Honors Magazine, 2025

The Magazine of the University of Georgia Morehead Honors College

HONORS 2025

A Top Honors College Page 16 Building a community of thought, respect, and gratitude for the gift of higher education

On the cover Lucy Fuselier and Will Stevens reflect on representing the Morehead Honors College as senators through the University of Georgia’s Student Government Association in 2024-2025. Read more about them on page 16.

COVER AND INTERIOR PHOTOS BY STEPHANIE SCHUPSKA

Contents Inside 2

From the Dean

3

Honors in Brief

8

Faculty Focus

11 Staff Spotlight 21 Scholarships 37 Giving

On Campus

Features 12 Campus Impact 14 Global Study

GARDEN VISIT Honors students smelled and tasted their way through UGA’s Latin American Ethnobotanical Garden in early October. The Lunch and Learn Field Trip featured a variety of plants, from tiny tomatoes to cotton blossoms to culantro, an herb that tastes like cilantro but has bigger leaves. In this photo, Nunally Benzing, far left, who is the garden’s curator, and Rayan Afsar, right, a computer science major from Lawrenceville, examine the fibers inside a cotton boll.

16 Cover Story | Celebrating Success 32 New Medical School 34 A Doctor’s Journey 36 Encouraging Creativity

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

1

GRACIE HOWARD

ADMINISTRATION Dean

Margaret A. Amstutz Associate Dean

James Warnock Assistant Dean

Jessica Hunt Assistant Dean

Maria de Rocher Development

Debbie Daniel Communications

Stephanie Schupska

From the Dean

MAGAZINE Editor/Designer

Stephanie Schupska Writers

Averi Caldwell, Alan Flurry, Hannah Gallant, Aaron Hale, James Hataway, Gracie Howard, Stan Jackson, Anvika Menon, Krista Richmond, Stephanie Schupska, Parker Taylor, Chuck Toney Photographers

Peter Frey, Gracie Howard, Dot Paul, Stephanie Schupska, Chamberlain Smith, Andrew Tucker, Amy Ware Editorial assistance

Gracie Howard, Anvika Menon, Parker Taylor The Honors Magazine is published for students, alumni, friends, and supporters of the University of Georgia Morehead Honors College. For reprint permissions, address changes, or additional copies, email schupska@uga.edu.

Copyright © 2025 by the University of Georgia.

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any way without permission from the editor. The University of Georgia is committed to principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action.

Postmaster | Send address changes to: UGA Honors Magazine 208 Moore Hall, 108 Herty Drive Athens, GA 30602-6116 Find us online at honors.uga.edu.

Find us on social media at:

2

A year of purposeful growth In the Morehead Honors College, we are building a community based on thought, respect, and gratitude for the gift of higher education, a statement we are proud to display on our magazine’s cover. Our students take that to heart over and over again as they bring their excellence into the classroom and out into the world.

This year, our students are among some of the nation’s brightest, receiving scholarships recognizing them for their commitment to leadership, service, research, the environment, and public service. They have carved paths for themselves through UGA’s Student Government Association, worked in labs with some of UGA’s top faculty, given back to UGA through on-campus involvement, and discovered new ideas abroad. Together, we celebrate many firsts for the University of Georgia, including adding a new School of Medicine, being named the top honors college in the nation by College Transitions in 2024, rising to second in the nation for Boren Scholarships, and having a record-breaking three Schwarzman Scholars.

As you read about our students, we also want to highlight a new addition to our magazine. In this issue, we feature an outstanding faculty member who has committed time to mentoring Honors students. We look forward to featuring many faculty members in the future. We also hold in our memories a most influential faculty member, Jan Westpheling, honoring her dedication and spark that she poured into countless students across campus.

Sprinkled throughout, you will find stories of our alumni, and we are so grateful for their continued involvement in the Morehead Honors College. We are thankful for each of you.

With gratitude, Dean Meg Amstutz Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

HONORS in Brief EXCELLENCE, RECOGNIZED

UGA’s 40 Under 40 Honors alumni William Ferrand (BBA ’15), Mindy Lipsitz (BS ’08), and Camir Ricketts (BS ’15) were selected for UGA’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2024. The 40 Under 40 program celebrates young alumni leading in their industries and communities. William protects consumers from harm as a senior manager of risk and compliance at Protiviti. Mindy is an emergency medicine physician at St. Charles Medical Center who studies and teaches globally. Camir spearheads AI discoveries in health care as a bioinformatics scientist at NVIDIA and founder of MindsOf Initiative. Congratulations to our recipients!

COLLEGE & COMMUNITY

A ‘huge advocate’ for research Laura Kate Holden started college as a CURO Honors Scholar with UGA’s Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities.

She was drawn to UGA by the opportunity to conduct research with faculty while majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. Since her first year, she’s worked with Lance Wells, associate director of the Center for Molecular Medicine and a Georgia Research Alliance Distinguished Investigator.

“I’m a huge advocate [for getting] involved in research,” she said. “You can really see a project through in four years.” She has also been a social media ambassador for UGA as a Digital Dawg since her sophomore year and launched the Dawg Talk series on Instagram to capture students’ slice-of-life experiences. From interviewing students to helping future patients after medical school, Laura Kate hopes to continue fostering connections with and learning from the people around her. This fall, she will attend the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland.

—Hannah Gallant, UGA Marketing & Communications

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025 CHAMBERLAIN SMITH

3

HONORS BY THE

HONORS in Brief

NUMBERS

651

First-year students admitted for Fall 2025

269

Students admitted in Spring 2025 through First-Semester Entry

2,900 Total Honors students

3

$

million

in scholarship support annually through the Foundation Fellowship and Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities

99%

Percentage of Honors alumni in the Class of 2024 who were employed or continuing their education within six months of graduation

4

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

SUBMITTED PHOTO

HURRICANE HELENE RELIEF

Chainsaws and support In October, three members of the Honors family—Joe West, Kiefer Adams, and Allen Grinalds—traveled to Augusta with five other Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity brothers to assist with post-Hurricane Helene cleanup. Joe, who is Sig Ep’s chaplain, said several members of the organization from Augusta woke up to devastating news the morning after the storm passed through.

“We were all in shock at some of the damage,” he said. “One guy’s house was hit by 10 trees. And the more news that came in, the worse things sounded.”

The eight students committed to gathering supplies, borrowing chainsaws and tools from their parents, and waking up early on a Sunday morning to travel east and help however they could. That day, the group was able to trim limbs, clear yards, and provide comfort and support.

—Stan Jackson, Division of Student Affairs

TODAY SHOW VOCALIST

A ‘Wicked’ talent A UGA student with big musical dreams got a chance to showcase her singing on The Today Show.

Laila Carter, a journalism and political science major minoring in music, was on the TODAY Plaza on spring break with other first-year Foundation Fellows when host Craig Melvin asked for her. Laila told Craig that she wanted to one day be on Broadway, sharing that “It’s my biggest dream.” He then asked if she would like to showcase her singing talents. Laila belted out “The Wizard and I” from Wicked.

“Turn the chair for that!” TODAY’s Al Roker said, referencing the hit NBC show The Voice, hosted by Carson Daly.

Craig then gave Laila more props.

“Well done! So now here’s the

NBC/TODAY SHOW

thing,” he said. “You’re clearly going to make it to Broadway. When you make it to Broadway, you come back.

We get the exclusive.”

— Alan Flurry, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences

C

AIN RL BE AM ITH SM

Knowledge through community Rayna J. Carter’s ambition can be felt in every instance of her work. Through academia and community outreach, she helps others find their place at the University of Georgia.

On Jan. 17, Rayna received the President’s Fulfilling the Dream Award at the 21st Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Breakfast. The award is given to individuals in the UGA and AthensClarke County communities who are working to make Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of equality and justice a reality.

Rayna is a senior majoring in psychology, sociology, and women’s

RED COUCH STORIES

Technology of chicken

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Lauren Prisock mixed chicken and technology during an internship with the Chick-fil-A Corporate Support Center in summer 2024. A new alumna from Canton, Lauren majored in management information systems. During the internship, she worked on the mobile app team. “I learned so much about being a business analyst and was able to take a part in real projects that affect the business,” she shared. Lauren was able to assist in analyzing user behavior to improve Chick-fil-A’s web ordering platform, which generates about $500 million in annual revenue.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

H

FULFILLING THE DREAM

studies. As the daughter of two UGA employees, she grew up around campus.

Rayna began her undergraduate studies as a CURO Honors Scholar before becoming a Midterm Foundation Fellow in 2024. With Julie Stanton, Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor in cellular biology, she conducts research on life science student metacognition, analyzing the ways college students think about and approach learning.

She is part of the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, a group that offers support to minority students in STEM fields, and the Eta Xi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Winning the award is a full circle moment for Rayna. Her father worked in the Office of Inclusive Excellence, and the Freedom Breakfast has always been an important event for that office. Every year, her birthday occurs near the date of the event.

“Part of my birthday preparation celebration was always going to the Freedom Breakfast because he was working in the office,” Rayna said. “I’ve been in the room for so long, but I never imagined myself being on the stage to receive an award.”

—Averi Caldwell, UGA Marketing & Communications

SPANISH & ECONOMICS

Six months in Chile Edward Nichols spent six months traveling in Chile and several surrounding countries and completed a full semester exchange at the Universidad de Chile’s School of Economics and Business in 2024 through funding from the Honors International Scholars Program. Half of his classes were taught in English and the other half in Spanish. He arrived in the country a month before classes started and traveled around southern Chile, starting in Puerto Montt and ending his month with an eight-day backpacking circuit through Torres del Paine National Park. “Because of this scholarship, I have tangible skills that I did not have before, life-changing experiences that I never would have otherwise had, and confidence and perspective that I will carry with me into the professional world,” he said. Edward graduated in May with degrees in Spanish and economics.

