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2025 College of Humanities Awards


Each year the College of Humanities recognizes undergraduate and graduate students and their remarkable accomplishments. These students have contributed to the original research in the college, engaged in and made a difference in their communities, and mentored and led other students with their example.

Outstanding Senior

Outstanding Senior students are selected by each department or program and invited to audition for convocation speaker. Each student selected as an outstanding senior has contributed to their department or program and helped create the amazing community within the College of Humanities.

Three young people stand in front of a purple banner with College of Humanities branding on it.Asian Studies - Isabella Grow

Isabella is a triple major is triple major studying World Languages and Cultures (emphasis in Korean), Linguistics, and Asian Studies. She discovered a passion for language and culture through intensive Korean immersion experiences and time at the University of Utah Asia Campus, ultimately reshaping her academic and professional path. Isabella was a leader in LEAP and at the Utah Asia Campus, completed multiple language programs and received prestigious CLS and FLAS scholarships.

Young woman with wavy dark hair and black blouse stands smiling at the cameraCommunication - Jasmine Aguilar Lopez

Outstanding Senior for the College of Humanities

Jasmine is an honors student in Communication and Health Society and Policy, along with several minors and certificates. As a first-generation college student, she immersed herself in campus life, earning scholarships, publishing research, studying abroad, and building a strong support network that helped shape her academic and personal growth.

A young woman with straight brown hair smiles at the camera.English - Gillian Ruppel 

Gillian is an Honors student in English and was shaped by close friendships, transformative writing workshops, and dedicated mentorship, all of which now inspire her pursuit of an MFA in creative writing and a future in academia, publishing, or video game storytelling.

Grayscale icon of a personHistory - Quail Reed

Quail is an honors student majoring in History and Asian Studies who was drawn to the challenge and joy of interpreting historical texts and synthesizing global perspectives. Their college experience was shaped by meaningful friendships, support from Storytime Improv and affirming mentors, and a growing passion for education, which they plan to continue exploring through programs like Teach for America or the JET Program.

Young woman with wavy hair with a white dress U of U red stole and black graduation cap.International Studies - Ashton Pelley

Ashton is an honors student in International Studies, Political Science, and Spanish and combined her interests to approach global challenges through a multidisciplinary lens, where she combined political engagement with a deepening understanding of language, culture, and community. Her undergraduate journey was shaped by transformative internships through the Hinckley Institute, meaningful service roles, and faculty mentorship that fueled her passion for peace studies and post-conflict development, setting the stage for a future in policy research.

Grayscale icon of a personLatin American Studies - Natalia Isakson

Natalia is a double major in Latin American Studies and Anthropology and was able to connect with her Puerto Rican heritage through her studies. She participated in transformative experiences like studying in Mexico City and participating in the Baja California field school. She values the strong sense of community she found among her peers and plans to pursue a career in Mesoamerican or South American archaeology after gaining hands-on experience through travel.

Young man with short curly hair wears a tan blazer as he smiles at the cameraLinguistics - Casey Miller

Casey is a double major in Linguistics and Computer Science and has excelled in computational linguistics research, intellectual independence, and active engagement in the academic community.

Young woman with straight brown hair and floral blouse smiling at the cameraMiddle East Studies - Emma Francis

Emma is a double major in Middle East Studies and International Studies. As a Persian speaker, she completed an internship with the Bakhtiar Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to improving relations between the United States and Iran on interpersonal and cultural levels.

A young woman with straight dark hair smiles at the camera.Philosophy - Muskan Walia

Exemplary Undergrad & Convocation Speaker

Muskan is a double major in Philosophy and Mathematics where she combined her passions for addressing environmental and public health issues through mathematical models. She will be pursuing a PhD in Computational Public Policy at Harvard and NYU.

Young man with short dark hair wears a light gray buttondown as he smiles at the cameraWorld Languages and Cultures - Tomas Cruz Villalvazo

Excellence in Humanities award winner

Tomas is graduating with degrees in Spanish and Political Science. He is a dedicated community leader and multilingual communicator; he plans to pursue a master’s in Spanish at the University of Utah and use his education to expand access to education and serve the public through community-based programming and public service. 

Young woman with short blonde green hair smiles at the cameraWriting and Rhetoric Studies - Cora Romero

Cora is a first-generation graduate in Writing & Rhetoric Studies who discovered her passion for inclusive design, technical communication, and social justice through immersive experiences in research, mentorship, and advocacy. She credits the Write4U bridge course and strong faculty mentorship—especially from Dr. Christie Toth—for helping her find community, purpose, and a sense of belonging in higher education.

 

Undergraduate Research

You can read more about the Undergraduate student research awards here.

Jasmine smiling at the camera with her research poster in the behind herOutstanding Undergraduate Researcher

Jasmine Aguilar Lopez (Communication) who has many presentation opportunities and participated on multiple research teams.

