Gealina Dun, Top Senior at the University of Delaware

2012 May 10

Gealina Dun has been selected as the recipient of the Emalea Pusey Warner award as the outstanding woman of the University of Delaware's 2012 graduating class.

The awards are given annually by the UD Alumni Association to recognize the senior man and woman who most exemplify leadership, academic success and community service.

Dun, who is from Hockessin, Del., will graduate with an honor's bachelor of science degree in neuroscience with minors in Spanish and biomedical engineering and will attend medical school in the fall. Throughout her time at the University, Dun has demonstrated academic excellence, leadership and a dedication to serving her community. A dean's list student every semester, Dun maintained a GPA above 3.8 and also was awarded a Eugene du Pont Memorial Distinguished Scholarship. She earned the General Honors Award, which recognizes Honors coursework completed in the first two years. Dun is a Writing Fellow, Student Admissions Officer and a Blue Hen Ambassador. She also served as a New Student Orientation assistant for two summers and a Russell Fellow for which she was honored with the Woody Sprague Outstanding Russell Fellow Award in May 2011. Active within the Distinguished Scholars community, Dun has been instrumental in organizing monthly dinners with faculty and guest speakers. She has also served as a student coordinator for the Distinguished Scholars Selection Weekend assisting with the recruitment of some of the best and brightest newest Blue Hens. Dun has volunteered with A.I. duPont Hospital for Children and is currently working as an intern with Nemours Health and Prevention Services. Kristin Bennighoff, associate director in the Honors Program, said, "Gealina embodies the spirit of Mrs. Warner as a female leader within our educational community. Her dedication is unmatched by any other student I have known."

Emalea Pusey Warner (1853-1948) is best remembered on the University of Delaware campus as a champion of education. In 1911, she became chairperson of the State Federation of Women's Clubs' Committee on Education and worked diligently toward the specific goal of establishing a state-supported women's college. In 1914, she was appointed chairperson of the Advisory Council of the Women's College and later became the first woman member of the Delaware College Board of Trustees. Both Warner Hall on the UD campus and Warner Elementary School in Wilmington are named in her honor.