The U of A Honors College has selected 91 exceptional high school students, including 80 from Arkansas, to receive Honors College Fellowships.  

The fellowships, which award up to $80,000, 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 $2 million in study abroad and research grants that the Honors College awards to students each year. 

“The Honors College continues to have an incredibly competitive pool for our fellowship program each year,” said Noah Pittman, associate dean of enrollment for the Honors College. “Our new Honors College fellows are incredibly 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. Also, 11 percent of the students are the first in their family to attend college.  

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

Many have achieved notable recognition. Within this group of new fellows, 29 were named National Merit Finalists. Overall, each of these new fellows has an impressive record full of accomplishments.  

The fellowship application process is rigorous. Students must score at least 32 on the ACT and achieve a minimum 3.9 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 2024 recipients, a total of 1,776 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.  

Fellowship alumni 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 2028 

·      Chris Ablondi – Conway High School, Conway

·      Benyamin Adams – Don Tyson School of Innovation, Springdale

·      Matt Anderson – Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock

·      Ivan Wesley Avellanosa – Branson High School, Branson, Missouri

·      Garrett Avery – Parkview Arts & Sciences Magnet High School, Little Rock

·      Ethan Barrett – Conway High School, Conway

·      Luke Beck – Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock

·      Parker Blackwell – Memphis University School, Germantown, Tennessee 

·      Ava Bravo – Mount Saint Mary Academy, Little Rock

·      Keri Brewington – Conway High School, Conway

·      Emerson Brown – Har-Ber High School, Springdale

·      Hannah Burke – Sylvan Hills High School, Sherwood

·      Samuel Carrero – Don Tyson School of Innovation, Springdale

·      Mia Conley – Arlington High School, Arlington, Tennessee

·      Ian Dandurand – Benton High School, Bryant

·      Hayden Daniel – Russellville High School, Russellville

·      Blake Davenport – Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock

·      Ryan Decker – Cabot High School, Cabot

·      Collier DeClerk – Bentonville West High School, Gentry

·      Carina Dickie – Webster Groves High School, Saint Louis, Missouri

·      Elizabeth Do – Southside High School, Fort Smith

·      Kevin Durden – Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock

·      Savannah Eanes – Mount Saint Mary Academy, North Little Rock

·      Luke Ferguson – Jenks High School, Tulsa, Oklahoma

·      Chandler Ford – Cabot High School, Cabot

·      Ivan Freeman – Haas Hall Academy, Rogers

·      Brett Gaffney – Rogers Heritage High School, Rogers

·      Benjamin Goolsby – Rogers High School, Rogers

·      Anders Hare – Haas Hall Academy, Fayetteville

·      Hannah Harrison – Rose Bud High School, Mount Vernon

·      Tanner Holden – Benton High School, Benton

·      Carter Horton – ASMSA, North Little Rock

·      Carson Jackson – Rogers Heritage High School, Rogers

·      Grace Kahre – Farmington High School, Farmington

·      Gracie King – Van Buren High School, Van Buren

·      Erin Laster – Clarksville High School, Clarksville

·      Bryan Le – Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville

·      Isaac Legate – Benton High School, Benton

·      Elizabeth Lim – Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville

·      Shirley Lin – Bryant High School, Bryant

·      Gavin Lingafelter – Marquette High School, Ballwin, Missouri

·      Kadyn Loring – Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School, Maumelle

·      Bryce Mallett – Saint Joseph School, Conway

·      Tara Mallya – The Woodlands College Park High School, Spring, Texas

·      Marcos Manjarrez – Northside High School, Fort Smith

·      Kaleb Marshall – Benton High School, Benton

·      Hannah Marsico – Nettleton High School, Jonesboro

·      Jamison McHenry – Highland High School, Glencoe

·      Addison McQueen – White Hall High School, White Hall

·      Isabella Mickelson – Lamar High School, Arlington, Texas

·      Nathan Mishra – eStem High Public Charter School, Maumelle

·      Evangeline Montgomery – Conway High School, Conway

·      Ava Jane Murphey – Conway High School, Conway

·      Julia Murray – Bryant High School, Benton

·      Suthar Nama – Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock

·      Zachary Needham – Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock

·      Mya Negley – Bentonville High School, Bentonville

·      Claryn Nupp – Russellville High School, Russellville

·      Sarah Palmer – Bentonville High School, Bentonville

·      Ayushi Patel – Lisa Academy West High School, Little Rock

·      Emma Pearson – Lamar High School, Knoxville

·      Sadie Pehkonen – Resurrection Christian School, Windsor, Colorado

·      Samuel Prakash – Bentonville High School, Bentonville

·      Jacob Regehr – Conway High School, Conway

·      Tressa Richards – Crossett High School, Crossett

·      Claire Roberts – Greenwood High School, Fort Smith

·      Henry Ross – Conway High School, Conway

·      Abhi Saravanan – Bentonville West High School, Centerton

·      Evan Shrout – Trumann High School, Jonesboro

·      Josh Smart – Rogers Heritage High School, Rogers

·      Carson Spelce – Westlake High School, Spicewood, Texas

·      Bodey Steinfeldt – Greenwood High School, Greenwood

·      Jenna Taylor – Bryant High School, Benton

·      William Tennison – Academies of West Memphis High School, West Memphis

·      Caleb Thomas – Home School, Maumelle

·      Wyatt Thompson – Heber Springs High School, Heber Springs

·      Jane Tucker – Har-Ber High School, Springdale

·      Kate Vanden Bosch – Haas Hall Academy, Bentonville

·      Chiking Vang – ASMSA, Hot Springs

·      Adyson VanZant – Farmington High School, Prairie Grove

·      Yash Vyas` – Joe T. Robinson High School, Little Rock

·      Parker Wagnon – Broken Arrow High School, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

·      Reese Walker – Horatio High School, Horatio

·      Rose Walters – Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock

·      Ella Watson – Little Rock Christian Academy, Little Rock

·      Katie Wenger – Greene County Technical High School, Brookland

·      Kaylee White – Farmington High School, Fayetteville

·      Natalie Williams – Benton High School, Benton

·      Walker Williams-Frueauff – Catholic High School, Little Rock

·      Natalie Woods – Haas Hall Academy, Bentonville

·      Anna Wright – ASMSA, Pottsville

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 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 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.