Batavia, NY (05/21/2026) — Genesee Community College is proud to announce that Hina Nakatina and Wyatt Parker have each received the prestigious 2026 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence (CASE), the highest honor bestowed upon SUNY students who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, leadership and community engagement.
Hina Nakatani embodies SUNY’s qualities through academic excellence, leadership, service, and creativity. She earned a 4.0 GPA while completing two majors, theater arts and general studies, two micro-credentials, and membership in the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Committed to growth, she proactively sought additional support to strengthen her English skills. Hina shows leadership as a resident assistant, GCC Dance Team member, and two-year International Student Organization (ISO) club officer, managing meetings, social media, and outreach. She volunteered with admissions as a translator during a recruiting event in Japan. Her contributions also include work in the Student Success Center, providing peer support, participating in performances and dance, and designing promotional materials for ISO.
Wyatt Parker, a Native American student of Mohawk (Akwesasne) and Tonawanda Seneca lineage, has overcome personal and systemic barriers to excel at SUNY Genesee Community College. He will graduate with a degree in individualized studies focused on math and science, a micro-credential in engineering blueprint reading, and professional certificates in industrial electronics and industrial control systems. As president of the Native American Student Group and a work-study leader in Admissions, he earned the 2025 Student Employee of the Year Award and mentors underserved students through the Educational Opportunity Program and the Adult Educational Opportunity Center, exemplifying resilience, inclusive leadership, and service across campus and surrounding communities.
“Hina and Wyatt represent the very best of Genesee Community College,” said Dr. Craig Lamb, president of GCC. “Their dedication to academics, leadership and community service exemplifies the qualities we strive to cultivate in our students. We are incredibly proud of their accomplishments and look forward to seeing all they will achieve in the future.”
This year, 205 students from all 64 SUNY campuses were recognized with the Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence. Recipients were honored at a special celebration where SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. commended them for their work ethic, determination and leadership.
“SUNY students are New York’s future, and the outstanding individuals I am proud to recognize with the Chancellor’s Awards for Student Excellence embody the very best of our state university system,” said SUNY Chancellor King.
“The students who have earned this recognition have inspired their classmates, their educators, their campuses and me with their inspiring work, tenacious drive, and dedication to their academic success. I commend each of the awardees and thank them for being examples for others to follow.”
Each SUNY campus may nominate two to 15 students annually for the CASE award, based on student body size. The honorees reflect a wide range of backgrounds and interests, from student government leaders and athletes to advocates, artists, and first-generation college students.
For more information contact Vice President, Development, Admissions and External Affairs Justin Johnston at (585) 343-0055 Ext. 6116, or via email: marcom@genesee.edu.
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