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Elise Lemmonier (English) is an intellectually curious and self-motivated researcher who also seeks for ways to bridge English and Art History in her research.

Casey standing with his arm around a young woman

Casey Miller (Linguistics) has researched topics including computational learning models focused on both phonology and morphology.

Brooke stands on the left. A young man has an arm around her and side to her right.

Brooke Newson (History and English) submitted an article to the Utah Historical Quarterly based on her original research at the University of Utah Archives and Records Management.

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Jason Ripplinger (Philosophy) was able to apply the material he was studying and extend it in very creative and thoughtful ways that his professor described as “Philosophy with Flair.”

Julia stands smiling at the camera with a large TV showing her research in the background.

Julia St. Andre (Communication) conducted, for her honors thesis, an experiment embedded in an online survey to test how humor and emotions such as grief and anxiety associated with climate change motivate young adults to act.

Community Engagement in the Humanities

Faculty and staff in the College of Humanities nominate undergraduate and graduate students for their engagement in communities inside and outside of the University.

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Erin Hardy (World Languages and Cultures) co-founded, co-led and co-taught English in an ESL community project for Ukrainian and Russian immigrants.

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Mercedes Johnson (Communication) participated in both the Bennion Community Engaged Scholars program and the Community Engagement Certificate and created a visual aid to facilitate training for Housing Connect volunteers on mandatory reporting of child abuse as part of her capstone project. 

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Eliana Massey (Philosophy) completed a capstone project as part of her Community Engagement Certificate developing 7th-8th grade lesson plans for the Pacific Heritage Academy (PHA), a K-8 charter school in Rose Park, Utah, that integrates Polynesian culture and language into its structure. The lessons explore the interconnected food histories of Moananuiākea (the Pacific Islands), Turtle Island (North America), and Abya Yala (South America).

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Brooke Newsom (History and English) recognized an archival inconsistency and spearheaded the digitization of the 1970s University of Utah Black student newspaper - The Broad Ax. She also created a board game to immerse people in the experience of creating a minority newspaper.

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Erin O'Farrell (MA in Environmental Humanities) works with the Nature Center at Pia Okwai on a community-based research project centered on renaming the Jordan River Nature Center to the Nature Center at Pia Okwai to amplify Indigenous communities on whose homelands the center sits.

An older woman with a cane stands on the left and a younger woman on the right

Sylia Ikatonga Olive (Communication) has played a pivotal role in facilitating reentry and reintegration support for Utah Prison Education Project (UPEP) alumni recently released from incarceration. She has established connections to essential services, provided guidance on accessing these resources, facilitated networking opportunities, and even served as a sponsor for individuals navigating post-release challenges and who don’t have family support. 

A young woman smiling at a camera. She is wearing a lifevest and a bucket hat with a body of water in the background

Da'quanisha Parks (MA student in Environmental Humanities) is conducting community-based research with environmental justice and anti-violence activist communities in Oklahoma City where she works along-side community members to advance justice and uses Black Feminist theory, auto-ethnography, and Black geographies theories to understand how residents of this community make sense of place and work toward abolitionist futures.

3 young women stand together. The one in the middle is holding an award

Madi Sudweeks (MA student in Environmental Humanities) has been working tirelessly with the White Mesa Concerned Community for the last year in their struggle against the dangers of the White Mesa Uranium Mill.

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Rushmeen Tariq (Philosophy) developed a toolkit to improve Hygiene Drives for the Fourth Street Clinic as part of her Bennion Center Community Engaged Scholar captsone project.

Leadership in Humanities

College of Humanities faculty and staff nominate undergraduate and graduate students who excel in leadership in different roles across the college.

A young woman in a maroon sweater flashing the U with her hands

Pamalatera Fenn (History) has championed the HUM RSG (student council) social media account and has helped students find opportunities through RSG and so many other spaces. As an ambassador and leader she is a familiar face at most events as she helps students reach new heights.

Young woman with long brown hair smiling at the camera

Erin Hardy (World Languages and Cultures) led the Utah Students Studying Russian Club as president and has helped many students apply for scholarships and other funding opportunities.

A young woman with black rim glasses and black long sleeve smiling at the camera.

MaryLinda Gonzalez (English) has served as a Humanities Ambassador for the last year and in this year has been a leader in the group of ambassadors as she has meticulously kept everyone moving forward and organized.

A young woman in white dress holding 2 awards

Mercedes Johnson (Communication) has spent multiple years serving the students in the College of Humanities as a member of the student government as both a representative and then a senator, and eventually chair of the ASUU senate.

2 women, each holding an award

Samantha Thilen, (PhD student in English) was nominated for her leadership in the Utah Prison Education Project’s development of a One-Stop Shop Student Center, an integrated learning center designed to offer tutoring, enrichment programming with a Humanities lens, and reentry support in a single location at the Utah State Correctional Facility.

 
Last Updated: 5/12/25