Two Seniors Receive SUNY’s Highest Student Achievement Award

Congratulations to Medha Chandwani ’25 and Carver Fell ’25, who were among the select group of students to receive the prestigious 2025 Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence, the highest honor bestowed upon a student by the University.

SUNY Chancellor Dr. John B. King, Jr. presented awards to 193 students across the university system on April 29 at the Hart Theatre in the Egg in downtown Albany, NY.

The Chancellor’s Award acknowledges students for outstanding achievements that demonstrate the integration of SUNY excellence into many different aspects of their lives, including academics, leadership, diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, campus involvement, civics and service, research and development, or creative and performing arts.

Medha Chandwani will graduate with dual degrees in Chemistry (BA) and Visual Arts (BS) and a 4.16 GPA. Hailing from Sharon, MA, she’s an exceptional student admitted through the SUNY Upstate Medical Program and has exceeded academic expectations, finishing both degrees in three years at Purchase.

Earning two degrees requires the completion of two senior projects. For Chemistry, Chandwani explored canola and corn oil blends in resin projection, blending both majors of study. She presented her research poster and paintings on campus at the 43rd Annual James Utter Natural and Social Sciences Research Symposium and at the annual SURC Conference(SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference) at SUNY Binghamton.

In the Visual Arts, Medha exhibited her paintings in the Senior Thesis Exhibition, What Now? on view May 7–14 in the Visual Arts building.

Chandwani has been a dedicated Learning Assistant for multiple chemistry courses, helping many students succeed. Beyond academics, she served as the Pre-Med Club President, establishing a shadowing program at White Plains Hospital, and contributed to the Food Recovery Network, focused on reducing food waste and insecurity.

Nominated by the Chemistry and Biochemistry faculty who describe her as “remarkable” and “one of the best senior Chemistry majors” they’ve ever had, another faculty member noted in her 13 years of teaching undergraduates, “Medha is easily in the top 1% of students I have encountered during that time.”

Chandwani plans to enter a Master’s program in Chemical Engineering next fall.

Carver Fell, a Psychology major from Carmel, NY, has demonstrated exceptional academic excellence, leadership, and research skills. Faculty praise his maturity, analytical thinking, and dedication, particularly in research on cognitive development and social issues.

Fell also presented his research at the 43rd Annual James Utter Natural and Social Sciences Research Symposium on campus. His project explored “Social Perception of Female Faces: How Do We Judge High Versus Low Ancestral Productivity?”

Fell served as a Learning Assistant for the Introduction to Psychology and Cognitive Development classes, as President of Purchase College’s Chapter of Psi Chi (the International Honors Society of Psychology) and as Vice President of the Psychology Club. Fell is a member of a Purchase College Faculty Review Committee and held an internship position in the Career Development Center.

With a 4.12 GPA, Fell has been further recognized for his “exceptional work ethic, conscientiousness, and capacity for insight.”

“We congratulate the two honorees on receiving this prestigious award, which is the highest student recognition in the statewide university system. We have no doubt that Medha and Carver will continue to make us proud of their accomplishments, their leadership, and their dedication to research and social issues in the years to come. We wish them well in their endeavors,” says President Milagros Peña.