Two Alfred University seniors are recipients of the 2025 State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence. Emily Woo and Roque Santiago were among students from 64 SUNY campuses to receive the award from Chancellor John B. King Jr. during an April 29 ceremony in Albany.
The SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence acknowledges students for outstanding achievements that have demonstrated 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. It is the highest honor bestowed upon a student by SUNY.
Woo is a senior Bachelor of Fine Arts candidate in the School of Art & Design, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. “Emily is an extraordinary student whose academic excellence, artistic innovation, and service to the campus community embody the highest ideals of SUNY's commitment to student achievement,” said Lauren Lake, dean of the School of Art & Design + Performing Art Division, in nominating Woo for the honor
An accomplished ceramic sculptor, Woo’s creative and research practice explores the Asian American experience through ceramics, neon, and wood, has earned her widespread recognition. In 2024, she held her first solo exhibition, “Yellow Peril,” at the Robert C. Turner Gallery and showcased her work at Alma’s Gallery in Richmond, VA, during the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) convention. Her artistic voice is further amplified through her exploration of multicultural identity, blending Chinese and American elements in ways that challenge and inspire audiences.
Woo has maintained an impressive 3.93 GPA while earning 13 awards for excellence in scholarship and creative research. These include accolades from the Women’s Leadership Fund, Peters Valley School of Craft, and Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts. Additionally, she curated a group exhibition spotlighting women of color artists and participated in the prestigious Color Network Mentorship Residency in 2024. She currently serves as a curatorial assistant at the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum.
She was the recipient of the 2022 Alpha Kappa Omicron Achievement Award, given each year to a sophomore woman who has demonstrated excellence in personal academic leadership and honors the high standards of scholastic performance.
In 2020, Woo founded “Bowls for the Heart,” a charitable initiative partnering with Heart of Dinner to provide handmade bowls to the Asian elderly community of New York City. She has single-handedly produced over 200 bowls: half were gifted to the elderly, and half were sold to raise funds to provide the elderly with groceries and meals.
Santiago has been on the Dean’s List every semester at Alfred, maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA while taking a challenging course load as a materials science and engineering and physics double major. “Roque Santiago represents everything we hope to achieve in preparing ‘T-shaped’ engineering students that have phenomenal technical depth but also incredible breadth of skillsets in other disciplines,” Gabrielle Gaustad ’04, dean of the Inamori School of Engineering at Alfred University and vice president for Statutory Affairs, commented in her nomination of Santiago for the award.
A linebacker on the Alfred University football team, Santiago was recognized as a Saxon Scholar Athlete and Empire 8 Conference President’s List honoree every semester for his combined academic and athletic endeavors. Santiago is also a leader off the field. He currently serves as President of Alfred University’s Tau Beta Pi engineering honors fraternity and also serves on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Santiago has completed two demanding research projects – one in summer of 2023 working on ceramic powder processing lab work. This research assistant position included running a wide variety of characterization and analytical equipment to measure thermal, dielectric, and mechanical properties. He also performed fractography and microscopy work as well as mechanical testing to characterize ultra-high temperature ceramic materials like SiC and carbon/carbon composites.
Currently, Santiago is working on a project with Blue Star Advanced Manufacturing as a part of Alfred University’s Space Materials Institute. This work involves microwave sintering of lunar regolith simulants (artificial moon dirt) for lunar construction applications. The project collaborates with NASA’s MMPACT team on current MoonShot goals. He is working on process optimization by analyzing the thermal and dielectric properties of lunar simulants.
Santiago has volunteered extensively with recruiting and outreach events including the university’s annual Night of Art and Science which brings more than 400 elementary and middle school students to campus. A participant in the Honors Program, he has served as a significant mentor to underclassmen, and has tutored undergraduate students.