Awards recognize undergraduate students for academic achievement and personal triumph

Ten outstanding undergraduate students are recipients of College of Liberal Arts and Sciences student awards. The annual awards recognize student achievement, leadership and overcoming challenges.

Among this year’s recipients, students were singled out for their study of international conflict relations, educating people of the Philippines about HIV and AIDs, and advocating for students’ rights.

Mackenzie Hopman – Convocation Speaker

Mackenzie Hopman is a senior majoring in English literature and French. She has been involved with the Pat Tillman Leadership Through Action Program since her freshman year at ASU. Hopman ran the New York City Marathon on behalf of the Pat Tillman Foundation and raised $6,500.

As the Convocation Speaker, she represents the college's graduating class and will address her peers at the May 9 convocation. Hopman exemplifies the goals and achievements of a liberal arts and sciences education, at the moment and for the future.

Lisa Danley – Leadership Award and ASU Alumni Association Outstanding Graduate

Lisa Danley is a senior majoring in political science and the president of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences College Council. She also a member of Devil’s Advocates. Danley plans to attend law school concentrating in either government relations or international law in hope of influencing change. She is the recipient of two awards this year.

The Leadership Award is given to students who perform well academically while taking on leadership roles outside of the classroom to make significant social contributions.

The ASU Alumni Association Outstanding Graduate award recipient is nominated by individual colleges and is presented at the honors convocation.

Josie DeLisle – Student Achievement Award

Josie DeLisle is a senior majoring in molecular biosciences and biotechnology. She volunteered for two summers at a health department in the Philippines, giving lectures on HIV and AIDS. DeLisle hopes to attend medical school and study molecular biology, infectious diseases and public health.

The Student Achievement Award is presented to a student whose life and academic accomplishments are exemplary.

Farrah Secody – Jean Chaudhuri Memorial Scholarship Award

Farrah Secody is a senior majoring in American Indian studies. Raised in the Navajo Nation, Secody originally was a biology major. However, after taking an American Indian studies class, she reconnected with her culture and changed her major. Secody hopes to work with a tribe through the state department and eventually earn a master’s degree or attend law school.

The Jean Chaudhuri Memorial Scholarship, established in Chaudhuri’s memory by her husband, a former associate dean of academic programs, recognizes the achievements of an American Indian student who has succeeded in the world outside of his or her culture.

Cheri Topel – Adult Re-entry Award

Cheri Topel is a senior majoring in geological sciences and environmental technology management. She will be a first generation graduate and plans to work in hydrogeology and water resources at an environmental firm or state or federal agency.

The Adult Re-entry Award is bestowed on students who have had their education interrupted or postponed by events in their lives, yet successfully conquered complex challenges upon returning to college.

Diana Coleman – Scholarship Award

Diana Coleman is a senior majoring in English literature. She is an adult re-entry student who is an undergraduate research fellow at the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict. She plans to teach, conduct research and write in the area of conflict with an eye toward reconciliation.

The Scholarship Award recognizes that good scholarship is an inferred goal of a liberal arts and sciences education. It signifies that good research is one of the best humanistic achievements of our society.

Jexson Engelbrecht – Transfer Student Award

Jexson Engelbrecht is a senior majoring in Spanish. He spent two years of service work in Guatemala learning Spanish, studying the culture and translating for U.S. doctors who were providing medical care in rural communities. Engelbrecht plans to become a professor of Spanish literature.

The Transfer Student Award is bestowed on students who have transferred from other institutions and have been successful in completing their degrees in an exemplary way.

Riki Meier – Len and Rena Gordon "Spunky" Award

Riki Meier is a junior majoring in English literature and works full-time to support herself. She is currently working on her honors thesis that focuses on the impact of literature and narrative discourse in the daily lives of women. This research will be included in an upcoming book, for which she and Patricia Webb, associate professor of rhetoric and composition, are co-authoring a chapter. She returned to school to work toward her goal of earning a doctorate in English literature.

The Len and Rena Gordon "Spunky" Award, established by a former associate dean of academic programs and his wife, recognizes a student who has shown "spunk" in overcoming obstacles to succeed as an undergraduate.

Sarah Leon – Sun Angel Funk Award

Sarah Leon is a junior majoring in English literature. She helps develop the leadership skills of indigenous and “at risk” youth. Leon leads a group of emerging indigenous leaders who strive to empower their neighborhoods and families.

The Sun Angel Funk Award is funded by the Funk and the Sun Angel endowments and is given to students who achieve academic prominence and demonstrate community focused awareness with their actions.

Christopher Gast – ASU Alumni Association Founder's Day Scholarship

Christopher Gast is a sophomore majoring in political science and communication. He is a member of the Residence Hall Association. Through his involvement, Gast has been a student advocate to the university administration. He is a third generation student at ASU.

The ASU Alumni Association Founder's Day Scholarship was given this year in honor of ASU’s 50th anniversary of achieving university status. Full-time undergraduate students from each of the schools that made up Arizona State College when it became ASU were selected by his or her college to receive the scholarship. ASU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences was established in 1953.

Erica Velasco, erica.velasco@asu.edu
480-965-1156
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences