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Three ASU Students Receive Leadership Award

April 29, 2013. Seniors Nakisa Asefnia of Raleigh, Lauren Brigman of Marshall and Laura Levine of Raleigh have received the Ronny L. Brooks Leadership Award, which recognizes students who have distinguished themselves through the leadership that they provide to Appalachian State University students, programs, and/or organizations.

This award is named for the former dean of men and later dean of students at Appalachian who was a strong supporter of out-of-class learning.

Asefnia, a psychology and Spanish double major, was nominated by the Office of International Education and Development. She has served as the president of INTAPP, Appalachian’s international organization, and as a guide in the Peer Career Center, where she helped students select their majors. Asefnia has participated in a study abroad program to Madrid, Spain, and is a member of the Department of Psychology’s honors program, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Pi Gamma Mu.

images-4Asefnia’s nominator said, “In her role as president of INTAPP, she has worked diligently since assuming the position to implement changes and create the organizational structure needed for the long-term sustainability and success of the program. She has focused not only on the building blocks of the organization but also on the day-to-day interactions with the members to increase and sustain their active involvement. She is focused and driven about teaching other students on campus about the importance of internationalization and equality.”

Brigman, an electronic media broadcasting major, was nominated by the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership. Brigman has completed three different media internships, served as 90.5 WASU’s station manager for two years and assistant news director, and has worked as a reporter for the university’s student newspaper, The Appalachian, and for CharterMedia. She is also a student in the Honors College, the Department of Communication’s honors program, and a member of Lambda Pi Eta and the Appalachian Student Ambassadors.

Her nominator said, “Over the last two years Lauren has continued to building a legacy at Appalachian that will be very difficult to match.  Her commitment to academic excellence is a testament to how well she balances life, course load and co-curricular involvement.  What’s even more impressive is not only her service to the Appalachian community, but also to the community at-large.”

Levine, a K-12 theatre arts education major, was nominated by the Department of Theatre and Dance. She has completed a teaching internship at Two Rivers Community School, developed afterschool activities for middle school-aged children, and has incorporated theatre into community development programs at Western Youth Network. She served as the president of Playcrafters, was an office assistant in the Department of Theatre and Dance, and a cast member or stage manager for more than 12 plays at Appalachian.

Levine’s nominator said, “Laura’s organization skills, her gentle steerage of Playcrafters, her stamina, creativity, and thoughtfulness and care for all members of the club are surely enough to recommend her; however, she has so many accomplishments outside Playcrafters,” including being “one of the kindest, smartest, most hard-working students in class” and being “devoted to the discipline of teaching.”