U of A Honors College Selects 2021 Class of Honors College Fellows

Photo by Peter Aaron.

The Honors College is housed in the new wing of Gearhart Hall, located in the heart of campus.

The U of A Honors College has selected 79 exceptional high school students, including 65 from Arkansas, to receive prestigious Honors College Fellowships.

The $72,000 fellowships largely cover tuition, fees, books, room and board, and other academic expenses over four years, providing these students the freedom to pursue original research, study abroad, service learning and other academic interests.

The fellowship funds can also be combined with other scholarships and grants, such as the $1.2 million in study abroad and research grants that the Honors College awards to students each year.

“Even in the midst of COVID-19 and all of the complications that came with it, we once again had an incredibly competitive pool for fellowships this year,” said Noah Pittman, associate dean of enrollment for the Honors College. “Each of our new fellows is bright and accomplished, and we look forward to helping them achieve their goals at the University of Arkansas and beyond.”

The new fellows boast an average grade point average of 4.24 and an average composite ACT score of 34.29.

The members of this distinguished class plan to study a diverse range of subjects, from chemistry and biological engineering to business economics, data science and journalism.

Many have achieved notable recognition. Three of the fellows - Clayton Boothe, Robin Eluvathingal and Ryan Espejo - were named to the 2021 Arkansas Times Academic All-Star Team. Additionally, 34 members of the new class of fellows were named National Merit Scholars.

Students who were awarded a fellowship went through a rigorous application process. Needing to score at least a 32 on the ACT and have a minimum 3.8 grade point average before applying, a student’s application was then reviewed by Honors College administrators and faculty for evidence of intellectual curiosity, leadership potential and community involvement. The selection process also involved a timed writing test and a campus interview for finalists.

Including the 2021 recipients, a total of 1,514 students have benefited from the Honors College Fellowship program. Recent fellows include Truman Scholars, Goldwater Scholars, a Schwarzman Scholar and an Olympic pole vaulter. Alumni fellows are launching startups, taking leadership roles at international corporations and nonprofit organizations, and pursuing higher degrees at schools such as Harvard Law School, Johns Hopkins University, Cambridge University, the California Institute of Technology and Tufts University School of Medicine.

The Honors College Fellowships were made possible by a portion of the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation’s $300 million gift to the university in 2002.

Honors College Fellows, Class of 2025

• Abdussamad Akhter, Valley View High School, Jonesboro
• Colton Atha, Alma High School, Alma
• Paavan Atluri, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock
• William Ayers, Thaden School, Bentonville
• Evan Bonar, Benton High School, Benton, Louisiana
• Clayton Boothe, Maumelle High School, Maumelle
• Abigail Bordelon, Gulf Breeze High School, Gulf Breeze, Florida
• Gunner Bradshaw, De Queen High School, De Queen
• Abigail Brien, James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas
• Shawn Cafferty-Lueck, Russellville High School, Russellville
• Sierra Cates, Centerpoint High School, Amity
• Hope Coffman, Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, Benton
• Owen Collins, Har-Ber High School, Springdale
• Ria Collins, Bentonville West High School, Bentonville
• Ashlyn Compton, Greenwood High School, Greenwood
• Stephanie Cotariu, Prospect Ridge Academy, Broomfield, Colorado
• Cameron Dalton, Bentonville High School, Bella Vista
• Marshall Donn, North Little Rock High School, North Little Rock
• Benjamin Edens, Huntsville High School, Wesley
• Robin Eluvathingal, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock
• Ryan Espejo, Springdale High School, Springdale
• Lilah Estes, Caddo Parish Magnet High School, Shreveport, Louisiana
• Jacob Fuller, Liberty High School, Kansas City, Missouri
• Emmarie Gates, Joe T. Robinson High School, Little Rock
• Savanah Godwin, Lakeside High School, Hot Springs
• Colin Goolsby, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville
• Max Green, Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, North Little Rock
• Harrison Greene, Wynne High School, Wynne
• Jayden Hamilton, V.R. Eaton High School, Roanoke, Texas
• Georgia Harrell, Greenbrier High School, Greenbrier
• Vincent Hassman, Haas Hall Academy, Fayetteville
• Harper Haynes, Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, Hot Springs
• Harper Hicks, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock
• Yibing Hu, Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, Jonesboro       
• Luke Hubbard, Christian Brothers High School, Lakeland, Tennessee
• William Hudson, Har-Ber High School, Springdale
• Hannah Isbell, Graham High School, Graham, Texas
• Blayten Jones, Wynne High School, Wynne
• Dallin Jones, Thaden School, Bentonville
• Melih Karabacak, LISA Academy, Little Rock
• Joshua Kueh, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville
• Jane Landrum, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock
• Steicy Lopez, Don Tyson School of Innovation, Bethel Heights
• Adam Lorio, Catholic High School For Boys, Little Rock
• Caleb Mallett, Saint Joseph School, Conway
• William Merrick, Cabot High School, Cabot
• Shepherd Molinari, Arkadelphia High School, Arkadelphia
• Ethan Moss, Conway High School, Conway
• Linden Mountain, Har-Ber High School, Springdale
• Eleanor Nations, Prairie Grove High School, Prairie Grove
• Thomas Needy, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville
• Hector Negron, C.E. Byrd High School, Shreveport, Louisiana
• Edward Onisei, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock
• Nikhil Pai, Bentonville West High School, Bentonville
• Daniel Passarelli, Valley Springs High School, Saint Joe
• Amitkumar Patil, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock
• Delaney Piantanida, Lake Travis High School, Austin, Texas
• Bryon Plunk, Pea Ridge High School, Pea Ridge
• Ryan Rouse, Academies at Jonesboro High School, Jonesboro
• Cecelia Schneider, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock
• Lucy Scholma, Haas Hall Academy, Fayetteville
• Brooke Scott, Haas Hall Academy, Tontitown
• Ella Scurlock, Brookland High School, Jonesboro
• Hyunseo Seok, Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, Jonesboro
• Rayahn Sharif, Haas Hall Academy, Bentonville
• Luke Simmons, Bentonville High School, Rogers
• Patrick Simon, Captain Shreve High School, Shreveport, Louisiana
• Cade Smiley, Conway High School, Conway
• Katherine Stanek, White Station High School, Memphis, Tennessee
• Matthew Teague, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville
• Donna Thakadipuram, Bentonville West High School, Bentonville
• Jenna Thomas, Bishop Kelley High School, Bixby, Oklahoma
• Collin Thompson, Har-Ber High School, Springdale
• Ahmed Tolba, Conway High School, Conway
• Lucy Vaughn, Veritas Scholars Academy, Rogers
• Logan Waddle, Bentonville High School, Bentonville
• William Walker, Central Arkansas Christian School, Sherwood
• Joel Williams, Atkins High School, Atkins
• Caden Williamson, Haas Hall Academy, Fayetteville

About the Honors College: The University of Arkansas Honors College was established in 2002 and brings together high-achieving undergraduate students and the university’s top professors to share transformative learning experiences. Each year the Honors College awards up to 90 freshman fellowships that provide $72,000 over four years and more than $1 million in undergraduate research and study abroad grants. The Honors College is nationally recognized for the high caliber of students it admits and graduates. Honors students enjoy small, in-depth classes, and programs are offered in all disciplines, tailored to students’ academic interests, with interdisciplinary collaborations encouraged. Fifty percent of Honors College graduates have studied abroad and 100 percent of them have engaged in mentored research.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.