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

5

HONORS in Brief COLD AND AMAZED

Ice caves and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge Blizzard conditions, natural wonders, and strong coffee greeted Honors students on a spring break study trip to Iceland in March.

When 19 second, third, and fourth-year Foundation Fellows landed in Reykjavík on March 2, snow and wind were kicking up in Iceland’s capital. They took advantage of the wintry conditions as they explored the city, learning to lean into the wind gusts while also learning about the country’s heritage.

The students traveled with Tom Mote, associate vice president for instruction and Distinguished Research Professor in geography and the academic lead for the trip; along with Stephanie Schupska, senior communications coordinator; and James Warnock, associate dean, of the Morehead Honors College.

In the photo to the right, Erin Monroe, who is studying fisheries and wildlife, sits in the space left by the melting of an ice sheet, touching the bottom of the massive Vatnajökull glacier located in southeast Iceland. The ice cap is the largest in Iceland and the second-largest in Europe, which includes areas of the Arctic.

In the photo below, students and faculty joined hands across the seam of the MidAtlantic Ridge, which is located about 40 minutes northeast of Reykjavík. The ridge is a tectonic plate boundary that separates the Eurasian and North American plates, and Iceland is home to the largest portion of the rift that can be seen above sea level.

—Story and photos by Stephanie Schupska

6

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

7

FACULTY FOCUS

QA

8

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

STEPHANIE SCHUPSKA

&

Law & Honors: Dan Coenen, Harmon W. Caldwell Chair in Constitutional Law, reflects on his time at the University of Georgia and his work with the Morehead Honors College.

D

an Coenen retired in spring 2025 after serving on the University of Georgia School of Law faculty since 1987. For many years, he was an interview panelist for the Foundation Fellowship Interview Weekend. He also mentored countless Honors students throughout his time at UGA.

“

 What comes to mind when you think about the Honors Program, now the Morehead Honors College?

What first comes to mind is the extraordinary group of students who participate in the program. For me, the mission of the university at its heart is to help, encourage, and give new and broadening opportunities to our students as they make their way through a critical and transformative time of life.

Honors does just that for the special group of young people who are fortunate enough to be selected for membership in it and wise enough to take advantage of the programs it offers. Among other things, Honors provides the chance to be part of a smaller community of students within the larger university—which is something of value for many students, particularly as they transition into college. And the fact that our Honors College was recently ranked as the top honors program in the entire country speaks both to its quality and to how its reputation has grown, with good reason, over the years.

few students over to help decorate our Christmas tree, of teaching small-group Honors classes, of meeting with students (in my case, particularly pre-law students) to talk about future plans, and of simply bumping into members of the Honors College on the North Campus quad, at football games, or in downtown Athens. A few years ago, I was lucky enough to serve as a mentor for an Honors student and Foundation Fellow named Phaidra Buchanan, and it was a particularly happy day when I learned that she had been awarded the highly prestigious Rhodes Scholarship.

Being involved in Honors has put me in relationship with undergraduate students—wonderful undergraduate students, who bring to our community their own special energy, outlooks, and dreams.

 What has been a favorite memory of working with Honors students?

Oh, my! This is a tough question for me because I’ve had many great experiences with our Honors students.

I think of playing corn hole with students on my back deck, of hosting dinner seminars for students in my living room, of doing “mock interviews” of students who are pursuing elite graduate-school scholarships, of having a

 How do you think Honors has strengthened the University of Georgia?

I have been a faculty member at the University of Georgia for nearly 38 years. During that time, UGA has experienced transformational changes, growing from an institution with a state and regional focus into a university of truly international prominence.

This evolution has been the product of many forces, including the efforts and foresight of key administrators, the support of state leaders and loyal alumni, the continuing expansion of high-quality programs, the recruitment of extraordinary faculty members, and more. But one key element has been the creation and re-creation of Honors. Among other things, the program has brought to our campus a large number of the very strongest college applicants in the nation. In higher education, a synergy always exists among the quality of students, the quality of teachers and staff members, and the quality of the programs that a school has to offer.

Honors has played a vital role in all of this, by bringing to UGA, and keeping at UGA, a body of students who bring to the table both the very highest aptitude and an eagerness to learn and to be of service to others.

Dan Coenen

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

9

DOT PAUL

STEPHANIE SCHUPSKA

ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER

Left: Phaidra Buchanan chats with Prof. Dan Coenen as they walk across the north campus quad on a spring morning in 2021. Top right: Prof. Coenen cracks jokes with students in the Law Library in early 2025. Bottom right: Prof.

Coenen talks to Foundation Fellows outside the School of Law in 2008.

 What advice would you give to students entering Honors?

First, be thankful. Second, participate.

Third, be nice but also be a little bit pushy. The point of the third piece of advice is basically this: The University of Georgia is a large institution, and, like other universities, it operates in a way that is very different from how high schools operate. As a result, the transition to college can present challenges. In addition, students sometimes have distinct goals—they may want to study a highly specialized subject, to find a one-of-a-kind cocurricular activity that best fits their personal interests, to reach beyond the university to render service in the broader community, or simply to have an occasional visit with a caring person who has already navigated the college experience. Precisely because the university is a big place, it sometimes can be difficult to find

10

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

the right individual or individuals who can genuinely help if you find yourself in such a situation. And my sense is that dealing with that reality requires you to be a little pushy—a little pushy with yourself and a little pushy with others, too. Reaching out to members of the staff of the Honors College, or to faculty members who are teaching Honors courses, may well prove to be of help. And you’ll never know whether that is the case unless you give it a try.  How has Honors enriched your life as a faculty member?

I teach in the Law School, so I work mainly with law students. But being involved in the Honors Program has put me in relationship with undergraduate students—wonderful undergraduate students, who bring to our community their own special energy, outlooks, and dreams. This aspect of my work has broadened me as both a professor

and as a person, including as a parent.

In addition, through my involvement in the Honors Program, I have had the chance to interact with many faculty members, staff members and alumni who are not connected with the Law School at all. Indeed, some of my most valued friends on campus are friends I have come to know, or know a good bit better, because of collaborations I have had with them through the Honors College. Among that group are each of the three most recent deans and directors of Honors—Meg Amstutz, David Williams, and Jere Morehead, who now serves as UGA’s president.

Each of these individuals is a caring person of the highest competence and character who has long been committed to the pursuit of excellence in their work with the Honors Program and the broader university. UGA has been deeply enriched by their efforts, and so have I.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT

Amanda Pruitt creates welcoming space as Honors’ chief business officer

STEPHANIE SCHUPSKA

Heart of Moore Hall

By Gracie Howard

O

ne of Amanda Pruitt’s biggest motivators within her role at the Morehead Honors College is her interactions with the many students who go in and out the doors of Moore Hall each day. She’s proud of the warm and inviting environment Honors creates for students, staff, and faculty alike.

Whether at convocation or graduation or during a quick stop in her office, Amanda is always happy to chat with the Honors College’s exceptionally bright students.

“When I see them come in as freshmen, and then I see them at the graduation banquet, it really just hits my heart,” Amanda said. “It means a lot to me.”

Initially starting at UGA as a procurement specialist two decades ago, Amanda was recently promoted to chief business officer in the Morehead Honors College.

Some of Amanda’s major responsibilities across her positions— she is also assistant to the dean— include working with the Honors College’s yearly budget and expenses, managing Dean Meg Amstutz’s busy work calendar, and handling various projects and improvements to Moore Hall.

One of her biggest recent projects involves gutting the fourth-floor computer lab and revamping it with new paint, furniture, electrical work, and equipment—including PCs, Macs, and spaces for personal laptops— to make the workspace a more

comfortable and inviting environment.

While renovating a space that has not been updated in over two decades is undoubtedly a huge project, it is only one tick on the list of developments that Amanda has in mind.

“I want the computer lab to be an environment that students want to sit down and hang out in,” Amanda said. “I want it to be comfortable and homey for them, but also an environment where they feel like they can sit down and learn as well.”

In addition to the computer lab project, Amanda plans to update seating in some of Moore Hall’s classrooms and to modernize the building’s paint colors.

Out of all the aspects of her job and its day-in-and-out responsibilities, Amanda’s favorite part of working at Honors is the people.

“It’s a good environment, it’s a healthy environment,” Amanda said. “I want to come to work because of many of the individuals that are here and because of the work that we’re doing for the students.”

Although she comes from a household packed with Bulldogs, Amanda didn’t always know that she would follow her family’s legacy at the University of Georgia. After spending the last 20 of her life at UGA, however, it’s easy to see that she made the right decision by creating a life for herself in Athens.

“My grandparents worked at UGA,” Amanda said. “My mom worked at UGA. My dad worked for the USDA

through UGA. My sister works at UGA, my brother-in-law, my niece, and my nephew. So, it was the inevitable, which I fought pretty hard in my early 20s, but I have been here for a long time.”

Outside of her work life at UGA, Amanda enjoys relaxing at her countryside home in Oglethorpe County with her husband and two sons. She is also an avid animal lover and spends time with her four rescue dogs, her cat, and her chickens— including a new set of baby chicks that arrived this spring.

“I always try and strive for balance and happiness,” Amanda said. “I like balance in everything.”

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

11

CAMPUS IMPACT

Greener & cleaner:

By Gracie Howard

A

t college campuses across the United States, litter is an undeniable issue; bottles and soda cans often lay lifeless on strips of pavement, and food wrappers dot lush green lawns.

