Fourteen outstanding Stony Brook University seniors were among the 193 students recognized with the 2025 Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence (CASE) — the State University of New York’s highest honor bestowed on a student.
The award celebrates academic excellence, leadership, campus involvement, community service and creative or performing arts. This year’s honorees were celebrated during an awards ceremony on April 29 in Albany, New York.
“To this year’s awardees, I extend my heartfelt congratulations. Today, we honor you with the highest recognition given to a SUNY student, acknowledging your dedication and your excellence,” said SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. “We are proud of all that you have achieved here at SUNY. We are rooting for your future success.”
The 2025 recipients include veterans, parents, policy advocates and student leaders. Each SUNY campus is eligible to nominate a select number of students based on enrollment size, and honorees are chosen by a systemwide selection committee.
Delivering the keynote at the CASE celebration was Derek Peterson, a Stony Brook University alumnus and CEO of Soter Technologies, who emphasized the importance of resilience and innovation. “Congratulations to the CASE awardees. This award is only the beginning of more to come. Continue to shine bright and be the difference maker.”
Congratulations to the Stony Brook CASE 2025 winners:
Rachel Alexandre (Sparkill, NY) — A Globalization and International Relations and Political Science major with a minor in Creative Writing and Literature, Alexandre is an Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholar fluent in four languages. Her global résumé includes work at the United Nations in Geneva, business development at the Canadian Consulate, and study in Greece. This summer, she will travel to Tanzania for sustainability work and launch a U.S.-based film initiative highlighting diverse narratives.
Cailey Bobadilla (Nesconset, NY) — A University Scholar majoring in applied mathematics and statistics with a minor in information systems, Bobadilla has interned at FreedomCare and serves as a lead tutor, peer mentor and teaching assistant. She’s also active in Women in Business and a research team focused on population health informatics. She plans to pursue graduate studies in data analytics.
Laci Burton (North Babylon, NY) — An English major with minors in gender and sexuality studies and writing and rhetoric, Burton is a University Scholar and a senior writing tutor. She has conducted archival research at the Library of Congress through a URECA grant and represented Stony Brook on the National Humanities Leadership Council.
Brianna Charvez (Ozone Park, NY) — A first-generation student majoring in mass communication and sociology with minors in women’s and gender studies and health, medicine and society, Charvez is a resident assistant and president of Jubilé Latino. She conducts research on abortion access and works at Stony Brook’s UNITI Cultural Center.
Anood Cheema (New York City, NY) — A first-generation college student double majoring in globalization studies and international relations and economics, Cheema is a campus activist and student leader. Her roles have included president of Stony Brook’s NAACP Chapter, founder of the International Law Society, and leadership in the Center for Civic Justice.
Peter Gillespie (Holmes, NY) — A biology major who combines service with science, Gillespie volunteers with the American Cancer Society and leads fundraising for Project Sunshine. His Alzheimer’s biomarker research focuses on underserved communities, and he is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Peter Joyce (Northport, NY) — A history and political science double major in the Honors College, Joyce is a leader in civic engagement, participating in Student Government, Model UN, College Democrats and more. He aims to pursue a career in higher education.
Anushri Kulkarni (Mumbai, India) — A biomedical engineering major, Kulkarni conducts honors thesis research in microfluidics under Eric Brouzes, an associate professor in Biomedical Engineering. She is president of the Society of Women Engineers’ Stony Brook chapter, a volunteer EMT, resident assistant, and clinical research associate at Stony Brook Hospital.
Avi Nessim (Atlantic Beach, NY) — A biology and psychology double major, Nessim conducts Alzheimer’s research and is founder and president of Stony Brook’s chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He has raised more than $11,000 in memory of his grandfather.
Aman Rahman (Farmingville, NY) — A health sciences and English double major, Rahman is a published poet and healthcare advocate. He interned at the NYC Department of Health and now works in HIV prevention at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. He also serves as managing editor of the Sandpiper Review.
Daniel Razgonyaev (Brooklyn, NY) — A chemical and molecular engineering major in the Honors College, Razgonyaev has conducted research at Brookhaven National Laboratory and led humanitarian efforts through a nonprofit he founded, sending medical supplies to children’s hospitals in Eastern Europe.
Aryan Sharma (Centereach, NY) — A biology and psychology double major in the Honors College and MBA Fast Track student, Sharma has received URECA funding for glioblastoma research. He serves in Student Government, mentors peers and volunteers for the Crisis Text Line.
Hailee Shehu (Lindenhurst, NY) — A mechanical engineering major in the WISE Honors Program, Shehu is a first-generation student and co-founder of the nonprofit Lindenhurst Launchpad. She also leads Stony Brook’s American Society of Mechanical Engineers chapter and mentors fellow students.
Zain Zaidi (Coppell, TX) — A chemistry major specializing in chemical physics, Zaidi is a Barry M. Goldwater Scholar and a national conference presenter. He serves on the executive board of the Society of Physics Students, earning national recognition for the chapter.
The SUNY Board of Trustees commended the students: “Each year we look forward to celebrating CASE awardees and thanking these inspirational role models from across our SUNY colleges and universities. On behalf of the SUNY community, we are grateful for your leadership on campus, and we offer our best wishes for what comes next.”
View a photo gallery of SBU’s award-winning students with Chancellor King and Usama Shaikh, Stony Brook assistant chief diversity officer:
So proud of you Rachel!