Successful Students

Lafayette Computer Science Team Excels At International Competition

Prof. Frank Xia, team adviser, Eliso Morazara ’25, Peter Li ’23, and Lekso Borashvili ’23 (L-R)

For the first time in the College’s history, a Lafayette computer science team advanced to the International Collegiate Programming Contest North America Championship and North America Programming Camp, the largest programming competition participated in by all major universities and colleges in the world. Each year, more than 2,500 teams from North America compete in regional and divisional programming contests. Among them, approximately 50 top teams are invited to the North America Championship to compete for advancement to the World Finals. Lafayette was one of just three liberal arts colleges invited to the NAC, which was held May 26-31 at University of Central Florida.

Women’s Crew Club Brings Home Gold In National Championship

Elizabeth Good ’22, Abby Hammel ’23, Lauren Salbinski ’23, Haley Simpson ’22, and Erika Nally ’22 with coach Rick Kelliher (L-R)

Bringing with them a wealth of history and competition, the Lafayette women’s crew club—including three seniors who missed Commencement to participate—made their presence felt in a big way at the American Collegiate Rowing Association National Championship Regatta in May. Rowing on the Clinch River in Oak Ridge, Tenn., the athletes clinched the gold medal in the 17H1 Women’s Varsity 4+ Grand Final with a time of 7:30.119. The win came just a week after both the women’s (Novice 4, JV4, and Varsity 4) and men’s (Novice 4) teams dominated at the Dad Vail Regatta against Division I varsity programs. The women walked away from the Dad Vail with one bronze and two gold medals, which was enough to rank them third in overall team points. Following their achievement, the seniors and their families attended a special Commencement ceremony at the home of President Nicole Farmer Hurd.

Fatimata Cham ’23 Is College’s Second Ever Truman Scholar

Fatimata Cham ’23

Fatimata Cham ’23, a government and law and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies double major, is one of 58 outstanding students from 53 institutions to be named a Truman Scholar. Cham, a community activist who is passionate about combating gender and educational inequalities, is the second Lafayette student in just two years to be named a Truman Scholar. (Savanna Touré ’21, who studied neuroscience, was the school’s first-ever recipient in 2020.) The Truman Scholarship application is a multifaceted one that explores applicants’ leadership abilities, commitment to public service, issues, and values that they hold dear, and an exposition of their career goals and how they will accomplish them. In addition to receiving up to $30,000 toward a future graduate degree anywhere in the world, Cham will be offered invaluable resources and opportunities to develop her skills and lay the foundation for a life of giving back— including special placement into internships and jobs within various sectors of public service or government.

Student Researchers Named Goldwater Scholars

Camille Carthy ’23, a neuroscience major with an English minor, and Samantha Ganser ’23, a biochemistry major and intended anthropology/sociology minor, have each been awarded a competitive 2022 Barry Goldwater Scholarship, which aims to foster and encourage students to pursue research careers in the fields of the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics. Carthy and Ganser are among this year’s 417 scholars, selected from a pool of 1,242 nominees from 433 colleges and universities from across the U.S. Since 2000, at least one Lafayette student has either been named a Goldwater Scholar or received an honorable mention.

Camille Carthy ’23

Samantha Ganser ’23