One passionate Morehead Honors College student is working to change that at the University of Georgia.

“I really see the Office of Sustainability, for me, as a huge service opportunity,” said Dana Theoc, who was a Foundation Fellow and zero-waste intern at UGA’s Office of Sustainability during her time at UGA. “It’s a huge way that I can help give back to the Athens community, give back to the University of Georgia, and help create a more sustainable future so that future UGA students can come to a campus that’s greener and cleaner.”

Service is not a word Dana takes lightly.

While working as an intern at the Office of Sustainability for the past three years, she has grown, led, and maintained two campus initiatives: UGA’s Swap Shop and Water Bottle Reclamation Initiative. In 2024, she was named UGA’s Undergraduate Student Employee of the Year—out of UGA’s 8,940 student workers in spring 2024—because of her work with the office’s waste reduction coordinator.

The Swap Shop, located inside the Miller Learning Center, is a space for students to donate unwanted items, such as clothing and decor, for other students to pick up and use. This “free thrift store” services around 300 students per semester.

Along with providing fellow bulldogs with free and accessible options for clothing and other necessities, the Swap Shop also offers monthly sewing classes to encourage students to repair their garments instead of throwing them away.

12

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

Dana Theoc weighs a water bottle during checkout at UGA's Swap Shop.

The shop collects data to determine the amount of household goods they're keeping out of the landfills.

The Water Bottle Reclamation Initiative takes unclaimed reusable water bottles— such as Owalas, Hydroflasks, and Stanley cups—from lost-and-found boxes in about 10 buildings across UGA’s campus. The Office of Sustainability has partnered with campus dining halls to recondition the bottles, which are then donated to other people or organizations, such as Bigger Vision of Athens and the Backpack Project of Athens, two nonprofits serving the city’s homeless community.

Traveling all the way from Jamaica to attend college at UGA in 2021, Dana’s experience within Jamaican culture heavily shaped her views on sustainability and American trends of overconsumption.

According to Dana, Jamaicans are keen on using things for as long as possible and getting everything they can out of an item, whether through hand-me-down clothes or repurposing an ice cream tub as a soup container. This practice seems to be uncommon in modern-day American culture, she said, among seemingly increasing rates of overconsumption.

After noticing the lack of environmental consciousness in the Athens community, Dana became inspired. The primary goal of her work at the sustainability office is to keep as many items out of landfills as possible and to keep things, such as clothes, water bottles, and other household items, in use for as long as possible.

After graduating from UGA in May, Dana began a full-time position at McKinsey & Company, a strategy and management consulting firm, at their Atlanta branch to focus on work related to sustainability

STEPHANIE SCHUPSKA

Dana brings a Jamaican mindset on sustainability to her work on UGA’s campus

“

“I really see the Office of Sustainability, for me, as a huge way that I can help give back to the Athens community.”

Dana Theoc and eco-friendly policy development. She completed a summer internship with the company in 2022 and was invited back for a permanent role.

As for one of her even bigger goals, Dana hopes to one day be able to give back to her home country.

“Long-term, I would love to return home to Jamaica and continue working in sustainability and helping us to develop policies that aren’t just geared toward a net zero future, but just a future where circular economy in particular is prioritized,” she stated. “That sort of structure where people are keeping things in use for as long as possible, I think that’s something in Jamaica that is embedded into human behavior and social actions, but I would love to work in a government role helping build policies that institutionalize that.”

CAMPUS IMPACT

From Utah to Georgia Tyler joined Honors as a transfer student from Utah, ready to make the most of his time at UGA

By Parker Taylor

Top: Tyler Cox takes the stage at Nuçi’s Space. Bottom: During the Arch Policy Institute’s visit to the Georgia State Capitol in 2023, Tyler Cox and faculty advisor Tim Samples wait to go into a general legislative session.

STEPHANIE SCHUPSKA

SUBMITTED PHOTO

T

ransferring all the way from Utah in 2023, Tyler Cox entered the Morehead Honors College ready to make his time at the University of Georgia count. Despite knowing no one in Athens, Tyler quickly found supportive communities in Georgia through the involvement opportunities and events offered by Honors. “UGA is filled with some of the coolest people ever,” he said.

Once enrolled at UGA, Tyler set the goal of making the most of what the university has to offer, and he took a great first step.

He joined the Arch Policy Institute, a non-partisan, student-run policy think tank that gives students practice with discussing, writing, and implementing policy. Tyler worked hard and now leads the housing insecurity team for housing policy in Athens.

“I was a general member in API, then I joined a policy team, and I’ve gotten to meet a ton of people in politics, which has been awesome, and it’s all because of Honors,” he said.

Tyler has had the chance to present real policy recommendations to local government officials, and his concentration in policy mixed with the resources of Honors gave him the chance to intern as a finance fellow with Sen. Jon Ossoff. He is also doing an internship for the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank, giving him real-world experience in economic research and policy decisions.

Tyler’s passions don’t stop with policy. Through the music business program at UGA and the lively music scene in Athens, Tyler has been able to learn more about the music industry and work as a sound engineer at Morton Theatre and as a DJ with Sound Insight.

Tyler also gives back to Athens as a volunteer for MATHCOUNTS, tutoring local middle schoolers throughout the week.

While Athens may be far from his home in Utah, Tyler has made the Classic City a home away from home, finding ways to make the UGA community and the rest of town a more welcoming place.

“One of the coolest parts of Honors is that they put opportunity right in your face and you just have to grab it,” he shared, adding that he continues to seize every opportunity he can during his accelerated timeline at UGA.

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

13

GLOBAL STUDY

Class, kitchen & opera house Zack Sanchez, Keirsten Nizen & De’Nasia Thomas learn around the world thanks to Honors funding SUBMITTED PHOTO

By Anvika Menon and Parker Taylor Zack Sanchez, a landscape architecture student from Marietta, Georgia, spent summer 2024 completing the Design + Innovation for Sustainable Cities (DISC) program at the University of California, Berkley. With funding through the Honors Domestic Experiential Learning scholarship, Zack got to further explore his passion for urban design and sustainability while developing skills to move him forward in his education.

During the DISC program, he had the opportunity to work on a redesign for San Francisco’s Embarcadero, a stretch of piers in the San Francisco Bay. Through field trips, workshops, seminars, guest speakers, and group work with peers from across the world, Zack got to see firsthand how to build a better environment. He had the chance to present his in-progress work to the public, getting input from residents and feedback from real-world professionals.

Zack has always had an interest in the intersection of design and sustainability.

He chose to pursue landscape architecture out of a passion for building, but he has focused his sights on urban design.

He wants to put more emphasis on the greenery between buildings instead of the buildings themselves, and that passion has manifested in Zack’s involvement as a College of Environment and Design

14

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

ambassador and Georgia Students of Landscape Architecture member.

Outside of architecture, Zack has found creative outlets in other fascinating ways.

As a long-time cello player, he joined the UGA Philharmonia to maintain that specific creative outlet. He also added a minor in international affairs, hoping to dedicate more time to his creative outlet of researching, writing, and debating about world issues.

“Through my organizations, I have found a deeper understanding of our field and the connections within it, and I cannot wait to experience whatever comes up next,” he said.

SHARING A MEAL

Honors junior Keirsten Nizen took a bite into a fluffy Belgian waffle.

The combination of fresh and juicy strawberries, rich Nutella, and airy bread was unlike anything she had tasted before. The Belgian waffle, like most foods Keirsten had tried over her three weeks in Europe, was a smorgasbord of identity and culture, history and community.

Over the course of 19 nights, Keirsten, a nutritional sciences major and biomedical physiology minor on the pre-physician’s assistant track, traveled to six cities across three countries through the College of Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) Food and Nutrition of Spain, France, and

GRACIE HOWARD

BUILDING A BETTER ENVIRONMENT

Belgium Study Away trip.

An Honors International Scholars Program recipient, Keirsten visited an olive farm and olive oil factory in Madrid, learned about the slow food movement and took a paella class in Barcelona, toured wineries and tasted artisanal cheeses in Montpellier, explored chocolatier and pastry schools in Paris, and

SUBMITTED PHOTO

SUBMITTED PHOTO

GLOBAL STUDY

Above: Keirsten Nizen, center, takes a baking class while in France. Right: De’Nasia Thomas rides a gondola during her trip to Venice. Previous page: Zack Sanchez presents design work in California.

PERFORMING IN ITALY

As world-renowned conductor Nathalie Stutzmann’s hands delicately directed Richard Wagner’s “The Flying Dutchman” at the Teatro Regio di Torino, Honors junior De’Nasia Thomas watched in amazement.

A vocal performance and music theory

major from Waycross, Georgia, De’Nasia spent the summer in Turin, Venice, and Milan through the UGA Franklin Music Performance in Italy Maymester.

Through the program, she studied the origins of classical music from an Italian perspective, took lessons with an opera professor at the Milan Conservatory, toured the La Fenice Opera House in Venice, and performed both solo and choral pieces at churches around Turin. Some highlights of her trip included visiting Vivaldi’s church, STEPHANIE SCHUPSKA

indulged in Belgian waffles in Brussels.

Through two classes—cultural aspects of nutrition and study abroad in FACS— she attended lectures on the history of iconic foods, cooked delicious meals alongside her classmates, and presented to her professors and peers on how different cultures’ foods align with dietary recommendations.

On campus, Keirsten is involved with Sigma Kappa, UGA Miracle, and MATHCOUNTS, the latter of which she got connected with at Honors Convocation her freshman year. HISP funding, she said, "allowed me to dig into my nutritional sciences background through my study abroad before I embarked on my health professional journey.”

