University Names Honors College Fellows

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – This fall the University of Arkansas will welcome 82 outstanding high school seniors as the ninth class of Honors College Fellows. Each student will receive a fellowship totaling $50,000 over four years to cover tuition, room and board, as well as the cost of books and a computer. The funds can also be combined with Honors College research and study abroad grants to broaden educational opportunities.

 Three-fourths of the Honors College Fellows are from Arkansas, but one comes all the way from India, evidence that the fellowships are gaining international attention.

 “The Honors College continues to attract many of the finest students in the state, indeed in the world, to the University of Arkansas, thanks to these fellowship grants,” said Chancellor G. David Gearhart. “These are students with impressive academic records who excel outside the classroom as well. Each of them has devoted many hours to public service work during their high school careers. Our benefactor’s gift that makes these fellowships possible empowers these students, just as their talent and energy enriches this university.”

Competition for the fellowships is rigorous. From a field of 561 applicants, 150 finalists were interviewed in March with approximately 50 university faculty members participating in those interviews. To qualify as a finalist, a student must score at least 32 on the ACT exam and have a 3.8 grade point average. The student’s application, letters of recommendation, course of studies and community involvement are also extremely important in the selection process. In this 2014 class of fellows the average grade point average is 4.12; the average ACT score is 33.18.

“These students would be welcome at any higher education institution in the country,” said Bob McMath, dean of the Honors College. “Once again, these fellowships, our outstanding faculty and the growing reputation of the university have brought them here. We are now ready to engage them in and out of the classroom, to help them reach their full potential as scholars and as people.”

Honors College Fellows live in the Pomfret Honors Quarters for their freshman year, and participate in the university’s First-Year Experience program.

The University of Arkansas Honors College Fellows Class of 2014:

• Katy Accurso, Blue Valley North High School, Overland Park, Kan.
• Ashleigh Alecusan, Rogers Heritage High School, Rogers, Ark.
• Russell Bair, Pryor High School, Pryor, Okla.
• Peyton Baker, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville, Ark.
• Brent Bell, Mena High School, Mena, Ark.
• Mallory Bennett, Searcy High School, Searcy, Ark.
• Dylan Beschoner, Southside High School, Fort Smith, Ark.
• Zachary Bever, Central High School, Springfield, Mo.
• Nadia Bhatti, Arkansas School for Math, Sciences & the Arts, Hot Springs, Ark.
• Edwin Bird, Ashdown High School, Ashdown, Ark.
• Joseph Black, Greenbrier High School, Greenbrier, Ark.
• Lauren Blankenship, McKinney Boyd High School, McKinney, Texas
• Mitchell Brady, Mount Vernon High School, Mt Vernon, Ark.
• James Brown, Southside High School, Fort Smith, Ark.
• Eric Carter, Parkview Fine Arts Magnet, Little Rock, Ark.
• Bryan Casillas, Briarcrest Christian High School, Eads, Tenn.
• Savannah Clay, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville, Ark.
• Lauren Cole, The Woodlands High School, The Woodlands, Texas
• Stephanie Cone, Pulaski Academy, Little Rock, Ark.
• Ethan Delano, Miami High School, Miami, Okla.
• Eric Eggburn, Sheridan High School, Sheridan, Ark.
• Steven Elliott, Blue Valley North High School, Overland Park, Kan.
• Stuart Estes, Harrison High School, Harrison, Ark.
• Nathan Falls, Conway High School West, Conway, Ark.
• Matthew Faubion, Catholic High School, Little Rock, Ark.
• Kelsey Ferguson, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville, Ark.
• Rachel Garton, Northfield School Liberal Arts, Wichita, Kan.
• Andrew Gott, Nixa R-11 High School, Nixa, Mo.
• Ryan Graham, Bentonville High School, Bentonville, Ark.
• Mary Guthrie, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville, Ark.
• Ryan Hagedorn, Lees Summit Senior High School, Lees Summit, Mo.
• Lauren Hayes, Mount Saint Mary Academy, Little Rock, Ark.
• Grace Heymsfield, Elkins High School, Elkins, Ark.
• Holly Hilliard, Little Rock Central, Little Rock, Ark.
• Katie Johnson, Southside High School, Fort Smith, Ark.
• Kiley Jones, Nashville High School, Nashville, Ark.
• Bailey Knapp, Morrilton High School, Morrilton, Ark.
• Matthew Kullmann, Parkway Central High School, Chesterfield, Mo.
• Andrew Lawrence, Southside High School, Fort Smith, Ark.
• Michael Layton, Benton High School, Benton, Ark.
• James Leu, Jenks High School, Jenks, Okla.
• Autumn Lewis, Joplin High School, Joplin, Mo.
• Paul Lewis, Jonesboro High School, Jonesboro, Ark.
• Andrea Love, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville, Ark.
• Ryan MacLeod, Little Rock Central, Little Rock, Ark.
• James March, Rogers Heritage High School, Rogers, Ark.
• Christopher Martindale, Benton High School, Benton, Ark.
• Joshua Matlock, Shiloh Christian High School, Springdale, Ark.
• Joshua Mead, Rogers Heritage High School, Rogers, Ark.
• Blake Mertens, Sheridan High School, Sheridan, Ark.
• Jordan Molesso, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville, Ark.
• Philip Murry, Lakeside High School, Hot Springs, Ark.
• Adam Osmon, Conway High School West, Conway, Ark.
• Dongwon Park, Subiaco Academy, Subiaco, Ark.
• Lindsay Patterson, Clarksville High School, Clarksville, Ark.
• Clinton Peter, Borah High School, Boise, Idaho
• Karsten Powers, Cabot High School, Cabot, Ark.
• Haley Prewett, Russellville High School, Russellville, Ark.
• Hugh Purdy, Tahlequah Senior High School, Tahlequah, Okla.
• Russell Reynerson, Har-Ber High School, Springdale, Ark.
• Anna Salomaa, Rogers High School, Rogers, Ark.
• Karina Sanders, Lake Hamilton High School, Pearcy, Ark.
• Addison Scott, Little Rock Central, Little Rock, Ark.
• Andrew Simms, Pulaski Academy, Little Rock, Ark.
• Benjamin Sissons, New Boston High School, New Boston, Texas
• Jordan Stone, C E Byrd High School, Shreveport, La.
• Yulong Su, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville, Ark.
• Daniel Sultemeier, Rogers High School, Rogers, Ark.
• Holly Tallon, Coppell Senior High School, Coppell, Texas
• Andrew Taylor, Lutheran High School, Little Rock, Ark.
• Supriya Thote, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, Nagpur, India
• Cayla Tichy, Watson Chapel High School, Pine Bluff, Ark.
• Rebecca Trubitt, Arkansas School for Math, Sciences & the Arts, Hot Springs, Ark.
• Danny Walker, Sherman High School, Sherman, Texas
• Ryland Walt, White Hall High School, White Hall, Ark.
• Margaret Warren, Southside High School, Fort Smith, Ark.
• Mikaila Wilson, Bentonville High School, Bentonville, Ark.
• Jackson Wimberly, Ozark High School, Ozark, Ark.
• Joshua Windsor, Central High School, Springfield, Mo.
• Derek Witt, Huntsville High School, Huntsville, Ark.
• Micah Wyssmann, Nixa R-11 High School, Nixa, Mo.
• Rachel Yeager, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville, Ark.