FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas Honors College has selected 69 outstanding high school students to receive Honors College Fellowships. The new class is drawn from a field of more than 550 applicants from throughout the region and beyond – one fellow is from South Korea – and includes 17 National Merit Scholars.

The Honors College Fellowship of $50,000 largely covers tuition, books, room and board, and registration over four years, granting these students the freedom to pursue original research, study abroad and other academic interests. The fellowship funds can also be combined with other scholarships and grants, such as the more than $1 million in study abroad and research grants that the Honors College awarded to students this past academic year.

The fellowship application process is rigorous. Students must score at least 32 on the ACT exam and have a 3.8 grade point average to apply, and Honors College faculty and administrators review each student essay and resume for evidence of intellectual curiosity, leadership potential, and community involvement. The selection process also involves an on-campus interview for finalists in early March.

“It’s a very tough job to select our fellows from such a competitive pool,” said Assistant Dean Maribeth Lynes, who has been actively involved in the fellowship selection process since the Honors College was established in 2002. “Each year, the number and caliber of competitive applications increases. A significant number of these new fellows have engaged in research as high school students and are making a difference in their schools and communities through their service efforts.”

 Including this latest group, a total of 1,008 students have benefited from the Honors College Fellowship program. Alumni fellows are pursuing advanced degrees at top graduate and professional programs around the country and securing jobs in competitive fields. Fro example, three fellows who have graduated in the last five years, Ellen Brune, Matt Seubert and Stacy Tan, were recently featured in Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s “Fast 15,” which highlights individuals under age 30 who are on the “fast track to success.” 

The University of Arkansas Honors College Fellows Class of 2018, with their high schools and hometowns:

• Kayvan Afrasiabi, Benton County School of Art High School, Lowell

• Adam Aitoumeziane, Rogers Heritage High School, Rogers

• William Allred, Huntsville High School, Fayetteville

• Jeffrey Bakalar, Blue Valley North High School, Leawood, Kansas

• Eli Barton, Haas Hall Academy, Fayetteville

• Garrett Bethel, Little Rock Central, Little Rock

• Kendell Black, Houston High School, Germantown, Tennessee

• Emily Bradley, Conway High School West 11-12, Conway

• Alexander Brown, Rogers High School, Rogers

• Russell Bryan, Arkansas School For Math & Science, Conway

• Vanessa Burgess, Huntsville High School, Huntsville

• James Burrow, Little Rock Central, Little Rock

• Sabrina Castle, Blue Valley Southwest High School, Olathe, Kansas

• Lauren Clark, Lamar High School, Lamar

• Deanna Corbell, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville

• Addison Cornwell, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville

• Martha Costello, Wesley

• Kaleb Crow, Conway High School West 11-12, Conway

• Hannah Davis, Flippin High School, Flippin

• Colin Doege, Bentonville High School, Centerton

• Benjamin Drewry, Tallwood High School, Virginia Beach, Virginia

• Ali Ezell, Har Ber High School, Fayetteville

• Spencer Finney, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville

• Jeffrey Frerking, Prairie Grove High School, Prairie Grove

• Aaron Gancarczyk, Jenks High School, Tulsa, Oklahoma

• Paolo Garcia, Southside High School, Fort Smith

• Harper Grimsley, Haas Hall Academy, Rogers

• Katherine Hadden, Episcopal Collegiate School, Little Rock

• Malachi Hale, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville

• Matthew Hendricks, Glen Rose High School, Malvern

• Foster Hines, Greenbrier High School, Greenbrier

• Rachel Holmer, Rogers High School, Rogers

• Mark Howard, Cabot High School, Cabot

• Anna Hudgeons, Har Ber High School, Springdale

• Garrett King, Benton High School, Benton

• Aaron Koch, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville

• Alexander Kwok, Nashville High School, Nashville, Arkansas

• Tristan Locke, Blue Valley Southwest High School, Stilwell, Kansas

• Laura Mantooth, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville

• Jacob McCullar, Bentonville High School, Bentonville

• Jamie Middleton, Cabot High School, Cabot

• Matthew Millis, Stillwater High School, Stillwater, Oklahoma

• Perry Mills, Benton High School, Benton

• Jackson Mosley, Camden Fairview High School, Camden

• Katherine Naeger, Colleyville Heritage High School, Grapevine, Texas

• Caleb Nissen, Little Rock Christian Academy, Little Rock

• Jacob Oldham, Little Rock Central, Roland

• Hyeonji Park, Columbus Catholic High School, Daegu, South Korea

• Richard Pellegrino, Catholic High School, Hot Springs

• William Pollock, Episcopal Collegiate School, Little Rock

• Grant Reed, Cabot High School, Cabot

• Abby Rice, Har Ber High School, Springdale

• Amanda Roberson, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville

• Adan Rutiaga, Springdale High School, Springdale

• Caroline Sage, Mount Saint Mary Academy, Little Rock

• Kassandra Salazar, Rogers High School, Rogers

• Trent Scaccia, Clarksville High School, Clarksville

• Collie Shaw, Conway High School West 11-12, Conway

• Tyler Shock, Cabot High School, Cabot

• Quinn Simkins, Haas Hall Academy, Fayetteville

• Sowmitran Sivakumar, Haas Hall Academy, Rogers

• David Smith, Prairie Grove High School, Prairie Grove

• Julia Smith, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville

• Caleb Southard, Cabot High School, Ward

• Gregory Thomas, Southside High School, Fort Smith

• McKenzie Wages, Central High School Springfield, Battlefield, Missouri

• Elizabeth Wilson, Monticello High School, Monticello

• Dylan Wright, Southside High School, Fort Smith

• Yuanfei Zhang, HarBer High School, Springdale