FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – John F. Kennedy, Elvis Presley, Kurt Warner – and now University of Arkansas student Caitlin Ahrens – are all Outstanding Young Americans.

The university will honor Ahrens at the Razorbacks football game on Saturday, Sept. 15. Junior Chamber International will celebrate Ahrens at an awards ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 29, in Denver.

Junior Chamber International’s United States division named Ahrens as one of 10 Outstanding Young Americans for 2018. Ahrens’ promotion of science and advocacy for women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields led to her winning the award.

Ahrens leads space lectures at the Fayetteville Public Library. She gives speeches about space to local groups. She also hosts the space-focused radio show "Scratching the Surface" on KUAF. Additionally, Ahrens is a NASA Solar System Ambassador. In that role, she travels to local schools to talk with students about NASA's space missions.

The West Virginia Junior Chamber named Ahrens and Outstanding Young West Virginian earlier this year. She is a University of Arkansas space and planetary sciences doctoral student.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.