The College of Education and Health Professions held its annual awards ceremony on April 25, recognizing more than 100 outstanding students and three alumni.

Aside from commencement, this annual event is the college's largest celebration of student achievement.

Dean Kate Mamiseishvili acknowledged the breadth and diversity of the college's programs but said there's a common thread: each represents the caring professions. "Our students are training for fields in which they go out there every day and make people's lives better," she told the large crowd. "Whether you are training to become a teacher, nurse, athletic trainer, coach, principal, counselor, speech pathologist or occupational therapist — each of you cared enough about helping others that you decided to dedicate your life's work to the caring professions.

"And we are all proud of you and celebrate you for the decision that you made to join the home of the caring professions."

Terry Martin, U of A provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, presented the college's top three awards.

Hotz Awards

Each year, the Henry G. and Stella Hotz Awards are presented to exemplary junior and sophomore students. These awards were established in honor of Henry Hotz, a U of A faculty member for 24 years and dean of the college for 11 years, and his wife, Stella, the first woman to obtain the rank of full professor at the U of A. The Hotz Award recipients are determined by grade point average and academic accomplishments.

This year's Henry G. and Stella Hotz Award for outstanding sophomore was presented to Tsion Selassie, who is pursuing a bachelor's degree in exercise science. The Henry G. and Stella Hotz Award for outstanding junior was given to Ava Fendler, an Eleanor Mann School of Nursing student.

Presidential Scholar Award

Martin also presented the Presidential Scholar Award to Claire Metcalf, a junior public health major. The Presidential Scholar program was established in 1980 in recognition of the investiture of James Martin as U of A president. Presidential scholars are selected based on academic achievement.

First-Ranked Senior Scholars

Matt Ganio, associate dean of academic and student affairs, announced the college's first-ranked and senior scholars. Since 1942, special recognition has been given to students with the highest grade point averages in each college. First-ranked senior scholars have completed all their studies at the U of A and have a 4.0 GPA in all their coursework.

The 36 first-ranked senior scholars are Muhannad Abdin, Hannah Babin, Addie Bloodworth, Ella Boston, Courtney Briggs, Alexis Crosby, Emily Grant, Jessica Hanson, Lacy Hazelbaker, Peyton Jobe, Connor Konecny, Emily Linkletter, Xinyi Mao, Katherine Mascari, Brittany Matthews, Kyra McCracken, Tyler Merreighn, Alyssa Miller, Morgan Murphy, Shea O'Brien, Sarah Paddock, Rachel Patton, Anna Podojil, Reannon Ray, Emma Ross, Katie Shuler, Olivia Spears, Katie Stanford, Laura Steele, Juliana Sweet, Reagan Swindall, Emerson Talbot, Ashley Taroni, Sarah Tolbert, Ashley Vandenberk and Grace Wichmann.

Senior Scholars

Senior Scholars have a 4.0 GPA but have taken at least one course at another college or university. These 14 outstanding students are Eva Allen, Eaden Bachman, Brooke Ehrisman, Riley Fitzsimmons, Maryann Gundlach, Vanessa Hunt, Keegan Lepkowski, Lauren Loften, Gabriella LoRusso, Brooklyn Lykins, Michelle Nguyen, Emily Polyak, Claire Pribble and Kimberly Umberson

Honors Research Symposium Winners

Winners from the college's 12th annual Honors Research Symposium were also recognized. Grace Rugger, a public health major, won first place with her poster presentation on "Bridging the Gap for Children in the Arkansas Foster Care System."

Tyler Merreighnm, also a public health major, earned second place for his poster titled "Young Adults Attempting to Quit Using E-Cigarettes: A Mixed Methods Analysis."

Kyra Sampaio Resende, a student in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program, won third place. Her poster presentation focused on "Measuring awareness of sensory processing disorder and interprofessional collaboration practices among professionals in an elementary public school setting."

Outstanding Alumni Awards

Three outstanding alumni were presented awards at the event. They were selected by faculty in their respective departments for extraordinary contributions to their respective fields.

Sarah Burks Moore, vice-chair of the Arkansas State Board of Education, was presented an Outstanding Alumni Award from the Department of Education Reform. Governor Asa Hutchinson appointed her to the board in 2018 to represent Arkansas' first congressional district. She began her career teaching elementary school in Stuttgart before serving as an education policy adviser to Gov. Hutchinson during his first term in office.

Ashlie Hilbun received an Outstanding Alumni Award from the Department of Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders. Hilbun is the chief strategy officer and senior vice president of Strategic Marketing at Arkansas Children's, where she guides the implementation of strategic goals and objectives. She also serves on the Easterseals Board of Directors, the HealthTech Arkansas Strategic Advisory Board and the Sam M. Walton College of Business Executive Education Advisory Board. She was also recently appointed the inaugural chair of the College of Education and Health Professions' Dean's Executive Advisory Board.

Katey Peterson received this year's Outstanding Alumni Award from the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing. Peterson began her career at Washington Regional Medical Center in the cardiac unit, where she developed a passion for mentoring new nurses. She joined the nursing school in 2022 as a full-time clinical instructor after serving as an adjunct instructor for seven years. She is committed to serving her community, providing quality care and preparing the next generation of nurses.

Departmental Awards

The College of Education and Health Professions comprises six academic departments and 18 research and service units. The college's 161 full-time faculty members are internationally known for their scholarly work and research. For fall 2022, enrollment was 6,274 students.

The college honored outstanding students in each academic department at the banquet.

Curriculum and Instruction: Lilian Slater Schulz, Anahi Francis, Khoshee Mohammed, Candice Duncan, Krystle Merry, Rosaura Valdez, Chelsea Jennings, Meleah Hoskins, Tracy Rogers, Omeshia Boyles, Parker Evatt, Jessica Nyden, Natalie Hundley, Gracie Gurwell, Laney Hoggatt, Nastajae Alderson, Laurel Anne Harkins, Tyler Lothian, Haley Stadtmueller, Weihui Yang, Jessica Nyden, Ethan Harrod and Delaney Wells.

Education Reform: Rian Djita and Andrew Camp.

Eleanor Mann School of Nursing: Kathleen Pabich, Sandy Stephens, Cole Jones, Rachel Patton, Opie Alshihab, Carmel Kruse, Sarah Spence and Megan Owen.

Health, Human Performance and Recreation: Susana Rodriguez Gongora, Sydney Haldeman, Eric Schisler, Hope Hanson, Gary Austin III, Abigail Chopelas, Francielly Morena Da Silva, Landon Parker, Cassandra Clark, Jessica Bookout, Erin Cox and Sydney Hammit.

Occupational Therapy: Abigail Archibong

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders: Theresa Morris, Sara Barnett-Nsakashalo, Sarah Paddock, Elizabeth Haynie, Derrick Johnson, Chulyndria Laye, Smruthi Chintakunta, Nana Amma Asamoah, Kallie Handlong, Sarah Denison, Eric Boardway, Shannon Boyd, Keri Reynolds and Daniel Berry.