Of her time in Europe, she said her biggest takeaway was the pride Europeans have in their food and the ways in which humans bond with each other over shared meals despite coming from different cultural backgrounds.

“My 20 days abroad taught me more about the beauty and universality of being human than my 20 years of life prior, and for that, I am forever grateful,” she said.

Iglesia de la Piedad, where orphan girls in Venice took violin lessons in the 16th and 17th centuries, and sightseeing in St. Mark’s Basilica, where the marble floors and walls created bright acoustics.

Receiving Honors International Scholars Program funding was lifechanging for her.

“Coming from a low-income, minority community in South Georgia, no one in my family had ever traveled outside the country,” she said. “That experience in Italy allowed me to try new things, practice my Italian, and improve my opera technique.”

On campus, De’Nasia is involved with the African American Choral Ensemble and the Hodgson Singers, UGA’s premier audition-only choir. She also works as a community service assistant in Myers Hall, where she helps Honors freshmen adjust to dorm life. She was the featured singer at Honors Convocation in fall 2024 and spring 2025, belting out a beautiful rendition of “Georgia on My Mind.”

She hopes to earn a doctorate in vocal performance and teach and perform opera, musical theater, and jazz.

“Honors has helped me take graduatelevel music theory classes that make me more competitive for music performance graduate programs,” she said. “At convocation, a student speaker said, ‘You don’t have to be the best in every room you walk in. You just have to be willing to learn.’ I’ve been carrying that with me ever since.”

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

15

COVER STORY | CELEBRATING SUCCESS

A place at the top From major scholarships to SGA senators, the Morehead Honors College is making an impact as a top honors college

By Stephanie Schupska and James Hataway

I

t was early summer 2024. The University of Georgia had recently celebrated its commencement, saying goodbye to the undergraduates who started classes during the first year of the pandemic. Campus was quiet. Maymester classes were in full swing, led by UGA faculty in Athens and around the globe.

The 2023-2024 school year had been full of excellence and excitement—big scholarships, like the Rhodes, Schwarzman, and Goldwater awards; recordbreaking numbers, such as 11 Boren Scholarships,

giving students the ability to study overseas in world regions critical to U.S. interests; 600-plus students participating in the annual CURO Symposium; and 2,800 Honors students for the school year.

Then came an announcement that topped them all—the Morehead Honors College was first in the nation. The college had landed at the very top of a list of 50 university honors colleges and programs as ranked by College Transitions, publishers of the bestselling guide, “Colleges Worth Your Money.”

STEPHANIE SCHUPSKA

1616 // 2025 HONORS MAGAZINE

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

We asked our Honors Ambassadors:

What makes the Morehead Honors College special?

Lucy Fuselier and Will Stevens chat about fall classes during a break on Herty Field.

Ellie Crosland Communication Sciences & Disorders, Spanish “The strong community in the Honors College is what makes it so special. It truly is like a second family here at UGA. ”

STEPHANIE SCHUPSKA

“Places across the state of Georgia and the U.S. recognize that UGA has a really great group of students, and Honors especially draws those students in,” said Lucy Fuselier, a senior from Austin, Texas, majoring in finance and international business with a minor in Spanish.

Lucy represented the Morehead Honors College as a senator in the UGA Student Government Association during the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years. During her second term, she was joined by Will Stevens, a junior from Jefferson, Georgia, who is majoring in international affairs and public relations.

“It’s definitely humbling for me to be at the No. 1 honors college,” Will said. “It is really a testament to Dean Amstutz’s hard work, the hard work and intentionality of all of the Honors professors, and all of the opportunities that the college provides.”

SELECTION CRITERIA College Transitions identified three general characteristics—selectivity, benefits offered, and program rigor— for which each honors program or college was scored. Those scores were then standardized, weighted, and totaled.

Selectivity, which included test scores, GPA, and acceptance rate, accounted for 25% of a school’s overall score. Rigor, or the number of honors credit hours students are required to take as well as minimum GPA required to remain an honors student, also accounted for 25% of the overall score. The remaining 50% was dedicated to benefits, which included living-learning opportunities, research offerings, and support for applications to national and other competitive scholarships.

“This ranking is a testament to the talent and hard work over many years of our faculty, students, and staff,” said Meg Amstutz, dean of the Morehead Honors College. “We attract many of the nation’s best students to UGA through the Honors College, and they bring terrific leadership and energy to the campus.”

The 2023-2024 first-year Honors class held an average GPA of 4.2, an average SAT score of 1506, and an average ACT score of 34. These outstanding students participate in small classes, internship programs, domestic and international travel study, research, and many other programs for academically talented students.

MJ Pitt Economics “The thing that makes the Honors College at UGA the most special is definitely the students. They just want to learn everything they can.”

Parker Taylor Accounting “It’s little innovations that really make Honors stand out, the strong commitment to continuous growth Dean Amstutz and the staff and faculty have engrained in Honors.”

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

17

Honors Ambassadors, continued:

What makes the Morehead Honors College special?

Claire Mulkey Public Relations, English “The Honors College is special because it offers so many other things besides just Honors courses.

We do have that academic aspect, but there’s also the extracurricular aspect as well as the social aspect.”

Harshil Joshi Regenerative Bioscience “The Morehead Honors College differentiates itself with the variety it offers.”

Zoe DeLuca International Affairs, Environmental Economics & Management “Honors has such an environment of acceptance that it pushes you to be the best student, person, and professional you can be.”

1818 // 2025 HONORS MAGAZINE

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

MAJOR SCHOLARSHIPS The Morehead Honors College is also home to recipients of some of the nation’s most prestigious and competitive academic awards. UGA’s Major Scholarships Office is housed in the college, and its staff work with all UGA students across campus as they apply for national, high-level scholarships.

Honors student Mariah Cady was one of only 32 students nationwide named a 2024 Rhodes Scholar, marking the second year in a row that a UGA student received the honor. UGA has been a Top 3 producer of Rhodes Scholars among public institutions for the last 30 years.

Also in 2023-2024, Honors students Elaine “Lainey” Gammon and Sara Logsdon were named Goldwater Scholars; Alex Drahos was one of 60 undergraduates from across the nation to be selected as a 2024 Truman Scholar; and Ashni Patel was selected for the Schwarzman Scholarship.

The Morehead Honors College also supports the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities, which is open to all undergraduates pursuing faculty-mentored research, including students in their first year of study at UGA. Through the Major Scholarships Office and CURO, the Honors College supports all undergraduates at the institution.

“Being named the top honors college in the country is a remarkable honor and one that speaks volumes about the quality of our programs and the extraordinary achievements of our students,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “This recognition underscores our ongoing commitment to academic distinction and student success at the University of Georgia.”

FIRM FOUNDATION In March 1960, a Franklin College proposal for an honors program at UGA was adopted. That fall, 43 students enrolled in the first Honors courses, which included chemistry, history, philosophy, geometry, French, and political science.

In 1973, the UGA Foundation trustees created the Foundation Fellowship, the premier academic scholarship at UGA. In 1996, a $31 million gift from alumnus Bernard B. “Bernie” Ramsey elevated the

Foundation Fellowship to the ranks of America’s best.

The college was named in honor of President Morehead in 2021. Morehead served as director of the Honors Program from 1999-2004. The naming of the college was the culmination of a nearly $12 million fundraising campaign led by the UGA Foundation and its emeriti trustees to strengthen the Honors Program.

Today, the Morehead Honors College serves more than 2,900 undergraduates from across campus each year, including 651 incoming first-year students for fall 2025.

Students in Honors may choose any degree program at UGA. “All of the Honors students that I know have really worked hard for their spot at Georgia and continue to work hard,” Lucy said. “The outcomes of the students who graduate from here are a great reflection of how the Honors College can help you grow and accomplish your goals. The college has helped us develop a lot.”

UNIVERSITY REPRESENTATION Being named a college opened doors for Honors representation within UGA’s Student Government Association, specifically on the SGA Senate.

In 2022-2023, three Honors students served as inaugural Honors senators.

They were Khushi Mehta, Joshua Sandler, and Matthew Stoia. Khushi, a Foundation Fellow, graduated in 2024 with bachelor’s degrees in economics, international business, Spanish, and political science. She will matriculate at Harvard Law School in 2026 as a deferred admit. In May, Joshua graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics, and Matthew graduated with bachelor’s degrees in finance and real estate.

Before representing Honors, Khushi and Joshua served in different senate roles. They drafted a bill to amend the statutes of the SGA’s constitution and add assigned seats for Honors College senators. After committee meetings, legislative cabinet meetings, and debates, the bill was approved by the senate.

In 2023-2024, Lucy was elected, along with Olivia Kosobud, who is now a senior majoring in political science and international affairs. Lucy stayed

STEPHANIE SCHUPSKA

Left: Morehead Honors College Dean Meg Amstutz and 2023 Rhodes Scholar Natalie Navarrete talk on North Campus outside of Moore Hall. Right and below: Lucy Fuselier and Will Stevens stop for photos in front of Moore Hall and at the fall festival in Myers Quad.

PETER FREY

on for the 2024-2025 term, joined by Will. She ended her Honors senate tenure in April. For the 2025-2026 term, which began April 8, Will was joined by Laila Carter, a second-year Foundation Fellow majoring in journalism and political science.

“The energy of being surrounded by other motivated students who are trying to push themselves, push each other, and push the university forward is really exciting,” Lucy said. “And I think it pushes me to fully commit to everything that I’m in.”

