College of Humanities Student Awards 2026

Meet the student awardees of the graduating Class of 2026! Three students are selected from a slate of exceptional student nominees from departments and programs across the college. The College of Humanities congratulates Emerson, Teyanna, and RG, as well as all of the graduating students this year.

Excellence in Humanities: Emerson Hagy 

Emerson is graduating with bachelor’s degrees in writing & rhetoric studies and psychology. He came to the University of Utah after growing up in Oklahoma, not entirely sure what he was looking for, and found mentorship and community through the Department of Writing & Rhetoric Studies as well as the Daily Utah Chronicle where he served as Head News Editor. 

Emerson threw himself into campus and community life, developing his skills as a climber and a writer. In addition to his work with the Chronicle, he has served as content and design editorial assistant on the Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Issues and Media and participated in a research project in collaboration with Dr. Rachel Bryson. He also honed multimedia storytelling skills, practicing podcasting and videography and editing through his coursework.

Summing up the transformational experience he had in Humanities, Emerson says, “That’s what this college does: it gives you language. And once you have a language, you have a way to understand the world and a way to change it. It gives you a framework. The ability to walk into a complicated situation, understand it, name it, and communicate it to someone else.”  

Emerson plans to attend law school starting in the fall. While he doesn’t yet know what kind of law he wants to practice, he is driven by his desire to help people and hopes to someday teach legal writing or work as a law professor. 

Outstanding Senior Award: Teyanna Kaibetoney  

Teyanna is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in History Teaching and a minor in Ethnic Studies. She was drawn to study history because of her family’s stories of persistence and the value of education; from her grandmother’s experience in Native boarding school to her mother’s determination as a first-generation college student while raising five children, Teyanna is inspired by their strength. 

Teyanna came to the U as a transfer student from Salt Lake Community College, and has navigated two brain tumor diagnoses during her college career. The second one came in September 2025 and she was preparing for student teaching in spring semester. Undaunted, Teyanna had surgery over winter break, returning to school four weeks later and stepping directly into a full-time student teaching role with 7th and 8th graders. She says, “I often joke that I scheduled brain surgery around my school schedule, but that decision reflects my commitment to my education, goals, and my students.” 

During her time at the U, Teyanna has also participated in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program and worked with faculty in history to prove her mettle as an accomplished and sophisticated researcher. “Studying history and the humanities…teaches us to understand people, to see the systems that shape lives, and to witness resilience across time. History shows that the challenges we face today are not new. People before us navigated systems designed to erase them, and they persisted. Their stories guide us forward,” she says. 

After graduation, Teyanna plans to pursue graduate studies in history with a focus on Indigenous and social movement history. She plans to become a teacher who shows students “that their stories matter—and what they choose to do with those stories matters even more.” 

Exemplary Undergraduate & Convocation Speaker: RG Simbiak  

RG is graduating with bachelor’s degrees in communication with an emphasis in strategic communication, and health, society and policy. An international student hailing from Papua, Indonesia, RG began at the U as a transfer student from Jakarta International College in 2023 and has been an active part of the campus community ever since. 

She has completed a Hinckley Institute of Politics internship at Women of the World, served as an orientation leader in 2024 and 2025, an International Student Ambassador for ISSS, a student ambassador for the College of Social and Behavioral Science, and volunteered at the FeedU Pantry. RG also currently serves as Vice President for the Papuan Student Association USA & Canada, with a term ending in 2027, as well as volunteering with the Utah Indonesian Community. 

As an international student coming from an education system where students weren’t expected to share their thoughts and opinions, RG initially struggled with a fear of speaking up in class. Worries about speaking in imperfect English and concerns with her accent raised these anxieties. However, she says, “In the College of Humanities, through the classes I’ve taken, the professors and classmates I’ve met, and the discussions I’ve been part of, I’ve learned that learning goes beyond the classroom. We learn from each other’s stories, backgrounds, and perspectives. And slowly, I started to find my voice.”

This April, RG won the HIP Talks competition, a university-wide public speaking contest sponsored by the Hinckley Institute of Politics; a full-circle moment for the student who has finally found her own voice. 

RG plans to work in higher education or the nonprofit sector, focusing on organizations that empower women and young adults, or to teach at public schools in rural areas of Papua. She eventually plans to pursue a master’s degree in education or communication and build a school with a mission of educating women, youth, and children to create better futures for themselves and their communities.