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Aziere Earns Awards to Support Honors Research

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We’re excited to celebrate Eli Aziere (The Independent School, 2024) on receiving an Honors Fellowship through the Charles Center at the College of William & Mary, along with the Anthropology Department’s Altshuler Scholarship. Together, these awards will support 10 full weeks of honors research for Eli’s anthropology major, conducted on campus in Oceanic Archaeology Lab under the mentorship of Jennifer Kahn, from late May through early August.

Eli’s research is a comparative archaeological study of two sites on the island of Rurutu in French Polynesia, examining feasting, ritual, and shell artifact use over time through microscopic analysis of shell tools. This project will be the first comparative study of shell artifacts in the island’s history and aims to advance archaeological knowledge while elevating the cultural heritage of Oceania—an underrepresented region in anthropology. The work will culminate in an Honors thesis, to be written during the academic year and defended in spring 2027.

“𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑦 𝑎𝑐𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑐 ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑧𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ. 𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑊𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑚 & 𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑦 𝑃. 𝑂’𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑦 𝐹𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑦 𝑎𝑐𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑐 𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑠.”
By Timothy P. O'Shaughnessy Foundation, ago

Aziere Named Fraternity Man of the Year

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We want to extend a huge congratulations to Eli Aziere (The Independent School, 2024) on being recognized by Fraternity and Sorority Life at William & Mary as the Fraternity Man of the Year during last month’s Evening of Excellence Award Ceremony. This honor recognizes Eli’s leadership, service, and commitment to academic excellence, and came just three days after he helped recharter the fraternity.

Eli currently serves as the Internal Vice President for the Gamma Chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity and as the Vice President of Academic Excellence for William & Mary’s Interfraternity Council.

“𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑦 𝑃. 𝑂’𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑦 𝐹𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑦 𝑎𝑐𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑐 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑠.”
By Timothy P. O'Shaughnessy Foundation, ago

Moussa Excels During Fall Semester

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Nicole Moussa, Independent, 2023, has taken on multiple leadership roles at the University of Tulsa while excelling academically. Among these achievements, Nicole was chosen to serve as a Peer Mentor, a position filled by only 60 students selected through a rigorous interview process. As a Peer Mentor, she has played a vital role in helping freshmen transition to college life, guiding them through orientation, fostering connections, ensuring their well-being, and teaching weekly classes.

Nicole was also selected to serve as the Homecoming Chairperson for the Student Activity Board. In this role, she successfully planned and executed six large-scale events for the campus and local community in the lead-up to Homecoming, bringing students together in celebration and building a strong sense of community spirit.

Nicole’s dedication to representing The University of Tulsa also earned her a position as a University Ambassador. In this role, she works with the admissions office, giving campus tours and connecting with prospective students and their families. As one of their first impressions of the university, Nicole takes pride in showcasing everything TU offers and inspiring the next generation of students.

Beyond her leadership roles, Nicole has demonstrated excellence in the classroom, earning induction into the Phi Beta Sigma Honor Society and a place on the Presidential Honor Roll.

While reflecting on the school year thus far, Nicole shared, “Throughout these experiences, I have undergone so much self-growth. Being involved on campus is not only a way to meet others, but an opportunity to give back to those who have helped me so much! Being an O’Shaughnessy scholar has prepared me with the necessary skills for interviewing, networking, and working with a variety of people. I am eternally grateful for all they have done for me!”

We’re incredibly proud of all Nicole has achieved and look forward to her continued success.

By Claudette Glenn, ago

Aziere Appointed Undersecretary

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We proudly announce that Eli Aziere, The Independent School, 2024, has been appointed the Undersecretary of Student Experience at William & Mary! In this role, he will work on initiatives such as hazing prevention, promoting inclusion for transfer and non-traditional students, advocating for the arts, and improving fraternity and sorority life.

Eli shared, “What I’m most excited about is being more involved with the inner workings of student government because the Student Assembly has a lot of influence here on campus. We have a three-branch student government, and I’ll be serving in one of ten cabinet departments in the executive branch. My department deals with every walk of student life, from multicultural organizations to club sports, student programming, and philanthropy. I applied to four different departments, but this is the one I wanted to work with the most because I ultimately want every student who walks on this campus to have the best four years of their life, and working in the Department of Student Experience is how I hope to achieve that. I’m very passionate about bringing more awareness to hazing prevention, and during the second semester, I’d like to focus on rethinking how we do some aspects of new student orientation.”

Eli also shared a fun fact about his photo, “The building I’m standing in front of is the Wren Building, built in 1700. It is the oldest college building in the United States, and I have class there three days a week.”

Congratulations on taking on this role and being a champion for change, Eli!

By Claudette Glenn, ago

Tyson Graduates KU

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We’re excited to announce that Hayden Tyson, The Independent School, 2021, completed his undergraduate studies this summer, graduating from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Analysis with a specialty in early childhood autism intervention and a minor in psychology.

Hayden is now enrolled as a doctoral student at KU in the Behavioral Science department with Dr. Pamela Neidert as his advisor. “The foundation’s help in paying for graduate school is much appreciated,” he stated.

Way to go, Hayden! We look forward to calling you Dr. Tyson!
By Claudette Glenn, ago

Tyson Fast-Tracks Academic Path

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Hayden Tyson, The Independent School, 2021, will accelerate the path to his degree in behavioral sciences with a minor in Psychology by taking additional classes this summer, allowing him to graduate by the end of the season.

Adding to this accomplishment, Hayden has been invited to apply to the University of Kansas graduate program as a doctorate student. This program is unique because it allows students to begin as PhD candidates, earning a master’s degree along the way, which typically reduces the overall time needed to complete the PhD.

Hayden plans to train as both a researcher and a clinician at the University of Kansas, preparing for a versatile career in the field. Obtaining a PhD includes the potential to work in education and serve as university faculty in the future.

Hayden states, “The O’Shaughnessy’s foundation has granted me the freedom to look past financial barriers that would inhibit me from seeking a degree past my bachelor’s while also providing me with the support required to take such a critical but daunting step of pursuing a postgraduate degree. The O’Shaughnessy family has been with me every step of the way, and their presence in my life has been an essential component of fostering my continued interest in education.”hh

By Claudette Glenn, ago

Aziere Announces College Decision

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Eli Aziere, The Independent School, 2024, has officially decided to attend the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, this fall to study History and Anthropology on the Pre-Law track. The sense of community on campus and the potential for internships in the Washington D.C. area or with someone within the school’s extensive alumni network were reasons that helped him make this decision.

“I’m really excited to experience life in another part of the country and become involved with different campus activities like the Wind Ensemble or student government organizations,” Eli stated. 

By Claudette Glenn, ago

Fifth Class of Scholars Announced!

Fifth Class of Scholars Announced!

We are proud to announce Timothy P. O’Shaughnessy Foundation’s newest Lifelong Learning Scholarship recipients!

The 2024-2025 recipients are: 

Eli Aziere – Independent School

Samuel Ferguson – Trinity Academy

Vitor Geromel – Maize South

Rafael Martinez – Maize South

Israel Torres – Wichita Northeast Magnet High School 

By Claudette Glenn, ago