Lucy and Will’s roles as SGA senators have involved committee and senate meetings, discussions with students and administrators, crafting bills, and voting on legislation. Recent bills that UGA senators have worked on range from increasing safety measures by adjusting open parking hours, to including more varieties of hot sauce in the dining halls, to coming up with a weekender meal plan for commuting students.

“You bring your experience and then you go represent your constituents, and that’s something special, especially with the Honors constituency, since it expands across campus,” Will said.

“It’s exciting to talk with engineering students, CAES students, SPIA students, and Terry students to have a broad, diverse base to pull from.”

SGA is a collaborative space that promotes community, much like Honors. Lucy and Will both expressed how much SGA has had a positive

GRACIE HOWARD

impact on their time at UGA as well as on their personal and professional development.

“Everyone’s just trying to make the university they love even better,” Lucy said. “It’s really sweet. It’s a lot of energetic people.”

“A lot of Honors people,” Will added.

While Honors has two senate seats per school year, students in the Morehead Honors College are eligible to run for senate seats in whatever college they are in, as well as executive branch and a variety of other positions. In fact, for the 2025-2026 executive branch, both the president, John Neely, and vice president and Foundation Fellow, Jhaycee Barnes, are Honors students.

FESTIVE FALL What Lucy and Will do is not all serious.

In fact, last fall, it involved some very

real fun and games in the form of a fall festival. On Oct. 16, students, faculty, and staff gathered in Myers Quad to chat, paint pumpkins, enjoy cider and donuts, and play lawn games. The fall sunlight was dazzling, and the event’s turnout guaranteed its success.

“We wanted to have a fun, casual opportunity for professors and students to come together, to meet, to celebrate themselves, and also look to the future,” Will said.

“UGA has really emphasized community, and we just wanted to create an event that was for the community and also to celebrate the Honors College,” Lucy said. “Professors are the ones who keep bringing energy semester after semester to new groups of students, and I think it’s really special that we’re able to celebrate them and to celebrate our No. 1 ranking.”

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

19

Fall Festival at Myers Quad

Students, staff, and faculty of the Morehead Honors College community gathered on Oct.16 in Myers Quad to celebrate the first-ever Honors Fall Festival.

Amongst the brisk air and falling leaves of the autumn afternoon, students painted pumpkins, played games, won raffle prizes, and enjoyed delicious doughnuts and apple cider. 2024-2025 SGA senators Will Stevens and Lucy Fuselier spearheaded the event.

PHOTOS BY GRACIE HOWARD

20

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

SCHOLARSHIPS

2024-2025

Crane Leadership Scholars

F

or 2024-2025, Honors students were recognized for their exemplary leadership efforts as recipients of the William Moore Crane Leadership Scholarship. The $1,000 scholarship, awarded to third-year students in the Morehead Honors College, recognizes leadership in extracurricular activities and/or involvement with civic or community organizations.

Our students’ leadership experiences range from orientation leader, Crisis Communication Think Tank, Vinson Fellow, and MATHCOUNTS to Arch Society, Athens Prison Tutorial, Leonard Leadership Scholar, and the Student Government Association.

Administered by the Morehead Honors College and Engagement, Leadership, and Service within the UGA Division of Student Affairs, the scholarship is named in honor of a 1921 UGA graduate who was influential in the founding of the UGA Alumni Society.

Sara Anis Ali

Alexandra Audrain

As a CURO Honors Scholar and a Vinson Fellow for the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, Sara has explored issues relating to truancy rates within Georgia public schools, the impact of specific gun legislation on homicide rates, and the effectiveness of probation programs for misdemeanor drug charges.

Sara is a fellow in Harvard’s Future Leaders in Law program. She plans to attend law school.

A 2024 orientation leader, Alexandra dedicates her UGA experience to student mentorship. She has been a peer leader for SGA’s First Year Forum and, with the UGA Catholic Center, an Ignite team leader.

After graduation, Alexandra plans to pursue a career dedicated to global respect for women’s rights.

Hometown: Fayetteville Majors: Political Science, International Affairs

Hometown: Kennesaw Majors: International Affairs, Women’s Studies; Minors/Certificates: International Human Rights & Security, Nonprofit Management & Leadership

Sophia Beasley

Nicole Cortes

A CURO Honors Scholar, Sophia conducts research with Dr. Greg Day focusing on antitrust law. She presented FinTech research under Prof. Lindsay Jones at the 2024 Academy of Legal Studies in Business conference.

She aims to leverage her research and marketing expertise in a consulting role to help businesses enhance their advertising and marketing strategies.

A Boren Scholar and Security Leadership Program Fellow, Nicole intends to pursue a career related to U.S. national security following graduation. Through the Portuguese Flagship Program, she is studying and working in Brazil this year.

Nicole’s research interests have been shaped by the Crisis Communication Think Tank at UGA, under the guidance of Dr. Yan Jin.

Hometown: Watkinsville Major: Marketing; Certificates: Informatics, Legal Studies

Hometown: Locust Grove Major: International Affairs; Minors/Certificates: Portuguese, Sustainability

21

Morehead Honors // 2025 2025 College HONORSMagazine MAGAZINE // 23

Joe Eustace

Hometown: Wilton, Connecticut Majors: Computer Science, Economics As President Pro-Tempore of the SGA Senate, Joe supports and mentors senators through SGA’s legislative process.

Joe enjoys finding practical solutions to cybersecurity problems and advocates for stronger measures on campus. Digital privacy and safeguarding electronic databases interest him. He plans to pursue a master’s degree in business analytics or work in a cybersecurity or computer forensics role.

Suchi Iyer

Hometown: Lilburn Major: Microbiology Suchi explores the intersection of microbial ecology and public health under the mentorship of Dr. Erin Lipp.

She interned with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Geological Survey in science communications and outreach.

She pursues community service with the UGArden and Franklin Residential College. After graduation, Suchi plans to earn a PhD and pursue research in environmental microbiology and public health.

22

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

Eliza Fausset

Lindsey Hildrum

Eliza serves as a lead peer tutor with the Office for Student Success and Achievement. She is a student organizer with local politics and Stop Cop City Movement.

She plans to teach English abroad before pursuing a PhD in applied sociology. She hopes to conduct research on policing, social movements, and community-based alternatives to policing.

Lindsey is founder and president of the UGA chapter of DECA, resident assistant in Hill Community, Leonard Leadership Scholar in the Institute for Leadership Advancement, and member of Alpha Lambda Delta and Beta Gamma Sigma.

After graduation, Lindsey plans to earn her MSBA and pursue a career in business analytics and consulting.

Hometown: Atlanta Major: Sociology; Minors/Certificates: Spanish, Urban & Metropolitan Studies, Global Studies

Hometown: Milton Major: Economics; Minors/ Certificates: Spanish, Actuarial Science, Personal & Organizational Leadership

Thomas Mathisen

Sofia Monteiro

Thomas explored his interests in commercial real estate and development by interning with one of the nation’s largest developers.

He is involved in Out for Undergrad Business, Magellan Business Program, Kennedy Society, Alpha Kappa Psi, Real Estate Society, Terry Student Consulting, and the club swim team.

He is interning in Wells Fargo’s Specialty Real Estate Finance Team.

As co-president of the Lilly Branch Bird Club, Sofia fosters a love of birds and the outdoors. She received the Women’s Wildlife Management Conservation Scholarship for her work with wildlife as a female minority. She is involved with the UGA Catholic Center, is vice president of UGA’s Wildlife Society, and is vice president of the UGA Herpetological Society. She hopes to obtain graduate degrees and conduct research with birds at an academic institution.

Hometown: Charleston, South Carolina Majors: Finance, Real Estate; Certificates: Urban & Metropolitan Studies, Workforce Diversity

Hometown: Lawrenceville Major: Fisheries & Wildlife

Sana Raheja

Lana Smith

Parker Taylor

Sana is an active Arch Society member, tutors incarcerated individuals through the Athens Prison Tutorial, and volunteers with the SGA Professional Clothing Closet. She is also a public utilities administration intern for Athens-Clarke County.

In summer 2024, Sana studied business and culture in Tanzania.

She aims to pursue a career in investment banking, transitioning into a firm focusing on sustainability and impact investing.

Lana provides patient support at the Clarke Middle Health Center, Athens Free Clinic, and Athens Heart Center.

She is co-chair of Equal Education for Athens and is on the events board of UGA’s Doctors Without Borders.

She is a Hollingsworth Award recipient, a PSO Student Scholar, and a math tutor for the UGA Athletic Association. Lana plans to obtain an MD and complete a residency and fellowship in pediatric surgery.

Parker is a mentor as an Honors teaching assistant, Honors Ambassador, MATHCOUNTS tutor, and Honors PAL Mentorship Program participant. He is a Terry Ambassador and played trumpet and taught marching fundamentals with the Redcoat Marching Band.

Parker is interning with PwC this summer in their digital assurance and transparency group. He will complete his Master of Accountancy through the Double Dawgs program.

Camy Teichman

Finn Walsh

Through a campus sustainability grant, Camy is working to reduce food waste and divert products from the landfill at Hillel of UGA. In the Odum School of Ecology, she is researching macroparasite co-infection and oyster health with Dr. Shelby Ziegler and Dr. Jeb Byers. She is a member of Sigma Alpha Iota. Camy plans to work on environmental policy and continue to advocate for sustainable practices and policies.

With the Medical Reserve Corps Students at UGA, Finn organizes events to train students in emergency preparedness. She conducts research in infectious disease ecology with Dr. Andrew Park. Finn is a volunteer at Piedmont Athens Regional Hospital, a member of the Honors Medicine in Literature book club, and an inductee into Sigma Delta Pi. She plans to pursue an MD-PhD and a career in global health and infectious diseases.

