Student Leadership, Community Service and Excellence in the Arts Celebrated at CCM Student Leadership, Community Service and Excellence in the Arts Celebrated at CCM

Students Recognized at 57th Annual Campus Life Awards Dinner Dance

As the 2025-26 academic year approached its culmination, County College of Morris (CCM) held the 57th annual Campus Life Awards Dinner Dance (CLADD), on Tuesday, May 5, at Meadow Wood Manor in Randolph. The evening honored student leaders of educational and service initiatives, student club and organization members who helped create a vibrant and engaged campus life, and standout performers in musical theatre, drama, dance and technical production.

Representing towns throughout Morris County and neighboring areas in New Jersey, including Passaic, Sussex and Warren counties, in addition to the state of Pennsylvania, the honorees reflected the depth of CCM’s student body. Ranging from first-year students to members of the Class of 2026, the recipients successfully balanced their active involvement on campus along with their academic achievements across the college’s more than 100 degree and certificate programs. CCM’s administration, staff and faculty members were in attendance to present the honorees with their awards.

“The Campus Life Awards Dinner Dance is one of the most meaningful traditions at CCM because it recognizes the extraordinary dedication, creativity and leadership our students bring to campus each day,” said Don Phelps, Director of Campus Life. “Thes honorees have made a lasting impact through service, involvement in campus organizations and excellence in the performing arts, while also maintaining their academic commitments. We are proud to celebrate their achievements and the vibrant community they help create at CCM.”

The evening’s honors included the Dr. Edward J. Yaw Leadership Award, recognizing outstanding organizational leadership, community engagement and contributions to education, presented to Samantha Torres Narvaez of Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania.

CCM’s Board of Trustees Service Award for outstanding service and dedication to the college was presented to Hannah Mescavage of Belvidere, while the Patton Award for exceptional leadership and school spirit was awarded to Layla Giron of Dover.

Isabella Escobar Lopera of Flanders received the First-Year Award for strong campus contributions during her first year at CCM. The Simmons Award for leadership and involvement was presented to Lily Hesterman of Parsippany, Matthew Alvarez of Flanders and Sumeyye Oztek of Whippany.

Distinguished Leader Awards were earned by Tifany Araujo of Dover, Salvatore Cappucci of Budd Lake, Wesley Icer of Parsippany, Caelan Lynes of Madison, Sebastian Perez Brid of Wharton and Demetrios Piteris of West Milford.

Educational Program of the Year honors were awarded to the Environmental Club and EOF Student Alliance for the Environmental Excellence Awards program, and to the LGBTQ Student Alliance for its “Be Yourself” presentation. Community Service Program of the Year recognition went to the Student Activities Programming Board (SAPB) for Welcome Week and to InterVarsity Fellowship for Worship Night.

The Raulf Award, a performing arts honor recognizing an outstanding student leader, was presented to Chris Gardner of Buskill, Pennsylvania. The Pinnacle Award for Leadership and Performance was presented to Jeff Foote of Westwood and Elizabeth Grant of Parsippany. The Newcomers Award, introduced this year, was awarded to Pinda Pittari of Randolph.

Additional honors recognized outstanding achievement in performing arts. Musical Theatre honors were presented to Elizabeth Grant of Parsippany, Carolina Hunchak of Denville, Victoria Morris of Budd Lake, Bryan Torres of Morris Plains and Trevour Tredway of Dover. Drama honors were awarded to Ethan Abellard of Denville, Matt Budesheim of Butler, Mak Cerrada-Shapiro of Belvidere, Bryan Torres of Morris Plains and Charlie Valdez of Rockaway. German Tatis Rosario of Union was recognized for outstanding performances in both Musical Theatre and Drama. Technical Theatre honors were presented to Zephyr Daley of Sparta and Justin Wyble of Lake Hopatcong. Outstanding Performance in Dance honors were presented to Hannah Delisa of Landing, Brielle Jones of Rockaway and Lariza Perado of Budd Lake.

To view photos of the celebratory CLADD event, visit the college’s Flickr album at https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCTEkr. To learn more about the vibrant campus life at CCM, visit https://www.ccm.edu/meet-ccm/campus-life/.