DeFreeuw, Riddick receive music awards at Bridgewater College

Christopher A. DeFreeuw and Cayla L. Riddick were recognized for excellence in the performing arts at Bridgewater College.

DeFreeuw was presented the Nelson T. Huffman Award for Musical Excellence. Selected by the music faculty, this award is given to seniors who have excelled both musically and academically. The award honors the late Nelson T. Huffman, longtime professor and chair of the department of music, and includes a cash prize and the winner’s name engraved on a plaque that hangs in the department of music.

DeFreeuw, a senior music major, is the son of Brian and Dona DeFreeuw of Suffolk, Va.

He was a member of the Concert Choir, the Chorale, the Symphonic Band and the Jazz Ensemble. He was a member of the College’s chapter of National Association for Music Educators. He was also a member of Lend-a-Paw, an advocacy and action-oriented organization that promotes awareness about animal health and well-being, and Relay for Life.

During the 2020 spring semester, DeFreeuw completed student teaching at Wilbur S. Pence Middle School in Dayton, Va., and assisted in the school’s performance of Shrek the Musical Jr.

Following graduation, DeFreeuw is looking to find a position as a band instructor in the public schools system.

Riddick, a junior music and mathematics double major, received the Stephen Tayman Memorial Music Scholarship for $900 for the 2020-21 academic year. Tayman, a member of the class of 1999, died while a student at Bridgewater College and the scholarship is given in his memory by his family.

Riddick’s guardian is Cathy Riddick of Chesapeake, Va. Her parents are Teresa Riddick and Kenneth Boone.

She is a member of the Philomathes Society, the College’s scholastic honor society. She was a member of the Concert Choir, the Chorale and the Oratorio Choir. She was also a member of the Symphonic Band, the Jazz Ensemble and the Flute Choir.

Riddick served as a math tutor and academic coach. She served as President of the In-Step Dance Club and was Vice President of the Creative Writing Club.

Bridgewater College is a private, four-year liberal arts college located in the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Founded in 1880, it was the state’s first private, coeducational college. Today, Bridgewater College is home to nearly 1,800 undergraduate students.