Hometown: Buford Majors: Finance, Statistics

Hometown: Marietta Major: Ecology; Minors/Certificates: International Affairs, Sustainability

Hometown: Denver, Colorado Majors: Mathematics, Biology; Minor: Art History

Hometown: Ringgold Major: Accounting

Hometown: Atlanta Majors: Genetics, Spanish

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

23

UGA sets record with three

SCHWARZMAN Aryan Thakur, Amanda Whylie, and Garrett Williams

I

n 2025, the University of Georgia set a record with three Schwarzman Scholars in a single year, and the Schwarzman Scholars program announced its 10th class of recipients.

The UGA recipients are Aryan Thakur of Cumming, Amanda Whylie of Kingston, Jamaica, and Garrett Williams of Atlanta. The award will allow each of them to pursue a one-year master’s degree in global affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, starting this August.

Schwarzman Scholars are taught by leading international faculty and study a core curriculum focused on leadership and global affairs and China, helping them learn to navigate the complexities of an evolving global landscape.

The 150 scholars in the incoming Schwarzman Class of 2026 were selected from a pool of nearly 5,000 applicants, the most ever to apply. The scholars represent 38 countries and 105 universities. Ten classes of Schwarzman Scholars have been named since the highly competitive program opened to applicants in 2015.

“It is a global group of students, and I’ve never been in a group of people that diverse before, so I’m really excited to see what I can learn and talk about in that space,” Amanda said.

Aryan and Amanda were both Foundation Fellows in the Morehead Honors College, graduating in May. Aryan earned bachelor’s degrees in genetics and mathematics in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, and Amanda pursued a bachelor’s degree in entertainment and media studies in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and a minor in Spanish.

Garrett, who was a Ramsey Honors Scholar in the Morehead Honors College, graduated from UGA in 2022 with bachelor’s degrees in economics and finance from the Terry College of Business with a certificate in personal and organizational leadership and a minor in communication studies. He is now

24

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

a senior associate consultant at Bain & Company in Atlanta, where he advises clients in the media, consumer, and technology industries.

The addition of Aryan, Amanda, and Garrett brings UGA’s total number of Schwarzman Scholars to 11.

Aryan is actively involved the design of digital health tools as an artificial intelligence development intern with the Atlantabased startup AllaiHealth, a patient medical history platform. He wants to use technology to advance global health equity.

“One thing I’m excited to learn about as a Schwarzman Scholar is figuring out how cutting-edge health technology is designed for Chinese populations, how the health-seeking behaviors of Chinese people are reflected in their tools, and how that can inform tools I help to develop in the future,” he said.

As a Schwarzman Scholar, Amanda plans to use her passions for service, story, and travel to advance her leadership impact as she works to extend Caribbean partnerships with China.

“China has one of the world’s largest entertainment and media industries, and coming from Jamaica, I really want to understand how China uses their culture, films, and TV as pioneers of that culture and how they empower people through film and TV,” she said.

Garrett plans to further examine how media is produced, consumed, and monetized under different cultural contexts.

“China’s entertainment and technology industries have grown over the last 20 to 30 years independent of Western influence because they have protected their domestic industries,” he explained. “That’s resulted in technological developments, innovations, and consumer behavior different than the Western world, and I’m interested in learning how it’s evolved and how the global ecosystem could potentially be further integrated.”

—Stephanie Schupska

STEPHANIE SCHUPSKA

SCHOLARSHIPS

STANFORD UNIVERSITY

SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS 2024-2025 3 SCHWARZMAN SCHOLARS (2025) 1 SCHWARZMAN SCHOLAR (2024) 1 KNIGHT-HENNESSY SCHOLAR (2025)

KNIGHTHENNESSY Yeongseo Son

1 TRUMAN SCHOLAR (2025) 1 TRUMAN SCHOLAR (2024) 3 GOLDWATER SCHOLARS (2025) 2 GOLDWATER SCHOLARS (2024)

A scientist and storyteller in training, the University of Georgia’s Yeongseo Son has been selected for the 2025 Knight-Hennessy Scholarship, a global graduate1 UDALL SCHOLAR (2025) level program at Stanford University. The program is designed to prepare students to take leadership roles in finding creative solutions to complex global issues.

Yeongseo, who is from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, graduated from UGA on May 10.

Now an alumna of the Morehead Honors College, she is Foundation Fellow and Stamps 17 FULBRIGHT OFFERS (2024) Scholar who earned bachelor’s degrees in anthropology and biochemistry and molecular biology as well as a certificate in immunology from the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.

1 SCOVILLE PEACE FELLOW (2024) Established in 2016, the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program provides full funding for graduate students as they pursue studies ranging from medicine to law to doctoral programs as well as joint and dual degrees.

Yeongseo is UGA’s fourth Knight-Hennessy Scholar. She will pursue a PhD in immunology 7 BOREN SCHOLARS (2025) from the Stanford University School of Medicine. She plans to research how the immune system interacts with the environment, particularly within the lungs, to improve global respiratory health. Her goal is to integrate other scientific disciplines, like developmental 11 BOREN SCHOLARS (2024) biology, and uncover molecular mechanisms behind lung dysfunction and lung immune environments. Ultimately, she wants to lead a lung immunology lab and establish a multidisciplinary lung health center.

“Exposed to the external environment, our lungs mount immune 1 DOUGLASS-O’CONNELL INTERNSHIP (2025) responses,” Yeongseo said. “Sometimes, they fail. Worldwide, chronic respiratory disease is a leading cause of death, and lung cancer is the deadliest cancer. Beyond my own fascination, understanding the 1 BEINECKE SCHOLAR (2024) lungs is incredibly important for the global community.”

Yeongseo conducted research with faculty at UGA and Vanderbilt University. With Balazs Rada in the UGA Department of Infectious Diseases, she researched a bacterial protein that can potentially be used to treat cystic fibrosis patients. With Jennifer Sucre 1 SCHMIDT FELLOW (2024) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, she characterized a novel mechanism of alveologenesis. With Suzanne Pilaar Birch of the UGA Quaternary Isotope Paleoecology Lab, she gained skills in analyzing Bronze Age teeth and bones from 2024 SIGMA NU MAN OF THE YEAR a variety of sites in Europe, including Spain, Italy, and Cyprus.

—Stephanie Schupska

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

25

SCHOLARSHIPS

TRUMAN Mercedes Bengs Mercedes “Sadie” Bengs is one of 54 undergraduates from 49 colleges and universities across the nation to be selected as a 2025 Truman Scholar, given each year to students who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership potential, and commitment to a career in government or the nonprofit sector.

In April, Mercedes was also named a Boren Scholar—and was selected for the 2025 Iris Burton Bulls Fellowship, a program designed to mentor and support future military officers in their career development.

Mercedes is a senior from Aberdeen, South Dakota, and is studying international affairs in the School of Public and International Affairs and Russian in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. She is a cadet in UGA’s Air Force ROTC, is in the Russian Flagship Program, and is a Russell Security Leadership Program Fellow.

When she commissions into the Air Force, she will continue a family legacy as a fourth-generation military service member; her father retired from the Air Force as a lieutenant colonel.

Mercedes is a mission support group commander in the Air Force ROTC. The Truman Scholarship provides funding for graduate studies and opportunities for training, internships, and fellowships. This year’s Truman Scholars were selected from 743 candidates who were nominated by 288 colleges and universities.

Mercedes will graduate from UGA in 2026 after studying abroad in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where she will complete her capstone year for the Russian Flagship Program. She will then pursue a master’s degree focused on Russian, East European, and

26

On April 14, President Jere W. Morehead and Dean Meg Amstutz surprised Mercedes Bengs with the news she was a 2025 Truman Scholar. She was in a class taught by Maryann Gallagher, far left, director of the Richard B. Russell Security Leadership Program.

Eurasian studies. She wants to continue research on the use of artificial intelligence during combat from the perspectives of both international policy and technology development. Her goal is to understand AI and its uses to help better regulate it.

A graduate degree in Russian studies also allows Mercedes to become a foreign area officer when she achieves the rank of captain in the Air Force. She hopes to represent the Air Force in an embassy, supporting U.S. diplomatic efforts and developing cross-cultural relationships.

Her interests in lethal autonomous weapons systems and Russia’s use of artificial intelligence against civilians have won her research grants through the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the UGA Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities.

—Story & photos by Stephanie Schupska

Truman, 2024

Douglass-O’Connell

Alex Drahos, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, graduated this spring with bachelor’s degrees in international affairs, political science, and urban studies. A Foundation Fellow, he plans to pursue a master’s degree in urban innovation and the built environment. He was a team lead in the UGA Student Industry Fellows Program and was named a Sam Nunn Scholar for his work as a Security Leadership Program Fellow.

Rayna Carter, from Loganville, is studying psychology, sociology, and women’s studies. A Foundation Fellow and Stamps Scholar, she will travel to Dublin, Ireland, this summer for the eight-week Douglass-O'Connell Global Internship program. Rayna is involved in the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation and the Eta Xi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She was a CURO Honors Scholar, CURO teaching assistant, and an orientation leader.

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

SUBMITTED PHOTO

SCOVILLE Sean Manning

Sean Manning, a 2025 Scoville Peace Fellow, is exploring a future in politics through the Morehead Honors College.

