Each year the Marist Alumni Association presents the Alumni Leadership Award to two graduating seniors at the College’s Baccalaureate. The 2021 recipients of the award are Natalie D. Ford ’21 and Zachary F. Jacobs ’21.
Ford, from Madison, MS, majored in fashion design. At Marist, she was president of the Class of 2021 and volunteered on the 2021 Commencement Committee, in Campus Ministry, at New York Fashion Week, in the Marist Community Garden, and as a tour guide with Ars et Fides.
In addition, she worked as a campus tour guide and ambassador, a fashion design studio assistant, and a sales associate at Lily Rain.
Jacobs, from Holliston, MA, majored in athletic training. He volunteered with Campus Ministry, the New York Marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon, the WWCGP Cycling Classic, National Athletic Trainers Association District 2 and the Student Leadership Committee and served as president of the Marian Hall Resident Student Council. His paid work experience includes clinical internships at five schools/organizations in the Hudson Valley and serving as a Marist tour guide and admission greeter as well as a Marist peer student tutor.
Nominations for the award can be made by employees of Marist who are also graduates of the College.
Alumni Leadership Award recipients over the past five years:
2016 — Janie Pierson & Nicholas Bayer
2017 — Irene Elias & Nicholas Marengo
2018 — Brooke DiPalma & Alec Lee
2019 — Lauren Vecchio & Matthew Marotti
2020 — Jillian Kaczmarek & Spencer Hogan