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Described as “someone who sees opportunities where others see problems,” Gabie Cypher ’16 will give the senior class address at Carthage’s 2016 Commencement ceremony.

She received the Distinguished Senior Award at the Celebration of Scholars award ceremony Friday, April 29. A group of faculty members and staff from the Office of Student Life chose the winner from a pool of 29 nominated finalists.

Gabie Cypher ?16, left, reacts while being announced as winner of the Distinguished Senior Award ... Gabie Cypher ’16, left, reacts while being announced as winner of the Distinguished Senior Award on April 29, 2016.The award honors high academic achievement, service to the Carthage community, leadership in student organizations, and active engagement beyond the campus.

Gabie, who made the dean’s list all four years, will graduate with majors in management and social work. Faculty members report that she’s equally adept in both fields.

“They say that she has the perfect personality for advocacy — ‘She can get people to do almost anything,’ is how they put it — and she has the disposition and understanding for running a business successfully,” President Gregory S. Woodward said in his introductory remarks.

Honored in 2015 as the Female Leader of the Year, Gabie’s passions are reflected in the activities she led on campus.

She served as president of the Social Work Advocacy Group and Phi Alpha social work honors fraternity and worked as a writing fellow in the Brainard Writing Center. But much of her advocacy has centered on cancer.

Gabie served as Colleges Against Cancer chapter president and helped to honor cancer survivors through Relay for Life. In addition, she had internships with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, and the United Hospital System’s cancer center.

Both of her senior theses focused on pediatric cancer patients. One of those, a case study of a young patient who suffered bullying because of the illness, led to a presentation at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in April.

Younger sister Gianna Spittel, who has lived with a brain tumor for much of her life, inspires her efforts. To cover a portion of the family’s medical bills, Gabie started a bracelet-selling business that has raised more than $3,500.

She plans to attend graduate school for medical social work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with the ultimate goal to open a nonprofit organization benefiting children with cancer and their families.

Commencement is scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday, May 22, in the N. E. Tarble Athletic and Recreation Center Fieldhouse. The Office of Institutional Advancement distributes five Commencement tickets to each graduating student, and they may not be sold.

For guests who cannot attend the ceremony in person, it will be streamed live online beginning at 10:30 a.m. Find links at live.carthage.edu.