No stranger to high achievement at the University of Georgia, Sean has been recognized for his hard work both in and out of the classroom. He was recently named a Scoville Peace Fellow, a program that will allow him to work full-time with senior-level policy experts at one of more than two dozen leading think tanks and advocacy groups in Washington, D.C. “The Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship is an incredible honor and will give me the opportunity to work at the intersection of nonproliferation and politics after graduation,” Sean said. “I will dive headfirst into the field as I leave Athens.

I’m so grateful to UGA and Honors for the skills, experiences, and mentorship necessary to thrive as a Scoville Fellow.”

A Sen. Sam Nunn Scholar and Blue Key initiate who is majoring in international affairs and economics with a minor in Arabic, Sean is a senior from Hahira, Georgia.

Sean completed a summer in Washington, D.C., as a recipient of the 2024 Honors in Washington scholarship. With this award, Sean interned at Noblis in the Defense Threat Reduction Agency Cooperative Threat Reduction contract. It allowed him to gain more personal and professional experience—an opportunity that Honors helped make possible.

“Honors in Washington was an incredible experience and allowed me to live in Washington when costs may have otherwise been prohibitive,” Sean said. “To me, Honors

Sean Manning, in green jacket, worked on the PROVIDE ticket for the 2024 executive SGA seats.

in Washington represents the Honors College and UGA’s commitment to student success, no matter their background.”

His accomplishments made him a notable speaker at the Honors Convocation ceremony last fall, where Sean shared the stage with Dean Meg Amstutz and other Honors students, speaking with first-year students about his experiences at UGA. Sean has given his all to extracurricular activities as well.

From an early start with the Student Government Association his freshman year, Sean has worked his way to chief of staff, overseeing initiatives by the SGA executive cabinet while leading weekly cabinet meetings. Sean made an even more impressive mark on student government when he worked as campaign manager for the PROVIDE ticket, which received about 76% of student votes for the 2024 executive seats of president, vice president, and treasurer.

“Throughout my time in SGA, my utmost goal has been to passionately advocate for students and bring about meaningful solutions,” Sean said.

SGA is not the only place Sean shines. He leads Model U.N. at UGA as the secretary general, managing the organization’s budget to make room for conferences across the world. Notably, he became Model U.N.’s first homecoming representative at UGA. “UGA Model U.N. was one of the first Model U.N. teams in the country, so it is an honor to helm this incredible group of individuals,” Sean said.

—Parker Taylor

Goldwater, 2024

Goldwater, 2024

Elaine “Lainey” Gammon, from Reno, Nevada, graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in astrophysics.

She plans to pursue a PhD in astrophysics. Her goal is to study galaxy evolution in the early universe and teach at the university level. She conducted research through CURO and through an REU at the University of Texas at Austin.

She was in the Redcoat Marching Band and tutored math and science.

Sara Logsdon, from Potomac, Maryland, graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics.

A Foundation Fellow, she plans to earn a PhD in mathematics and conduct research in abstract algebra and cryptography. She interned with the U.S. Department of Energy and Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab and conducted research through CURO. She also attended the Budapest Semester in Mathematics.

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

27

Top producer of Fulbright U.S. students Seventeen University of Georgia students received Fulbright offers for the 2024-2025 academic year, placing UGA among the top producing institutions for Fulbright U.S. students. This is the third year in a row—and the seventh time in 12 years—that UGA has been named a top producer of Fulbright U.S. students.

Of the 17 UGA students and recent alumni offered Fulbright awards for 2024-2025, 13 were able to accept. Eight taught English in countries including Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Romania, Spain, and Taiwan. Five studied or conducted research; their countries were Brazil, Colombia, Madagascar, Taiwan, and Tunisia.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers research, study, and teaching opportunities in more than 160 countries to recent graduates and graduate students. As the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, it is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and countries worldwide.

Among UGA’s recipients, Shrika Madivanan worked at the West University of Timișoara in Timișoara, Romania, as a lecturer in English and American studies. Shrika, an Honors alumna from Atlanta, earned bachelor’s degrees in international affairs and communications in 2024.

“Connecting with my students has brought me immense joy and fulfillment, making it clearer than ever that I am truly aligned with what I am meant to do,” she said.

Leah Whitmoyer was in Tunisia working on a variety of agricultural research projects, including compost production for an artichoke farmer, well water sampling for salinity, and aquifer monitoring. An Honors alumna and Foundation Fellow from Tucker, Leah graduated in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in biological science. She was a 2022 Voyager Scholar.

She explored “farmers’ willingness to use treated wastewater and studying practices for growing peppers used in the iconic Tunisian harissa paste,” Leah said. “Beyond research, I’ve enjoyed studying the Tunisian dialect of Arabic and exploring the country’s diverse landscapes.”

—Stephanie Schupska

28

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

2024 Boren Scholars include, front row, MaryQuinn Mills, Alimata Bah, Dalma Arteaga Rosales and Emily Medlock; back row, Connor Mason, Emily Hinckley, Nicole Cortes, Bridget Goodman, and Davis Potts. Not pictured are Jocelyn “Yoshi” Castro and Madi Fulton.

Second in the nation for Boren Awards The University of Georgia ranked second in the nation as a 2024 topperforming institution for Boren Scholarships after 11 undergraduates were selected as Boren Scholars. This marks the fourth year in a row UGA has been named a top-performing institution for Boren Scholarships.

The Boren Scholarship is designed to add important international and language components to students’ educations by giving them the opportunity to study overseas in world regions critical to U.S. interests before committing to work in the federal government in exchange for $25,000 in funding.

The following recipients were awarded to attend a capstone-year program to study Portuguese and complete an internship in Brazil. Dalma Arteaga Rosales of Madrid, Spain, and Santa Cruz, Bolivia, is majoring in international affairs, supply chain and operations management, and Portuguese. Nicole Cortes of Locust Grove is an Honors student majoring in international affairs, minoring in Portuguese, and pursuing a certificate in sustainability. Bridget Goodman of Decatur is an Honors student majoring in journalism, comparative literature, and Portuguese. Emily Hinckley of Alpharetta is majoring in international affairs and minoring in Portuguese and Latin American and Caribbean studies. Connor Mason of Auburn is majoring in biological engineering and minoring in Portuguese. Davis Potts of Watkinsville is an Honors student majoring in international affairs and Portuguese.

The following recipients were awarded to attend a capstone-year program to study Russian and complete an internship in Kazakhstan. Madi Fulton of Kennesaw is an Honors student majoring in Russian and Spanish and minoring in international affairs. Emily Medlock of Suwanee is a majoring in international affairs and Russian.

The following three recipients were awarded a Boren Scholarship to support their language study in a variety of countries. Alimata Bah of McDonough was awarded a Boren Scholarship to study Arabic in Jordan and is an Honors student majoring in international affairs and political science and minoring in Arabic. MaryQuinn Mills of Gainesville was awarded a Boren Scholarship to study Mandarin in Taiwan and is majoring in international affairs and Asian languages and literature, with a Chinese emphasis, and minoring in TESOL. Jocelyn “Yoshi” Castro of Gainesville was awarded a Boren Scholarship to study Korean in South Korea and is majoring in international affairs and minoring in Korean.

—Stephanie Schupska

STEPHANIE SCHUPSKA

SCHOLARSHIPS

STEPHANIE SCHUPSKA

From left to right are 2025 Goldwater Scholars Sloka Sudhin, Anderson Smith, and Oscar de la Torre.

GOLDWATER

Oscar de la Torre, Anderson Smith, Sloka Sudhin From crop molecular genetics to estuarine mussels to computer experiments, three University of Georgia juniors have been honored for furthering research in their fields of study.

Oscar de la Torre, Anderson Smith, and Sloka Sudhin are among the 441 undergraduates from across the nation to be recognized as Barry Goldwater Scholars. They have earned the highest undergraduate award of its type for the fields of mathematics, engineering, and natural sciences.

Oscar is from Chicago and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in applied biotechnology in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Anderson is a Foundation Fellow from Virginia Beach and is pursuing bachelor’s and master’s degrees in ecology in the Odum School of Ecology. Sloka is a Foundation Fellow and Stamps Scholar from Marietta and is majoring in data science and applied mathematics in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. All three recipients have received funding from the Center for Undergraduate

Research Opportunities.

Since 1995, 70 students at UGA have received the Goldwater Scholarship, which recognizes exceptional sophomores and juniors across the United States.

Oscar de la Torre plans to earn a PhD in genetics with an emphasis on plant science. As a crop molecular geneticist, he hopes to identify and edit traits in crop genomes that will improve crop yield, stimulate disease resistance, and expand nutrition. His goal is to use scientific tools to improve food security on a global scale.

“Receiving the Goldwater Scholarship represents all of the hard work I have put into my personal and academic growth, which is made possible by the wonderful experiences I have been fortunate enough to have at UGA,” he said.

Anderson Smith plans to earn a PhD in ecology, focusing on the genetic population structures of species threatened with extinction. Her goal is to teach and conduct research that will help to conserve Earth’s biodiversity.

“Receiving independent funding from the Goldwater Foundation helps me to

keep doing the science I’m passionate about,” she said. “It means a group of professionals read my work and found value in the connection between genes and ecosystems, between the little estuarine mussels I study and abstract concepts like salt marsh restoration and climate change.”

Sloka Sudhin plans to earn a PhD in applied math or computer science.

She wants to conduct research at the intersection of optimization algorithms and predictive modeling through complex computer experiments. Her goal is to translate real-world phenomena into mathematical problems and apply powerful theoretical results in new ways to find the best algorithms.

“With applications from aerospace engineering, to mapping brain activity, to traffic-control, to weather modeling, it’s a vast field that encompasses what I love so much about statistics: getting to play in the backyard of other research fields while applying my own skills and expertise to their problems,” Sloka said.

