Emilyann Pleszewski, a senior Social Work major at Fredonia, has received one of 37 national scholarships awarded by Tau Sigma, the academic honor society that recognizes transfer students for their achievements.
“She’s articulate, intelligent and her optimism just shines through whatever she does,” said Helen Leysath, co-advisor of Fredonia’s Tau Sigma chapter and transfer coordinator in the Registrar’s office.
Ms. Pleszewski received a $1,500 scholarship – the largest Tau Sigma award granted to a Fredonia student since the local chapter began nominating students in 2009, the year after it was formed. In all, four students attending New York State schools received scholarships in January valued between $750 and $2,500. The organization recognizes the academic achievement of the most outstanding transfers nationwide and, in the process, help universities better serve their transfer population.
Established in 2008, the Beta Delta Chapter admits transfer students who receive a 3.5 GPA or higher during their first semester at Fredonia.
A Social Work major, Pleszewski plans to utilize her scholarship in graduate school. She has applied for admission to the nationally-known Master of Social Work degree program at the University of Buffalo.
Criteria used by the organization’s Scholarship Review Committee included involvement in and service to a local Tau Sigma chapter as well as the university, and community service and academic achievement.
A 2011 graduate of Fredonia High School, Pleszewski earned an Associate of Science degree in Human Services, with a concentration in Social Work, from Jamestown Community College before enrolling at Fredonia in the Fall 2013 semester.
Deeply committed to Tau Sigma, Pleszewski has participated in its Care Packages for the Troops event, the welcome tent during move-in weekend, Safe Halloween and Pink the Rink. As a member and also recording secretary of the Social Work Club, Pleszewski worked on the spring guest speaker program and certification training in the prevention of child sexual abuse, and organized the club’s participation in the campus-wide Relay for Life.
At the broader campus level, Pleszewski is president of the Undergraduate Alumni Council, where she worked on transfer student orientations and headed Fall Sweep and other service projects. She is also part of Senior Challenge, a group of seniors charged with creating and funding the senior class gift to the university. Additionally, Pleszewski is the goalkeeper for the women’s club soccer team.
Growing up in Fredonia gave Pleszewski valuable insight into community service opportunities in Chautauqua County. She was an assistant coach for the Dunkirk High School girls’ varsity soccer team in 2013 and a volunteer soccer instructor, working with youth ages 6 to 17, in a program held at the Chautauqua County fairgrounds during 2014.
“I loved giving my knowledge of soccer and my passion for the game to the youth,” Pleszewski said. “So many people from the Fredonia area helped me develop and grow as a player, and it was only right to do the same in return.”
Pleszewski has been a longtime volunteer at Dunkirk School No. 3, serving in activities such as Field Day, Craft Day and Puerto Rican Discovery Day. In November 2014, she began working with the Compeer for Youth mentoring program in a collaborative effort with the Social Work Club to create and operate monthly activities for youth and their families in the Dunkirk/Fredonia area.
“Working with these students has helped me realize that I have a passion for working with children and working as a school social worker might be the ideal career for me,” she explained.
Pleszewski, daughter of David and Pamela Pleszewski, graduated from Jamestown Community College with a 4.0 GPA and received the Trustee’s Award given to a student in the A.S. academic track. Stellar play as goalkeeper for the women’s soccer team earned Pleszewski the Western New York Athletic Association’s Female Academic Athlete of the Year award.
Academic achievement has continued for Pleszewski at Fredonia. She has been named to the Dean’s List for three semesters, carried a 3.75 GPA into her final semester and is excelling in a 500-hour, year-long field experience in social work. Pleszewski worked on a research project with Drs. Rolanda Ward and Dani McMay that will be presented at the 52nd annual meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences in Orlando, Fla., in early March.
