A Banner Year for Honors College Students

In April 2020, the Provost's office announced this year's student award winners, and the Honors College is proud to say that over 30 of its students were recognized, most of them graduating seniors. Domonique Palmer (Integrative Studies) and Matt Smith (Nursing) were the two undergraduate winners of the prestigious Glenn A. Niemeyer Award, which recognizes well-rounded students who demonstrate excellence in both the classroom and extra-curricular activities that enrich their lives and the lives of others. Jessica Fillmore (Marketing) was one of five seniors across the university receiving the Thomas M. Seykoya Award for Outstanding Contribution, given each year to those who make significant and outstanding contributions to the campus community.

Excellence-in-a-Discipline Awards

Each year, every department and program on campus names its single most outstanding student. Of the 88 undergraduate program awardees, 28 are Honors College students. And three of our students were so honored at the graduate level.

Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies

In Brooks College, Jarod Collier, a Computer Science major with a Mathematics minor, was named the outstanding student by the Frederik Meijer Honors College. In Honors, Jarod took the Alliance and Conflict first-year sequence with Professors Jeremiah Cataldo and Dwayne Tunstall, the "Live.Learn.Lead" class with Professor Jane Toot, the Human Body in Motion science sequence from Professor Brad Ambrose, Honors Microeconomics with Professor Aaron Lowen, and the Islamophobia junior seminar with Professor Coeli Fitzpatrick. In Fall 2019, Jarod completed his Honors Senior Project, in which he developed a computer game to improve memory, with Professor Ira Woodring of Computer Science. Jarod also served on the Honors mentor Council. Congratulations, Jarod!

College of Health Professions

Two Honors students from the College of Health Professions were honored as the outstanding students in their programs:

• Sydney Sass, Medical Laboratory Science
• Mary Hoeve, Speech-Language Pathology (M.S.)

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Eighteen Honors students were named by their CLAS department faculty as this year's "Excellence-in-a-Discipline Award" winners:

• Zoe Zaroff, Anthropology
• Alexander Phillips, Biomedical Sciences
• Kathryn Latack,  Biostatistics (M.S.)
• Alexis Ellis, Cell and Molecular Biology
• Andrew LaDuca, Chemistry
• Jenna Weatherwax, Classics
• Anisa Everett, English
• Eleanore Larson, Geology
• Julia Jesko, History
• Rachel Kalusniak, International Relations
• Faith Kuzma, Natural Resources Management
• Mallory Wietrzykowski, Philosophy
• Benjamin Brown, Physics
• Kasey Johns, Social Studies
• Julia Sutter, Sociology
• Stephanie Nauta, Spanish
• Monica Van Til, Statistics
• Annie Cunningham, Writing

We don't have photos of everyone, but here are many of the honorees:

Kirkhof College of Nursing

The undergraduate award from the College of Nursing belongs to Honors student Kayeleigh Eder.

Padnos College of Engineering and Computing

The College of Engineering named four Honors students as their outstanding students in a discipline:

• Reuben Nyenhuis, Computer Engineering
• Luke Bassett, Computer Science
• Nigel Armstrong, Electrical Engineering
• Annelise Trout, Information Technology

Seidman College of Business

Two Honors students from the College of Business have been named the outstanding students of their respective programs:

• Trevor McMahon, Entrepreneurship
• Joe VanArendonk, Human Resource Management