FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Department of Communication proudly announces its 2020 class of Athens Scholars. Athens Scholars are senior communication majors who are graduating with a cumulative GPA of 3.8 or higher, placing these students in the top 10% of their graduating class. It is the department's highest academic honor.

The Athens Scholar program was first established in the 1980s and was resurrected in 2018 to honor the highest level of scholarship among communication students. The name recognizes the roots of communication in ancient Greece and the city of Athens as the seat of scholarly knowledge.

Athens Scholars are acknowledged with gold honor cords at graduation and a plaque commemorating the award.

The 2020 class of Athens Scholars includes the following students:

• Matthew Ables, McKinney, Texas
• Kevin Azanza-Montoya, Rogers
• Channing Baldwin, Fayetteville
• Hannah Balser, Tyler, Texas
• Matthew Barber, Chapin, South Carolina
• Lane Berrey, Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Jonathan Douglas, Benton
• Shawn Evans, Springdale
• Jordan Fontenot, Dallas, Texas
• Christopher Gillow, Fayetteville
• Kathryn Guhman, Fort Smith
• Kylie Hibbs, Kansas City, Missouri
• Abby Jackson, Rogers
• Isabel Keyes, Centerton
• Jordyn Latta, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
• Amanda Magusiak, Arlington, Tennessee
• Aaron Margolis, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
• Lily Nye, Alpharetta, Georgia
• Ginger Rhoads, Lonoke
• Madison Rudman, Lees Summit, Missouri
• Riley Vicha, St. Charles, Illinois
• Kelsey Wexler, Cabot
• Lauren Wiederkehr, Bethel Heights