The College of Liberal and Professional Studies is thrilled to congratulate Cindy Srnka and Desra Arriyadi on being named Dean's Scholars by Penn Arts and Sciences. This distinction is presented annually to students who exhibit exceptional academic performance and intellectual promise. The honorees will be recognized at the Stephen A. Levin Family Dean’s Forum on April 8.
Undergraduate programs
Cindy Srnka is a Bread Upon the Waters scholarship recipient, who completed an Individualized Studies major with a concentration in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures and Art History. She has been involved with the Penn Museum since her first semester, contributing to archaeological projects and working as a field team member for the Bat Archaeological Project in Oman, and the Lagash Archaeological Project in Iraq. Cindy was one of three students selected by the Student Exhibition Program to work closely with Sarah Linn and Anne Tiballi from Academic Engagement, curatorial adviser Douglas Smit, and the Exhibitions team to create an exhibition focusing on the 50th anniversary of the 1972 United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Convention, “Heritage in Our Hands: UNESCO 50 Years Later,” at the Penn Museum in 2022. Read more in Meet one of the curators of Penn Museum’s upcoming exhibition—a Penn LPS junior.
Professional master’s programs
Desra Arriyadi is pursuing a Master of Environmental Studies with a concentration in Resource Management, funded by the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education scholarship. His research focuses on forest and peatland ecosystems, with an emphasis on carbon and hydrological cycles, reducing deforestation and peatland degradation, and community-driven conservation strategies. He has interned with the UNFCCC, where he contributed research to a COP29 session related to deforestation in developing countries. Desra has also presented his research at the International Peatland Congress 2024 in China, where he was recognized with the Best Student Oral Presentation Award.
Read more about the 2025 School of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Scholars >
