U of A Honors College Selects 2022 Fellows Class

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 92 exceptional high school students, including 77 from Arkansas, to receive Honors College Fellowships. 

The fellowships, which were raised from $72,000 to $80,000 this year, 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 more than $1 million in study abroad and research grants that the Honors College awards to students each year.

“We once again had an incredibly competitive pool for fellowships this year,” said Noah Pittman, associate dean of enrollment for the Honors College. “This is the largest class of incoming fellows ever. Each of our new fellows is bright and accomplished, and we look forward to helping each of them achieve their goals at the University of Arkansas and beyond.”

The new fellows boast an average grade point average of 4.25 and an average composite ACT score of 34, and 20 percent are the first in their family to attend college. 

The members of this distinguished class plan to study a diverse range of subjects, from psychology and chemical engineering to finance, data science and architecture.

Many have achieved notable recognition. Within this group of new fellows, 23 were named National Merit Finalists. Two of the fellows, Bentley Bennett and Eva Casto, were named to the 2022 Arkansas Times Academic All-Star Team. Overall, each of these new fellows has an impressive record full of accomplishments. 

The fellowship application process is rigorous. Students must score at least a 32 on the ACT and achieve a minimum 3.8 grade point average to apply. Each student’s application is then reviewed by Honors College administrators and faculty for evidence of intellectual curiosity, leadership potential and community involvement. The selection process also involves a timed writing test and a campus interview for finalists.

Including the 2022 recipients, a total of 1,606 students have benefited from the Honors College Fellowship program. Recent fellows include Truman, Goldwater and Udall Scholars, Fulbright award winners 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, University of Chicago Medical School, the California Institute of Technology, University of Virginia 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 2026 

• Mackenzie Allen, Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts, Bella Vista
• Robert Anderson, Rogers High School, Rogers
• Matangi Arun, Bentonville High School, Bentonville
• Abdullah Asif, Bentonville High School, Bentonville
• Connor Bailey, Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts, Paragould
• Ella Baker, Pearce High School, Richardson, Texas
• Jane Ballinger, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville
• Christopher Bayless, Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Jace Beckwith, Magnet Cove School, Malvern
• Esther Beller, Cave City High School, Cave City 
• Bentley Bennett, Newport High School, Newport
• Luke Biddle, Brentwood High School, Brentwood, Tennessee
• Darren Blount, Mountain Home High School, Mountain Home
• Mika Brown, Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts, Hope
• Tyson Brown, Rogers Heritage High School, Rogers
• Audrey Carr, Malvern High School, Malvern
• Eva Casto, Maumelle High School, Maumelle
• Hudson Cearley, Bentonville High School, Bentonville
• Mary Kathryn Cheek, Cotter High School, Flippin
• Elijah Clark, Russellville High School, Russellville
• Christina Clower, Arkansas Virtual Academy, Little Rock
• Madeline Crisp, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock
• Guangqian Dai, Magnolia High School, Magnolia
• Joseph Dumond, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville
• Maddilyn Fairchild, Har-Ber High School, Springdale
• Kendall Fisher, Bentonville High School, Bentonville
• Nathan Fuhrman, Northside High School, Fort Smith
• Zane Garner, Rogers Heritage High School, Rogers
• Lindsey Garretson, Southside High School, Fort Smith
• Lucia Gentile, Liberal Arts and Science Academy, Austin, Texas
• Chase Golden, Crossett High School, Crossett
• Paola Gutierrez, Don Tyson School of Innovation, Springdale
• Benjamin Harp, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville
• Christopher Henley, Providence Classical Christian Academy, Springdale
• Joyce Ho, Van Buren High School, Van Buren
• Victoria Hudson, Harrison High School, Harrison
• Matt Hughes, Jonesboro High School, Jonesboro
• Breck Husong, Providence Classical Christian Academy, Cave Springs
• Amber Jared, Cabot High School, Cabot
• Joshua Johnson, C.E. Byrd High School, Shreveport, Louisiana
• Jackson Jolley, Cabot High School, Cabot
• Nathan Jung, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville
• Anna Kelly, Byron Nelson High School, Trophy Club, Texas
• Amna Khan, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock
• Abhinav Komanduri, Bentonville West High School, Bentonville
• Jaxon Krueger, Har-Ber High School, Springdale
• Avonelle Lindon, Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience, Saint Louis, Missouri
• Jessica Lobb, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville
• Zain Malik, Haas Hall Academy, Fayetteville
• Calista Maurer, Bryant High School, Bryant
• Cole McCallum, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock
• Isabella McGill, Haas Hall Academy, Fayetteville
• Mattie McLellan, Southside High School, Fort Smith
• Trey Merreighn, Greenwood High School, Greenwood
• Jillian Mills, Alma High School, Alma
• John Mitchell, Calico Rock High School, Pineville
• Miceala Morano, Haas Hall Academy - Springdale, West Fork
• Stephen Ni, Nettleton High School, Jonesboro
• Charles Nolan, Wichita Collegiate School, Wichita, Kansas
• Tyler Outhouse, Bentonville West High School, Bentonville
• Faizan Parray, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock
• Nicole Patrao, Olathe South High School, Olathe, Kansas
• Emma Paulus, Southside High School, Fort Smith
• Lauren Petty, Little Rock Christian Academy, Little Rock
• Pranav Polavarapu, Haas Hall Academy - Bentonville, Bentonville
• William Pyburn, Gentry High School, Gentry
• Amelia Quinlen, Saint Mary’s Episcopal School, Memphis, Tennessee
• Zaqariah Qureshi, Northside High School, Fort Smith
• Amrusha Ranjith, Bentonville High School, Bentonville
• Jack Rhodes, Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas
• Victoria Rike, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock
• Gabriel Rivera, Plano Senior High School, Plano, Texas
• Alexandra Salonen, Farmington High School, Farmington
• Medhansh Sankaran, Haas Hall Academy - Bentonville, Bentonville
• Noah Seiter, Har-Ber High School, Tontitown
• Elizabeth Shannon, Episcopal Collegiate School, Little Rock
• Haleena Sharif, Hass Hall Academy - Bentonville, Bentonville
• Weston Sills, Farmington High School, Farmington
• Charles Smith, Dardanelle High School, Dardanelle
• Daria Stepanova, Melissa High School, Melissa, Texas
• Megan Taylor, Pulaski Academy, Little Rock
• Melaina Taylor, Conway High School, Conway
• Katherine Thomas, Bentonville High School, Rogers
• Rebekah Ulasewich, Conway High School, Conway
• Chenyeng Vang, Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, Hot Springs
• Molly Walker, Franklin High School, Franklin, Tennessee
• Catherine Warren, Farmington High School, Farmington
• Carter Watson, Sylvan Hills High School, Sherwood
• Brooke Williard, Carbondale Community High School, Makanda, Illinois
• Harry Wilson, Bentonville High School, Cave Springs
• Jackson Wollscheid, Northside High School, Fort Smith
• Naomi Young, Conway High School, Conway

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 $80,000 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. All Honors College graduates 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.