Students of Distinction
Pan-African and xenophobic, in
addition to the meaning of liberation
at the expense of violence as
represented in the fi ctional Marvel
superhero Killmonger.
Wallace was a Queens College
Scholar, Presidential Scholar, Freshman
Honors Program participant,
member of the Dean’s List, Freshman
Year Initiative Program mentor,
an associate for the highly competitive
Institute for the Recruitment of
Teachers at the Phillips Academy
Andover, and editor-in-chief of the
Knight News, the college’s student
newspaper.
The student speaker is one of
two recipients of the college’s Paul
Klapper Scholarship, which is
provided annually by the staff of
Queens College and other friends
in memory of the college’s fi rst
president to encourage scholarly
accomplishment, moral and intellectual
integrity, and good citizenship.
The College Committee on
Honors and Awards selects the
student speaker based on criteria
that include high grades and other
forms of academic achievement,
leadership, community service,
breadth of courses taken, as well
as evidence of originality, creativity,
and promise of future contributions
to society.
“We are enormously proud of
Vallaire and all that she has accomplished
as a Queens College
undergraduate,” said Queens College
President William Tramontano.
“The list of her many successes is
deeply inspiring to us as educators
and we look forward to the next
chapter in her academic career.”
– By Carlotta Mohamed
Ariana Diaz
Natalia Kula
July 2020
The Mary Louis Academy
Jamaica Estates, NY
Congratulations to TMLA seniors
Natalia Kula and Ariana Diaz who
were both honored for their scholastic
achievement. Natalia Kula
has been named a Commended
Student in the 2020 National Merit
Scholarship Program. TMLA senior
Ariana Diaz was recognized as a
Scholar in the National Hispanic
Recognition Program.
In 2020, approximately 34,000
Commended Students throughout
the nation have been recognized
for their exceptional academic
promise. These Commended
Students placed among the top
50,000 scorers of more than 1.6
million students who entered the
2020 competition by taking the
2018 Preliminary SAT/National
Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test
(PSAT/NMSQT®).
As a Scholar in the National Hispanic
Recognition Program, Ariana
scored in the top 2.5% among Hispanic
and Latino PSAT test takers
in our region. As with the National
Merit Scholarship Program, NHRP
uses the junior year PSAT/NMSQT
as the qualifying test.
The National Hispanic Recognition
Program recognizes approximately
5,000 Hispanic/Latino
juniors each year from among the
more than 400,000 juniors who
take the PSAT.
Congratulations to both Natalia
and Ariana on these outstanding
accomplishments.
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | JULY 24-JULY 30, 2020 7
Vallaire Wallace
July 2020
Queens College
Oakland Gardens, NY
Current times have shown us that
the future is not always as clear as
the one we had imagined a mere
few months earlier. Regardless of
the times, though, there are always
those whose efforts, intelligence,
and resilience, will see them rise
to the top. It is with great pleasure
that we announce this month’s
Students of Distinction. – SLS
Queens College 2020 graduate
Vallaire Wallace has earned a full
scholarship to the University of Virginia
to pursue a doctorate degree
in English.
Wallace, a resident of Oakland
Gardens, majored in English with
a minor in drama and theater and
graduated summa cum laude with
a bachelor of arts.
Wallace would have addressed
this year’s graduates and their
families as the student speaker
at the college’s May commencement,
but the ceremony — with its
annual audience of up to 10,000
people — did not take place due
to COVID-19-imposed restrictions
on large gatherings.
While at Queens College, Wallace
was named a Mellon Mays
Undergraduate Fellow (MMUF).
The program was established at
Queens College in 1988 as a response
to the shortage of faculty of
color in higher education, accepts
minority students and others who
have demonstrated a commitment
to eradicating racial disparities.
Wallace said the MMUF Fellow-
My is
Valedictorian Vallaire Wallace.
Photo courtesy of Queens College.
ship has changed the entirety of
her undergraduate life.
“I am so excited to continue my
studies at the University of Virginia,
where I will be pursuing my Ph.D.
in English,” Wallace said. “I have
been awarded the Dean’s Fellowship
in addition to my base stipend
as a testament to my academic excellence.
At UVA, I plan to continue
my research on the Harlem Renaissance
and develop my training as
an African Americanist.”
As an English major, Wallace
focused on 20th-century African
American Literature and the Harlem
Renaissance, fi nding inspiration
in its continuing cultural relevance
for readers and publishers. The
Harlem Renaissance was the development
of New York City’s Harlem
neighborhood as an early 20thcentury
Black cultural mecca and
its subsequent fl ourishing social
and artistic scene.
Wallace’s thesis for her honors
seminar was admittedly a departure
from her usual scholarly pursuits
— she explored the paradox
of the fi ctional East African country
Wakanda, home to the Marvel
superhero Black Panther, as both
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/QNS.COM
