University of Arkansas Names 2011 Bodenhamer Fellows

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Bodenhamer Fellows during their trip to Washington, D.C., an annual tradition that builds a strong bond among new fellows.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas Honors College has selected six incoming freshmen to receive the university’s prestigious Bodenhamer Fellowship, which is renowned for building community among its fellows.

The 2011 Bodenhamer Fellows are Mikiko Joiner of Crossett, Padmavathy Manavazhahan of Rogers, William McComas IV of Fayetteville, Alex Moix of Conway, Cicely Shannon of Texarkana, Texas, and Charles Young of Magnolia.

The 2011 class of Bodenhamer Fellows includes five AP Scholars, two National Merit Scholars, a National Merit Commended Scholar and a National Achievement Scholar. Their interests range from concert piano to competitive mathematics to raising and showing Angus cattle. In addition to building stellar academic records, all have engaged in a wide range of extracurricular activities and community service.

The Bodenhamer Foundation, acting through its trustee Lee Bodenhamer (B.S.B.A. 1957, M.B.A. 1961), established the Bodenhamer Fellowships at the University of Arkansas in 1998. Bodenhamer Fellowships provide each student $50,000 for four years of study or $62,500 if the student is enrolled in a five-year degree program. In addition to covering most of the general costs of attending the university, the fellowship may be used for study abroad, attendance at professional and educational conferences, research, and special equipment that the fellow may need.

Competition for the Bodenhamer Fellowship is intense. Students must score 32 on the ACT or 1400 on the SAT and have a 3.8 high school grade point average just to be eligible to apply. Extracurricular activities, community service and evidence of intellectual curiosity and creativity are also considered in the selection process.

“These new Bodenhamer students are an exceptional group of students, drawn from a field of more than 500 high-achieving fellowship applicants,” said Bob McMath, dean of the Honors College. “They will join a group of 91 fellows who have benefitted from the generous support of the Bodenhamer family. Many of these fellows are now doing marvelous things around the world, and pursuing advanced degrees at universities such as Harvard, Vanderbilt and Yale. We look forward to welcoming this new class of Bodenhamer fellows to campus next fall, and helping them take on new challenges in their college career and beyond.”

2011 Bodenhamer Fellows

Mikiko Joiner

Mikiko Joiner of Crossett, Ark., is a graduate of Hamburg High School, where she was a member of the Quiz Bowl team, a student council representative and president of the National Honor Society. She has studied the piano since fourth grade and has won top honors in state and national piano competitions; she also has won state and national recognition for poetry writing. Joiner also studies Japanese and ballet. After earning an undergraduate degree in biology she plans to attend dental school. Her parents are Harold and Tomoko Joiner.

Padmavathy Manavazhahan

Padmavathy Manavazhahan of Bentonville, Ark., is a graduate of Rogers Heritage High School. She is an Advanced Placement Scholar with Distinction and National Merit Scholar. Manavazhahan plans to study chemistry and biochemistry in preparation for medical school. In high school, she helped establish and served as president of the Women in Science club, served as historian of the National Honor Society and Health Occupation Students of America, and was the percussion section leader in her high school band for four years. She has won regional and state honors in piano competitions, and helped coordinate cultural and religious events in the Indian community in Northwest Arkansas. Her parents are Govindasamy Manavazhahan and Dharmalingam Kalaivani.

Will McComas

Will McComas of Fayetteville, Ark., is a graduate of Fayetteville High School. He is a National Merit Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction, and member of the National Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta, a mathematics honor society. He won awards in state math contests and earned a black belt in karate. He has taken a leadership role in scouting, where he attained the rank of Eagle Scout, and he has volunteered as a tutor at LifeSource International. He plans to study biomedical engineering in preparation for becoming a physician. He is the son of Bill and Kim McComas.

Alex Moix

Alex Moix of Conway, Ark., is a graduate of Conway High School West. An AP Scholar with Distinction, he won honorable mention in a national documentary contest sponsored by CSPAN, and awards in math and history contests. Moix plans to study chemical engineering and pursue his passion for foreign languages, augmenting his four years of high school Spanish and beginning studies in Chinese. He has been involved with K-Life youth ministry throughout high school and volunteered as a camp counselor. His hobbies include playing guitar, ultimate Frisbee, wakeboarding and wakesurfing. His parents are Shelly and Jeff Moix.

Cicely Shannon

Cicely Shannon of Texarkana, Texas, is a top-ranked graduate of Texas High School. She is an AP Scholar, National Merit Commended Scholar, National Achievement Scholar and Coca Cola Scholarship Scholar. She has participated in state and national student council conferences, was co-editor of her student newspaper, and was an active member of numerous honor societies and school clubs. She has won several national awards for community service. Shannon also found time to conduct several independent research activities; one focused on best practices for teaching children to read and another that explored the importance of diversity in student newspaper coverage. Shannon plans to study biology as a pre-law student. She is the daughter of Beverly and Milton Shannon.

Charles Young

Charles Young of Magnolia, Ark., is a graduate of Magnolia High School. He plans to study biological engineering and biomedical engineering at the university. He has owned and managed an Angus cattle herd since 2003, raising bulls that have won top awards in county, district and state competitions. He was president of Future Farmers of America and won several awards in state FFA contests. Young also was active in Mu Alpha Theta, National Honor Society and Quiz Bowl. He is an AP Scholar, was a representative at American Legion Boys State and attended the Medical Application of Science for Health program. He has been an active volunteer in his church, a mission shelter and the Columbia County Cattleman’s Association. His parents are Matt and Lynn Young.

In August, the new Bodenhamer Fellows will travel to Washington, D.C., for a five-day trip that includes tours of the Capitol, the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress and the Holocaust Museum, as well as other significant landmarks. An annual tradition that is funded by Dr. Bodenhamer, the Washington trip helps build bonds among the new Bodenhamer fellows that are strengthened as they progress through their undergraduate career.