College Honors Three with Distinguished Alumni Awards

The Distinguished Alumni Award of Tompkins Cortland Community College was presented to three alums at the College’s commencement ceremony on May 24, 2022. 

The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes alums who have excelled in their professional life and in service to the community. After nominations from the community, a committee selects worthy recipients to honor.

Giovanni Barnes was a student at the College through 2018, and remains connected to the college through a scholarship created in honor of her cousin. She studied communications and has put her skills to use by providing a voice to promote healing and wellness in her community. During times of crisis in her community, Barnes coordinates events of healing where people can come out and share their feelings. She spearheads Youth Connection, a support group for siblings, cousins, and friends who have lost a loved one due to gun violence and COVID-19.

Provost Paul Reifenheiser and Distinguished Alumni Giovanni Barnes

Tabitha Scoville is a member of the class of 2009 and received her bachelor’s degree from Binghamton University in 2011. She has worked at the Cortland County Historical Society for nearly a decade, serving as the Executive director for the last three years. Scoville was nominated for the award by four different people, who all cited her devotion to the study of and the preservation of history. According to her nominators, she has not only led the Historical Society through the challenging pandemic, but taken it to new heights, in large part due to her skillful balancing of competing priorities and her knack for building consensus.

Provost Paul Reifenheiser and Distinguished Alumni Tabitha Scoville

Kaitlin Tagliaferri graduated with a degree in broadcast production in 2017. She earned her bachelors from SUNY Oswego in 2019 and her masters from Excelsior College in 2021. She is currently the Media and Design Specialist at Raymond Corporation in Greene, New York. Her nominators called her a positive light in the company who is always looking for more ways to improve processes and grow professionally. In the community Tagliaferri has volunteered as a Board Member for The Tina Fund, a nonprofit organization providing grants to help with the costs facing people with breast cancer. 

Provost Paul Reifenheiser and Distinguished Alumni Kaitlin Tagliaferri