Two SUNY Canton Students Earn Chancellor's Awards

Canton, NY (04/12/2024) — The State University of New York has announced that two SUNY Canton students have been selected for the prestigious Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence.

Samuel Dieubeni T. Diffo, an international student from Yaounde, Cameroon, and Sebastien Paquette of Montreal, Quebec, were recognized during a SUNY-wide ceremony celebrating students held Thursday, April 11, in Albany.

Diffo studied in the Finance program in the School of Business and Liberal Arts.

"Samuel overcame a childhood of poverty in Yaounde, Cameroon," said SUNY Canton President Zvi Szafran. "His long journey to get here did nothing to diminish his determination or ambition and only fuels his potential for a bright future."

An entrepreneurial spirit drove Diffo to create a profitable perfume business in 2019. Through self-taught social media marketing, Diffo made Elpanda Perfumes a profitable enterprise that helped make his dream of an American college education possible.

At SUNY Canton, Diffo established a record of student leadership. He has served as a Resident Assistant, tutored his peers and served as an orientation leader. He was selected as a presidential intern in the college's Special Events Office and worked as a student assistant in the fitness center.

Staff members describe him as resourceful, focused, tenacious, and well-rounded.

Paquette majored in Civil and Environmental Engineering Technology, a premier program within the Canino School of Engineering Technology. He also played on the men's hockey team for four years.

"Sebastien exemplifies a well-rounded student," Szafran said. "He is academically engaged and successful. He flourishes in leadership roles in academics and athletics, and he seeks out opportunities to put his skills to work whenever he can."

He maintained near-perfect grades in his program and was recognized for achieving the highest GPA in his major for two years. He was inducted into the Tau Alpha Pi National Honor Society and served as its president.

As a student-athlete, Paquette was selected by his coaches and teammates as assistant captain in his junior year and captain in his senior year. He has sought out opportunities for the team to engage in community service, including mentoring local youth. He completed two internships with construction and paving businesses in Montreal. His supervisors praised him for his professionalism and the quality of his work.

Faculty members describe Paquette as diligent, inquisitive, hard-working, engaged, passionate, and resilient.

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