Nine students and recent graduates representing Cornell’s four contract colleges have been chosen to receive the 2026 State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence.

The highest student honor conferred by SUNY, the award recognizes exceptional achievement in areas such as academics, leadership, campus involvement, community service, the arts, and diversity, equity, inclusion and justice. A systemwide recognition ceremony for awardees was held at the end of April at the Albany Capital Center.

Francesca Buchalski, D.V.M. ’26 (CVM), of Allentown, New Jersey, is an equestrian who competes in dressage and eventing and has distinguished herself in equine medicine. A recipient of numerous scholarships, including the Coyote Rock Ranch Scholarship and the Dean Warnick Scholarship, she has contributed to equine research projects and published in academic journals. Buchalski organized more than 20 lectures and eight hands-on laboratories featuring faculty and visiting equine professionals as president of the Cornell chapter of the American Association of Equine Practitioners. Outside the classroom, she volunteered at a local alpaca breeding facility, served as a course assistant and peer coach, and helped revive the veterinary college’s Ultrasounds a cappella group. Ranked second in her class of 121, Buchalski graduates with distinction and membership in the Phi Zeta honor society. She plans to pursue an equine internship and a career in ambulatory equine medicine.

Viviana Maymí, Ph.D. ’24, D.V.M. ’26 (CVM), of Tampa, Florida, completed the doctoral portion of her combined D.V.M./ Ph.D. program in the Rudd Lab, investigating how disease-fighting immune cells develop and lose effectiveness over time. She published this research in six peer-reviewed articles and will graduate in the top ten percent of her D.V.M. class. Maymí has served on several CVM committees and as a student representative to the Council on Education during a review of Cornell’s veterinary program. Committed to mentoring students underrepresented in the sciences, she has also held leadership roles in the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science and helped organize youth science outreach through Expanding Your Horizons and Fall into Science. She traveled to Guatemala with FARVets to support animal sterilization and education initiatives and volunteers with the Pet Loss Support Hotline, providing grief support to pet owners.

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