Amber Brown and Amanda DiMiele Awarded President's Citation
Published: April 13, 2021
During Greenville Colleges 120th Commencement on May 27, Provost Randy Bergen described the academic achievements of the Class of 2012 when he said this is one of the strongest classes to graduate from Greenville College in recent years."
Each year, the prestigious President's Citation is awarded to the Greenville College graduating senior who has demonstrated the highest academic achievement in the context of a Christian liberal arts program. To be eligible for this award, the student must have completed a bachelor's degree program and adhered consistently to the ideals of the institution. This year, President Larry Linamen and Provost Bergen awarded the Presidents Citation to two distinguished graduates of this academically talented class, Amber Brown and Amanda DiMiele.
Amber Brown of Farmington, Illinois, graduated with a triple major in mathematics, chemistry, and biology. She earned a 4.0 cumulative GPA, completed an excellent honors thesis, coauthored an article that was submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed chemistry journal, and was the only undergraduate student to give a talk at a professional meeting recently. Brown will begin a Ph.D. program in molecular biology and biochemistry at Loma Linda University in the fall.
Browns academic advisors describe her work as superior, amazing, excellent in every regard, and simply the best. Dr. George Peters said, In my nine years teaching mathematics at Greenville College, I have never had a more organized and self-disciplined student. Dr. Darrell Iler said, I can say without reservation that Amber is one of the brightest, most mature and dedicated students with whom Ive worked during my 16-year teaching career. She was a top performer in every one of the four classes she took with me. Dr. Eugene Dunkley said, Amber is one of the most remarkable people I have ever met. I had her as a preview student and even then I was extremely impressed, not only with her intelligence, but with her personality. Amber has consistently helped her fellow students. Her knowledge, patience and ability to communicate complex information have made her a favorite tutor among students.
Amanda DiMiele of Belleville, Illinois, majored in philosophy with a minor in English. In these two demanding disciplines she achieved a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA. Her honors thesis focused on the subject of the body through the lens of the philosophical work of Michel Foucault. DiMiele explored some of the fields most difficult ideas with a high level of sophistication. She was accepted into a number of graduate programs in philosophy, including a highly selective Ph.D. program at Loyola University, which accepts only four applicants each year. What makes each of these accomplishments even more noteworthy is that she is the first person in her family to attend college.
Dr. Brian Hartley said that even early on DiMiele showed the qualities professors love in students a strong work ethic, a commitment to revising and improving her work, a voracious appetite for probing difficult reading, and a demonstrated penchant for military precision when it came to writing assignments. Dr. Christina Smerick said, Amanda has an incredible gift for writing and thinking, a passion for learning, and humility. It is this combination of tremendous ability and humility that is a rare gift. After Dr. Bradley Shaw read her first essay in Honors COR 101, he told DiMiele she needed to plan on attending graduate school. He described her as possessing that strange brew of rigorous discipline, insatiable curiosity, and imaginative vision that makes for an exceptional scholar.
Provost Bergen concluded the presentation, saying, We look forward to Amber and Amandas future achievements. We know they will be impressive.
