Isabella Zima Awarded Catherine McAuley Award and Named President's Scholar
Isabella Zima '26 was awarded the Catherine McAuley Award and President's Scholar Award at this year's Commencement.
Catherine McAuley Award
To encourage the spirit of Mercy, Gwynedd Mercy University awards one graduate each year the distinguished Catherine McAuley Award in recognition of the student’s spirit of service, dedication to Mercy values and generosity in contributing to the good of others.
Isabella Zima’s commitment to making a difference has informed her entire college journey. During her fieldwork at the Disabilities Ministry Adaptive Sports Program at Crossroads Presbyterian Church, she helped children perform adaptive sporting activities. During a service trip to Kenya this summer with the GMercyU Occupational Therapy team, she will provide training and support to the staff at homes for orphans. Isabella also has served as a peer mentor with the Integrated Studies program.
As President of Sigma Phi Sigma, the Mercy Honor Society, she hosted an academic event titled “A Panel Discussion: From Incarceration to Reintegration,” on the challenges incarcerated individuals face when reentering society; led a service initiative to make Easter baskets for Montgomery County’s Homeless Outreach Center; and assisted with GMercyU’s annual Thanksgiving food drive and the Christmas gift collection.
In her role as Community Service Chair for the Student Occupational Therapy Association, she organized a drive for coloring books and adaptive coloring tools for the Ronald McDonald House, in collaboration with GMercyU’s Residence Hall Association.
Isabella served as Treasurer of the Voices of Gwynedd, and has been involved with the Mercy Center for Service, Spirituality and Justice since the beginning of her first year, notably attending a session with Archbishop Perez and students from other Catholic universities in the archdiocese. Isabella’s numerous academic achievements include graduating with Honors Program Distinction and earning Dean’s List recognition every semester, completing research, and being inducted into the Alpha Lambda Delta, Sigma Phi Sigma, Psi Chi honor societies, as well as the National Society of Leadership and Success, and the Alpha Eta Honor Society for the allied health professions.
Beyond GMercyU, Isabella is an active member of her church, volunteering as an assistant First Holy Communion teacher, leading a young adult group, and organizing church events.
President's Scholar Award
The Presidential medal is awarded to a full-time undergraduate whose academic record is superior, and who participates in and contributes to the University community. The choice of the recipient for the President’s Scholar Award is reserved for the President of the University.
During her time at GMercyU, Isabella Zima excelled both in and out of the classroom, earning Dean’s List recognition every semester.
Isabella completed Level I fieldwork at the Disabilities Ministry Adaptive Sports Program at Crossroads Presbyterian Church, where she engaged in various adaptive sporting activities, working closely with children and their families to enhance participation. She will complete another Level I rotation during a service trip to Kenya this summer, where the GMercyU Occupational Therapy team will provide training and support to the staff at homes for orphans. She’ll complete an additional Level I rotation this fall before beginning her full-time Level II fieldwork rotations in 2027.
Isabella has twice completed research at GMercyU, first in 2023 with a paper on how basketball's popularity in China has resulted in billions of dollars for the NBA while silencing NBA employees from speaking out against human rights abuses, especially those against the Uyghur minority and Hong Kong protestors. At the 2026 Undergraduate Research Conference, she presented the findings from a scoping review on the psychometric properties of developmental screening tools used for children in African settings, and the need for culturally relevant and low-cost tools.
Isabella was inducted into numerous honor societies: Alpha Lambda Delta; Sigma Phi Sigma; Psi Chi; the National Society of Leadership and Success; and perhaps most notably, the Alpha Eta Honor Society for the allied health professions, just one of two students in her program invited to join. She also received scholarship from the Catholic Philopatrian Scholarship Foundation for commitment to her Catholic Faith, as well as GMercyU’s Honors Program Scholarship.
Isabella will return to GMercyU in summer 2026 to complete her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy degree with an anticipated graduation date of May 2027.