After winning at the regional level in February for her work on the SSU production of Bad Penny, Delcayre attended the national Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in Washington D.C. last week as one of eight regional winners from across the country.

The festival involves 18,000 students from colleges and universities nationwide, which has served as a catalyst in improving the quality of college theater in the United States.

In addition to workshops, the festival gave Delcayre the opportunity to meet literary managers and artistic directors from major east coast theaters.

After a week of what she calls an "invaluable learning experience," Delcayre was awarded the national title for student dramaturgy and, as the national winner, she will be attending the renowned O'Neill Playwrights Conference as a dramaturgy fellow this summer in Connecticut.

The O'Neill Playwrights Conference is an annual gathering that strives to create a supportive environment for new playwrights. Since its inception, the conference has developed more than 600 plays. Delcayre will now be a part of this legacy.

"For the most part I will be working with the dramaturg on one or more of this year's selected plays," Delcayre said. She will be working on entirely new productions.

"My favorite part about dramaturgy for new plays is that you get to participate in the development process of work that might continue to be produced for years to come," she said. "I think one of the great things about theatre is its ability to change and evolve over time and I want to be a part of that constant process of discovery."

During her time at Sonoma State, Delcayre dramaturged three productions at SSU, the most recent being Dylan Waite's new play, The Seance. She has also been in some of the Fall/Spring dance shows, served as treasurer for the Stage One (the theatre club on campus) and publicity chair of management club.

Describing herself as enthusiastic and driven, Delcayre is passionate about her work in theatre. In her fifth year at SSU, she is set to graduate in May with two degrees, a B.A. in Theatre Studies and a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in management.

Looking forward to the future, her summer as a dramaturgy fellow is only the beginning.

"My passion is in the development and advocacy of new work in theatre," she said. "I would love to have a position as literary manager or resident dramaturg, but I also have aspirations to be the artistic director of my own company."

This year's Upward Bound seniors worked hard all four years of high school to reach their goals. Students are required to maintain a 3.0 GPA, encouraged to take advanced placement and honors classes, perform community service, and serve as leaders in their school. Using program funds, they have visited more than 30 college campuses in California, Oregon, and Nevada, helping students to make a good decision about what college is right for them. Of the 21 seniors, 18 were accepted to 4-year universities, and all will attend in the fall. The other 3 will attend community colleges or an art institute.

Upward Bound seniors are attending UC Davis, UC Berkeley, UC Merced, University of Hawaii, Cal Lutheran, University of Redlands, Humboldt State, CSU Sacramento, Cal State LA, CSU Eastbay, San Francisco State, CSU Monterey Bay, Cal Maritime, Art Institute of Sacramento, as well as several community colleges.

These students were also awarded more than $500,000 in scholarships, grants, and financial aid awards. "Their success would not be possible without the support they receive from the teachers and staff at Lower Lake High School, as well as the Upward Bound program," says Shannon Smith, director of Upward Bound Lake Programs. The program will continue to serve younger generations Lower Lake and Upper Lake High School students and is currently funded through 2018.

For more information about the program, go to http://www.sonoma.edu/trio/ubl/.

The day historically draws more than 10,000 people to the Commencement Lawn, and will be held rain or shine.

The ceremony can be viewed live online by following a link available on Saturday on SSU's homepage.

Alison Levine serves as an adjunct professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership. She is also an advisor to the Thayer Leader Development Group at West Point and serves on the board of the Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics at Duke University.

She is also the founder of the Climb High Foundation, which trains jobless women in western Uganda to work as trekking guides in the Rwenzori Mountains.

A public art exhibit in various locations on the campus is titled COMMENCE: 2013 and features work by SSU art students. Materials range from plaster, wood, steel, clay, and rope to found objects and glass.

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For more information, visit the commencement website at www.sonoma.edu/uaffairs/commencement/.

Join Us Making Progress (JUMP), the community service organization at Sonoma State University, connects students with various volunteer opportunities in the local community.

One program takes place entirely on campus and makes a significant difference to the homeless population in Santa Rosa.

The Saint Vincent de Paul Dining Room serves about 250 meals per day. The SOUP-ER program, in partnership with Dining Services, contributes to these meals.

For more information, visit www.sonoma.edu/as/jump

Gary Heck, owner and president of Korbel Champagne Cellars and Kenwood Vineyards, became an honorary inductee of the Sonoma State University chapter of the Beta Gamma Sigma business honor society last month.

Heck joined students who were inducted into the society at the ceremony to celebrate the group's admission to the prestigious group. The Sonoma State School of Business and Economics cited Heck's role in the formation of the school's Wine Business Institute as reason for his selection.

"I am honored to be chosen as an honorary inductee. I wanted to create a place for the next generation of wine industry families to study the best practices of the wine business," says Heck.

Founded in 1995, the Wine Institute operates in close partnership with the wine industry and now offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs. The institute also offers a number of certificate programs and short courses for current and aspiring professionals in the industry.

(left to right) SSU Provost Andrew Rogerson, Gary Heck and William Silver, dean of the School of Business and Economics.