Photo by Kyle Licht Alyssa Stephens is pictured.

The College Student Personnel Association of New York State has announced the recipients of its 2020 awards, which recognize outstanding student affairs practitioners and scholars in New York State.

Alyssa Stephens, a graduate student at the State University at Fredonia and residence director of Kasling Hall, was named as the recipient of the Outstanding Graduate Student Award. Stephens earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from SUNY Fredonia in 2019 and is in the Master of Music in Music Education degree program with a concentration in voice.

In August 2019, shortly after students arrived for the school year, Stephens was searching for a project — a mission that could unite the resident assistants with the Hall Council while uplifting the Kasling community. She and her residents decided to transform a Kasling Hall lounge into a Relaxation Room. They launched their Relaxation Room during January 2020 resident assistant training. It is complete with seating, floor mats, soft lighting and a stress-relief station featuring coloring books. Last spring, SUNY Fredonia decided to send care packages to all graduating seniors. There were more than 1,000 packages to prepare, and Stephens volunteered with enthusiasm, donning her mask to fill boxes “even as the specter of her graduate course work loomed.”

DJ Schier, a 2011 SUNY Fredonia graduate now serving as director of student affairs at Villa Maria College in Buffalo, was named the winner of the Distinguished Service to the Profession Award.

Alumnus Dr. Casey T. Jakubowski, a 1998 graduate who is serving as Department Chair of Liberal Arts and General Studies at Hudson Valley Community College, was named the recipient of the Eminence in Mentorship Award.