Ellen Farrelly ’20 Receives Joseph J. Gunn ’30 Alumni Medal

The Gunn Medal is one of Manhattan’s highest undergraduate honors.

Ellen Farrelly smiling in Manhattan College's bookstore holding a teddy bear dressed in a graduation gown.Ellen Farrelly ’20 has been awarded Manhattan College’s Joseph J. Gunn ’30 Alumni Medal, the College announced today. Bestowed on a graduating senior who personifies Manhattan’s Lasallian mission through significant contributions to the College, the Gunn Medal is recognized as one of the College’s highest undergraduate honors.

Graduating with a degree in chemical engineering and minors in environmental engineering and theater, Farrelly was named to the dean’s list every semester of her college career. In 2018, she participated in the Jasper Summer Research Scholars Program, through which she worked on a National Institutes of Health-funded project with Bryan Wilkins, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry. She is a member of several engineering societies including the New York Water Environment Association (NYWEA) and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). She has been inducted into Manhattan’s college-wide honor society, Epsilon Sigma Pi, as well as national engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi, for which she served as chapter vice president for the 2019-20 academic year.
 
An Irish dancer, singer and musician, Farrelly has been a member of several performing arts groups on campus, including the Manhattan College Singers, Players and Music Ministry. A co-founder of the Jasper Irish dance team, she was a keyboardist for the Pep Band and served as its president during her senior year.
 
“We have been so lucky to have a student as passionate about Manhattan College as Ellen on campus,” said John Bennett, executive director of Student Engagement. Praising her many contributions to student life, he noted that “on any given evening on the Pep Band, Ellen can be seen energizing both the crowd and her peers, assisting band members with their equipment and personal development. Ellen has been an absolute pleasure to have on campus.”
  
Hailing from Yonkers, New York, Farrelly was a regular supporter of the College-sponsored community event Safe Halloween. She served as a Student Government – Alumni Society representative and worked as a liaison between both bodies. She has been an active participant in the College’s Kairos retreat program and Lasallian Outreach Volunteer Experience (LOVE) social justice immersion program.
 
During a LOVE trip to Israel and Palestine in March 2018, Farrelly learned about the drinking and irrigation water needs of Palestinian farmers, an experience that influenced her decision to pursue environmental engineering with the hope of increasing water quality locally and globally for underserved populations. She recently returned to campus to collect gloves and masks from several labs for donation to nearby medical facilities. 
 
The award will be presented at the class of 2020 Spring Honors Convocation, which will be held at a future date.
By Cecilia Donohoe