During Homecoming Weekend, Gettysburg College recognized the 2020 and 2021 Young Alumni Achievement Award recipients—Walter Kowtoniuk ’05, Allison Meckley ’05, Kellen Dwyer ’06, Monique Matthews Gore ’06, Moira Rafferty Sharkey ’07, Justin Kollinger ’10, Sneha Shrestha ’10, and Craig Martin ’11.
Congratulations! Read about each of their honors below.
2020 Young Alumni Achievement Award for Service
Allison Meckley ’05 and Justin Kollinger ’10 received the 2020 Young Alumni Achievement Award for Service.
Meckley earned a degree in psychology from Gettysburg and received her master’s in organizational management from Farleigh Dickinson. She served eight years on the Alumni Board of Directors, working on the awards and administration committee and development committee. She supported current students through Gettysburg’s Career Connections program and ConnectGettysburg platform. Meckley also helped create the BOLD Council by serving on its precursor, the Young Alumni Committee.
Kollinger majored in political science and international affairs at Gettysburg prior to earning a Master of Arts in communication, culture, and technology from Georgetown University. He works as a risk management consultant for United Educators in the Washington, D.C., area. Kollinger served as co-chair of the Washington, D.C., Alumni Club, which won the Bob Smith Alumni Club of the Year in 2016 under his leadership. He served three years on the BOLD Council, working on its development committee.
2020 Young Alumni Achievement Award for Career Development
Walter Kowtoniuk ’05 and Sneha Shrestha ’10 received the 2020 Young Alumni Achievement Award for Career Development.
Kowtoniuk graduated from Gettysburg with degrees in biochemistry-molecular biology and philosophy and earned his doctorate in chemistry and chemical biology from Harvard University. He started as a consultant at Clarion Healthcare before serving as a senior associate at Third Rock Ventures. He then launched Fulcrum Therapeutics and has since returned to Third Rock as a principal and board advisor, where he supports the development of companies aimed at treating genetic diseases. He has given back to the Gettysburg community by mentoring through the Young Alumni Leadership Program.
Shrestha, a Nepal native, majored in studio art and globalization studies at Gettysburg. She worked with Artists for Humanity following graduation and moved back to Nepal to serve as the executive director of the Children’s Art Museum of Nepal. She returned to get her master’s in education from Harvard University. Shrestha’s work as a street artist, combining American graffiti and Nepali Alphabets led her to become an artist-in-residence at the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Project Zero. She has been commissioned to do work for brands such as Red Bull and Reebok, and her art has been featured in exhibits around the world.
2021 Young Alumni Achievement Award for Service
Moira Rafferty Sharkey ’07 and Craig Martin ’11 received the 2021 Young Alumni Achievement Award for Service.
Sharkey came to Gettysburg from Denver, Colorado, due in part to a connection with Bill McEwan ’65. She graduated with a bachelor’s in history, and has volunteered as a K.A.R.E. representative, class agent, and an inaugural member of the BOLD Council. She served as a member, and later president of the Boston Alumni Club. She has co-chaired two reunions and hosted a Send-Off in Boston. Sharkey currently lives in Medway, Massachusetts, with her husband and three children. She works in educational philanthropy and remains dedicated to the Gettysburg community.
Martin, a management and economics major at Gettysburg, played on the lacrosse team all four years and served as president of the Interfraternity Council, as a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon. He joined the planning committee of the Baltimore Alumni Club following graduation and later served as chair. He served three years on the BOLD Council and later joined the Orange and Blue Advisory Council. He mentors current Gettysburg lacrosse players and students in the Garthwait Leadership Center, in addition to supporting the College annually. Martin lives in Lutherville, Maryland, with his wife, and works as the chief operating officer of Harbor Investment Advisory, LLC.
2021 Young Alumni Achievement Award for Career Development
Kellen Dwyer ’06 and Monique Matthews Gore ’06 received the 2021 Young Alumni Achievement Award for Career Development.
Dwyer graduated from Gettysburg with degrees in philosophy and political science as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his Juris Doctor from Yale Law School and served as managing editor of the “Yale Law & Policy Review.” He worked in the justice department, advancing to the role of deputy assistant attorney general in the national security division. There, he oversaw legal policy in cyber issues, including cryptocurrency, data breach notification, data protection laws, and end-to-end encryption. Dwyer currently serves as co-chair of the National Security & Digital Crimes practice at Alston & Bird LLP and works as an adjunct professor of law at George Mason Law School.
Gore majored in Africana studies and women’s studies at Gettysburg. She joined the Office of Campus Involvement at Rutgers University-Camden following graduation while earning her master’s in organization leadership at Cabrini University. She came back to Gettysburg in 2012 to work as the associate director of the Office of Student Activities and Greek Life, prior to becoming the director of programming and outreach for the Office of Multicultural Engagement (OME). Gore has created a brand identity and marketing strategy for the OME and developed programming for cultural competency and multicultural awareness. She now serves as the executive director of the OME, advancing an inclusive campus culture.
Learn more about alumni successes and the impact of an alumni network of 30,000 Gettysburgians.
By Phoebe Doscher ’22
Photo by Doug Huber
Posted: 10/11/21
