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Eden Gardner stands with Chancellor John King and ESF's Mark Lichtenstein
SUNY Honors ESF Students with Chancellor’s Awards
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – May 1, 2025 – Two SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) students received the 2025 Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence, the highest honor bestowed upon a graduating student by SUNY.
Abhinaya “Abhi” Polaka and Eden Gardner were honored for demonstrating the integration
of academic excellence with other aspects of their lives. They were honored April
29 during a ceremony at the Albany Capital Center.
“Abhi and Eden embody the spirit of ESF through their academic excellence, leadership, and environmental stewardship,” said ESF President Joanie Mahoney. “They have been an inspiration to the ESF community, and we look forward to following their future successes.”
Polaka, an environmental science major from Proddatur, India, maintained a 3.789 cumulative GPA at ESF. She has been a member of the ESF Honors Program since 2022, achieving Dean’s List honors from her freshman through junior years. She received President’s List recognition in her senior year when she completed her undergraduate honors thesis.
She held an internship as a research scholar at West Virginia University for Mid-Atlantic Sustainable Biomass Consortium (MASBIO) and presented her research in a poster at a MASBIO conference, winning first place. Polaka also served as a teaching assistant for the Environmental Science Seminar class.
A December 2024 graduate, Polaka served as the student commencement speaker. She was a resident advisor in Centennial Hall and held several leadership positions in student organizations including the International Student Organization (vice president), Desi Club (vice president), Engineers Without Borders (project lead), Oakie’s Green Team (president and founding member), and Solar Decathlon Club (treasurer).
Polaka shared her love of ESF as a Student Ambassador in the Office of Admissions and served as an International Student Orientation Leader to acclimate new international students to life at ESF.
Gardner is an environmental studies major with a 3.88 cumulative GPA from Queens, N.Y. He has been active in student governance at ESF, SUNY, and Syracuse University serving as president of ESF’s Mighty Oaks Student Assembly, Assembly Director of Sustainability for the SUNY Student Assembly, founder and president of the ESF Pre-Law Society, and as the chair of Community Engagement for the SU Student Association.
He is a student project coordinator in the Office of Sustainability and sits on the SUNY Sustainability Advisory Council. In these roles, Gardner helped develop ESF and SUNY’s Sustainability and Climate Action plans.
Gardner received the Spirit of SUNY Student Assembly award in December 2024. The award honors students who demonstrate exceptional contributions and dedication to the SUNY Student Assembly and the broader SUNY community. Gardner championed bringing the ESF student perspective to SU having served as a past chair of Community Engagement in the Syracuse Student Assembly from spring 2023 to May 2024.
Eden is a two-time recipient of the Arthur Savage Scholarship in Environmental Law at ESF, has been named to the Dean’s List during all four years at ESF, and is a member of the Alpha Xi Sigma Honor Society. After graduation, Gardner plans to work in the sustainability field before becoming an environmental lawyer.
About SUNY ESF
The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is dedicated to the study of the environment, developing renewable technologies, and building a sustainable and resilient future through design, policy, and management of the environment and natural resources. Members of the College community share a passion for protecting the health of the planet and a deep commitment to the rigorous application of science to improve the way humans interact with the world. The College offers academic programs ranging from the associate of applied science to the Doctor of Philosophy. ESF students live, study and do research on the main campus in Syracuse, N.Y., and on 25,000 acres of field stations in a variety of ecosystems across the state.