UMES' Kristina Frahm named 2011 Bernstein Achievement Award winner

Senior Kristina Frahm was awarded the Richard Bernstein Achievement Award for Excellence April 7th during the University of Maryland Eastern Shore's 58th annual Honors Convocation ceremony.

Frahm, the daughter of Paul and the late Carrie Frahm of Oswego, Ill., received the $5,000 cash award named for and established by the local philanthropist and businessman credited with bringing the world of high technology to Maryland's Eastern Shore.

This year's recipient is worthy on many levels. Frahm has "triumphed over adversity and maintained a record of achievement rivaling any I have encountered in my career," said Dr. Kate Brown, chair of the Department of Business, Management and Accounting.

Frahm, an accounting major, is an exceptional student athlete, Brown said. She achieved a 3.95 GPA while also serving as captain of UMES' NCAA Division I women's bowling team.

Frahm said receiving the award was a great honor. "I've worked so hard the four years I've been here (at the university)," she said. "I know that my mother would be proud of me. She was in accounting, too."

Frahm began her bowling career at UMES as National Rookie of the Year for 2007-08 and went on to become a three-time NCAA All-American. She was named MEAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player and lead the team to an NCAA Division I National Championship, both in 2008. The team recently claimed the 2011 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championship and received a bid to the NCAA Championship April 14-16 in Michigan.

As to her success as a student athlete, Frahm lists time management as a key element — using all available. "I do homework on the road and on airplanes and spend a lot of late nights studying," she said. "For earning my degree, it's worth it and I love the sport of bowling."

Frahm has been named to the dean's list during each semester of her academic career. She is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi and Sigma Beta Delta honor societies and is a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success. She was also a member of the Department of Business Federal Reserve Challenge Team in 2009.

In the community, Frahm has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, Relay for Life and helps her fellow accounting students on a regular basis, Brown said.

Frahm accomplished all of this while also dealing emotionally with the death of her mother when she was a sophomore. According to Brown, "she coped with this deep loss with grace and poise, never asking for special consideration or an easy path. She is truly inspirational and deserving of the highest achievement award at UMES."

The Bernstein award is an unrestricted gift, awarded to a UMES senior graduating in business, accounting, science, engineering, construction management technology, and mathematics or computer science.

The recipient must demonstrate leadership abilities at school or in the community, effectiveness on an interpersonal basis, a high degree of integrity, the ability to work with others, outstanding performance in academic work, the potential for continued scholarly work and evidence of overcoming physical or personal obstacles to earn a degree.