2023 AMU President’s Award Dinner

On May 5, 2023, Ave Maria University held the annual President’s Dinner for the class of 2023 in the Bob Thomas Student Union Building. The night included addresses from class of 2022 recipient Begońa Avila, class of 2023 faculty representative Dr. Maria Fedoryka, and the recipients of this year’s President’s Award: Bridget Kaczanowski and David Adamitis.  

Last year’s recipient, Begońa Avila (‘22), shared what her first year out of college has been like, and offered encouragement to the class of 2023 as they enter the next chapter of their lives. “College is a particularly unique season. It is the only stage of your life in which you will enter as a child and leave as an adult… As you begin to shift your footing into the secular world, make time for Christ. Always, always prioritize Him.” She also spoke highly of her time as a student at AMU, and how those relationships have strengthened post-graduation. “The joy you have experienced in these four years is a foretaste of what is to come in Heaven… The formation I’ve received at this University has been my rock.”  

This year, AMU awarded the class of 2023 with both a male and female recipient of the President’s Award. Bridget Kaczanowski, class of 2023 female recipient, shared her immense gratitude for her time at Ave Maria, saying, “Being a part of this University has been such a blessing to me, as I’m sure it has been for my peers. I’m just so blessed to have been able to come here—To be part of Mary’s mission to bring souls to Christ.”

Class of 2023 male recipient, David Adamitis, also shared his gratitude, especially for the relationships he’s been blessed with at the University. “Like all of you, I’ve been so impacted by so many friends, classmates, teammates, coaches, and faculty over the past four years… God can never be outdone in generosity.”

The evening closed with an address by Dr. Fedoryka, the graduate-chosen representative for the class of 2023. She started by congratulating the class on all their achievements and thanking them for their own contributions to her life. “My teaching has been enriched by you. My ideas, my philosophy have been enriched by you. But even more than those my person has been enriched by you, so thank you.”