Arkansas Alumni Association Awards 2023 Senior Honor Citations

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2023 Senior Honor Citation winners: Reece Hodgson and Elizabeth Ford

The Arkansas Alumni Association recognized U of A graduating seniors Elizabeth Ford of Little Rock and Reece Hodgson of Leicestershire County, United Kingdom, with the 2023 Senior Honor Citation. The award was announced by Provost Terry Martin during the Cardinal & White Celebration on May 1.

The citation was established in 1965 by the Arkansas Alumni Association to recognize the top two seniors on campus who exhibit outstanding academic achievement, leadership skills and cocurricular engagement at the U of A. 

During the Cardinal & White Celebration, the Arkansas Alumni Association recognized the class of 2023 senior award honorees. Each year, students are invited to apply for the Senior Awards program. To support an inclusive and equitable selection process, the Arkansas Alumni Association carefully evaluates this program each year and endeavors to diversify the pools of both applicants and reviewers. The outstanding students selected this year reflect these efforts, and we are proud to honor them. 

Ford and Hodgson were among the 71 students selected as Seniors of Significance Class of 2023. From this group, 20 Razorback Classic honorees were selected, and the top two students were awarded the Senior Honor Citation. For a complete list of the 2023 senior award honorees, visit www.arkansasalumni.org/seniorawards.  

As the winners of the Senior Honor Citation, Ford and Hodgson received life membership in the Arkansas Alumni Association and permanent recognition on a plaque at the Janelle Y. Hembree alumni house. They will be invited back to campus to represent their class at events, including speaking at their Senior Walk dedication.

ELIZABETH FORD

Elizabeth Ford is a Bodenhamer Fellow from Little Rock pursuing a degree in chemistry & biochemistry with a minor in accounting. Her mentor is Stefan Kilyanek, associate professor of inorganic chemistry. 

As an undergraduate, Ford participated in research assisting Suresh Thallapuranam in the structural biology and drug discovery lab. She completed her honors thesis based on her investigation titled “Expression, Purification, and Characterization of Fibroblast Growth Factor 19.” 

Ford’s cocurricular activities included a two-year term as the communications chair for the Distinguished Lectures committee, three years on the All-University Academic Integrity Board, adviser to the vice president of the Associated Student Government, Honors College Ambassador and selection to the 2022 Homecoming Court. 

“I am forever indebted to the University of Arkansas and the community who makes it truly exceptional,” Ford said. “I have never felt like just a name or a student ID number because the Razorback family acknowledges and celebrates my unique identity. I have become a person of whom I am truly proud, and I am so thankful to this university for everything it has helped me achieve.”

REECE HODGSON

Reece Hodgson is an Honors College Fellow from the United Kingdom majoring in accounting, finance and information systems with a minor in data analytics. His mentor is JaLynn Thomas, director of the IMACC and MPACC programs and assistant chair of the Accounting Department.

Hodgson completed accounting and finance internships with Walmart and Phillips 66. He conducted industry analysis and developed forecast models related to digital advertising while at Walmart and completed his honors thesis on “The Influence of Gender on Self-Assessed Intelligence Scores.” 

Hodgson’s cocurricular engagement included founding and leading the university’s chapter of Amnesty International, leadership in the Walton College Dean’s Student Collaboration Board, serving as head business tutor at the Student Success Center and as a peer mentor and ambassador for the Honors College. He has accepted a position at Walmart as a financial analyst following his graduation. 

“As a student with an unconventional background, advancing student success across our university’s rich student body is incredibly personal to me,” he said. “After moving to the United States at the age of 16 to attend community college, I feared that I would struggle to succeed as a first-generation college student. I hoped that my school’s academic resources and my peers would empower me to excel in my new environment and to eventually help others to do the same. I have found that opportunity at the University of Arkansas.”

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 few 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 and Economic Development News.