North Branford Woman Honored With Southern CT State University Henry Barnard Distinguished Student Award

NORTH BRANFORD, CT — Four soon-to-be Southern Connecticut State University graduates have earned this year’s Henry Barnard Distinguished Student Award. The honor recognizes their "dedication to community service,
academic excellence, and campus involvement."

And a North Branford woman is one of those students.

Each year, 12 seniors are chosen by the four Connecticut State Universities – four each from Southern and Central, and two each from Eastern and Western.

The Barnard Award is considered among the university’s most prestigious student awards, with criteria including a 3.7 GPA or better and significant participation in university and/or community life.

Stephanie Allis of North Branford is a first-generation college student and single mother of six children with a deep commitment to service. She has experienced both foster care and foster parenting.

She began her college education later than many of her peers, balancing coursework alongside parenting, employment, and caregiving responsibilities.

"My path to higher education has been anything but
linear," she said.

Allis transferred to Southern in 2023 to pursue a double major in social work and sociology, with a concentration in criminology and criminal justice. Shortly after transferring, she experienced several personal setbacks, including family losses and serious health issues, but she navigated
those challenges and continued to succeed.

Academically, she has excelled, earning a place on the Dean’s List and President’s List and receiving awards for academic distinction. Her work experience and community activities share a common thread of engagement with and service to others.

At Southern, Allis’ campus activities have also centered around supporting others, such as helping with a food drive, a peer support group, and a community need project with the New
Haven Pride Center.

"In my experience, her work at the undergraduate level is of a higher quality than most graduate students I have had over 30 years of teaching," wrote Social Work Professor Stephen Monroe Tomczak of Allis.

"She has an unusual dedication and commitment to the values and ethics of the profession. . . . by ‘walking the walk’ through community involvement," Tomczak said.

After graduating, Allis plans to enroll in a master’s program in social work and a Juris Doctor program in family law. Her ultimate goal is to become an advocate for foster children in
Connecticut.

"I am driven by a desire to ensure that vulnerable populations are not only protected, but heard, respected, and supported with dignity," Allis said.