, shared that the "Gold Star Organization of the Year" award was a “surreal moment” and marks a second consecutive year of receiving this award. Prithu shared that this award “acknowledges the hard work of [the] board members but also fuels [their] determination to surpass [their] achievements next year.” Prithu also acknowledged Katalyna Ortiz, Event Coordinator, and Rothmila Tajrian, Publicity Chair, as “exceptional individuals [who] have not only exceeded expectations in fulfilling their roles but also exemplify the values and mission of MIA.” While the "MIA Outstanding Leadership" awards could only be shared with two members, Prithu wanted to extend a “heartfelt thanks” to all of the board members “for their hard work and dedication!”
Another prevalent event to mark the day was the Colton Reveal, which is described as a “celebration of all the hard work accomplished by the staff of the Colton Review during the academic year” by Constance Wesley, ‘24, Co-Editor of the Colton Review. Wesley also shared that this year marked the 20th edition of the Colton Review. It was shared that the art team revealed the design for this edition and “honored the artists whose work won distinction in the volume.” During the reveal, the Colton also featured readings from winners of the prose as well aspoetry prizes.
While only a few of the events and organizations could be highlighted, there are many other events and awards to recognize. Some other events to note include the induction of the incoming student leaders as well as the fashion show hosted outside the Science and Math Building (SMB).Individuals can view more CSA Day related content and research presentations on the Virtual CSA Day channel on YouTube.
By Shae-Lynn Henderson, EIC
Graphic by Shae-Lynn Henderson, EIC
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