—Stephanie Schupska

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

29

SCHOLARSHIPS

UDALL Michael Skibsted

30

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

books. Through this work, he and his team have created the most comprehensive audio log of turtle science available. The 71 available episodes have been downloaded over 22,000 times with around 4,300 listener hours. He was able to use an Honors Domestic Experiential Learning Scholarship in 2024 to help fund it. He is constantly looking for partners to support the endeavor, he said, sharing that he hopes to turn the podcast framework into a turtle-focused ecotourism venture.

Michael also works with Russ Mittermeier, chief conservation officer for Re:wild, updating diversity metrics for turtles and other fauna in the Southeastern Coastal Plain biodiversity hotspot.

With John Carr, Professor Emeritus at the University of Louisiana Monroe, he recently wrote a book chapter on snapping turtles for Lynx Nature Books’ “Handbook of the Reptiles of the World.”

—Stephanie Schupska SUBMITTED PHOTO

Michael Skibsted’s driving force is turtles, and his interest in turtles and wildlife conservation has earned him a 2025 Udall Scholarship. The University of Georgia undergraduate is one of 55 students across the nation being recognized for leadership, public service, and commitment to issues related to the environment.

A third-year Honors student from Ladera Ranch, California, Michael is majoring in ecology in the Odum School of Ecology and biology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. He has also received funding for his research from the UGA Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities.

The Udall Scholarship is awarded to sophomores and juniors on the basis of their commitment to careers in the environment, Native health care, or Tribal public policy. With the addition of Michael, UGA has had 10 Udall Scholars in the past 10 years.

After earning a PhD in either ecology or biology, Michael is looking forward to developing creative solutions to problems in the realm of conservation biology and ecology. He has a particular emphasis on turtle conservation and research. He is looking to apply what he learns from this fascinating group of animals to broader issues related to humans and the planet.

“There is a largely untapped reservoir of knowledge intrinsic to turtles that could apply to fields as broad as cancer research and hotspot mapping in conservation science to defining competition in ecology and better understanding normative ethics,” he said. Turtles, the most threatened group of vertebrates on the planet, “truly are an immense wealth of biological information, a window into the pressing issue of biodiversity loss, and a cultural mediator and universal connector.”

Michael conducts research with John Maerz, Josiah Meigs Distinguished Professor of vertebrate ecology. He is first author on a journal article with Maerz, modeling pond turtle response to urbanization. With Zach Siders at the University of Florida and Eric Munscher at SWCA Environmental Consultants, Michael helped research and write a paper focused on developing a growth model of Florida softshell turtles.

In January 2022, he launched a podcast called the CheloniaCast (theturtleroom.org/cheloniacast) and assembled a team of nine undergraduates from seven universities to help with production. He has conducted 149 hours of discussions focused on turtle research and broader scientific topics with 98 guests from more than 110 organizations. Guests so far have cumulatively written over 7,000 research papers, have been cited 375,376 times, and have published more than 400

Emilio Ferrara

From Greek life councils to long days in the lab, Emilio Ferrara can do it all. A 2024 graduate who majored in biochemistry and molecular biology, Emilio received Sigma Nu Fraternity’s Man of the Year, Scholar of the Year, and Alpha Alumni Chapter Affiliate Awards in 2024.

The Man of the Year Award is given to the fraternity’s most outstanding leader across its more than 150 national chapters, and the Scholar of the Year Award is presented to the most academically excellent brother. The Alpha Alumni Chapter Affiliate Award is given to 10 outstanding seniors in Sigma Nu based on a competitive evaluation of the brother’s academic excellence, extracurricular record, and demonstrated leadership for the fraternity, school, state, and nation.

Before finishing his undergraduate journey at UGA, Emilio worked on translating science into medicine through undergraduate research at UGA’s Center for Molecular Medicine and in the Department of Biochemistry, earned a fellowship with biotechnology venture capital firm KdT Ventures, interned at biotechnology startup Tavros Therapeutics, and took a biomedical ethics course at the University of Oxford. He was also the president of UGA’s Interfraternity Council, a member of the Institute for Leadership Advancement, a 2023 Goldwater Scholarship recipient, and a national finalist for the Rhodes scholarship. On top of his impressive resume, Emilio was also a Foundation Fellow and Stamps Scholar at UGA. “I would place Emilio firmly in the top 1% of all students I have engaged with through undergraduate teaching and research,” said Kimberly Klonowski, associate professor of cellular biology at UGA. “Society needs more intersectional individuals like Emilio to make big changes and breakthroughs in established sectors that have been doing the same old thing with incremental success.”

He also had the privilege of serving as Sigma Nu’s Mu Chapter vice president.

In this position, Emilio increased chapter

leadership participation by 40% and was vital in organizing the chapter’s 150th anniversary celebration, which hosted more than 375 attendees. In Sigma Nu, Emilio served as an after-school volunteer coordinator with Extra Special People, a nonprofit that creates transformative experiences for people with disabilities.

He helped raise $180,000 for melanoma research funding while working as the head of the Mu Chapter’s funding and corporate sponsorships.

Emilio is finishing the first year of his PhD in bioengineering through a joint program at the University of California, Berkeley and University of California, San

STEPHANIE SCHUPSKA

SIGMA NU MAN OF THE YEAR

As an undergraduate at UGA, Emilio Ferrara, left, conducted research on CRISPR-Cas systems with Michael Terns, a Regents’ Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Genetics.

CHAMBERLAIN SMITH

Francisco. He plans to translate science into impact for patients by working at the intersection of scientific innovation and entrepreneurship.

“He is an extremely mature, articulate, personable, and highly motivated

individual, and, simply put, he is an exceptional student,” said Michael Adams, a UGA professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and microbiology.

—Gracie Howard

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

31

Parietal lobe Frontal lobe Occipital lobe

Cerebellum Temporal lobe

Medulla oblongata

Making an ‘indelible impact’ The Morehead Honors College prepares students for medical school and graduate education in the health sciences

By Chuck Toney

I

t was an opportunity long in the making. When the University of Georgia announced that the state had approved the creation of a new School of Medicine, Meg Amstutz, the dean of the Morehead Honors College, knew that her students and staff were poised for this historic moment.

“We have been successfully preparing UGA’s best students for admission to medical school and graduate education in the health sciences for a long time,” she said. “There has been a buzz in the Honors College since the medical school announcement was made—many of our students want to be in the inaugural class.

They want to be part of something historic.”

The Morehead Honors College, founded in 1960 with a handful of classes and about 40 students, now serves more than 2,900 undergraduates each year.

Through small class sizes, internship programs, travel-study funding, research opportunities, faculty connections, scholarship support, early registration, and alumni networks, the Honors College opens doors to the best the university has to offer. Those doors often lead to careers in health professions.

Honors alumnus Aaron Dino, from St. Marys, earned his bachelor’s degree in health promotion. Passionate about health equity, Aaron led community-based projects in rural Georgia and Alabama and has presented research on childhood disability advocacy training and measles mathematical modeling.

“UGA has a mission to address the needs of Georgia, and the new School of Medicine is meeting that need. It’s a perfect marriage,” Aaron said. “Through

32

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

SUBMITTED PHOTO

“

“UGA has a mission to address needs of Georgia, and the new School of Medicine is meeting that need. It’s a perfect marriage.”

Aaron Dino

medicine, I’m executing my personal mission for community engagement with underserved populations. What I have learned through the Medical Partnership and through its faculty is a philosophy of really caring about addressing what is local.”

Through working with the Athens Free Clinic, volunteering with Mercy Health Center, shadowing physicians in Southeast Georgia Health System, and coordinating outreach with the Lake Country Rural Health Initiative, Aaron is driven to bring health care directly to those who needed it most, even before he was able to attend medical school.

“Medicine demands an unwavering attention and comprehensive understanding of each individual’s unique story to prevent them from being lost in a sea of statistics,” he said. “I want to be a physician to land an individualized, indelible impact on those affected by health disparities.”

Aaron will begin medical school at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in the fall.

Honors alumna Saanvikha Saravanan, from Suwanee, is planning a career in health policy and law, and has taken advantage of the Honors College’s record of success in preparing students. She just embarked on a twoyear commitment as a federal health care consultant in Washington, D.C. Following that, she plans to enroll in law school and pursue a career in

international health law. Honors, she said, has provided support far beyond what she had imagined when she enrolled at UGA. “The resources that are provided for students and the advocacy that the staff provide are amazing,” she said. “The Honors College pushes and supports us to seize opportunities and make the most of them.”

Saanvikha cites two particular opportunities through which the Honors College gave her the chance to do things she never would have been able to do otherwise. She has received funding to travel and present research at national student conferences, such as the Stanford Undergraduate Research SUBMITTED PHOTO

Aaron Dino, left, keeps records at a Ghana vaccination clinic in 2023.

Saanvikha Saravanan, right, and Vybhavi Kotireddy worked with Susan Waltman at the Greater New York Hospital Association in 2024.

Conference. She also participated in the Honors in New York Internship Program with Susan Waltman, special counsel for the Greater New York Hospital Association and an emerita trustee of the UGA Foundation, as her mentor.

“That was by far the best semester I’ve had at UGA,” she said. “I have always been interested in the intersection of business, policy, and health care, and this internship gave me the opportunity to see that world up close. Ms. Waltman is one of my favorite people ever and an amazing mentor.

She invests so much in Honors students by finding projects for us, securing internships, and making connections with leading people in the medical and health fields to enhance our experience.

I am forever grateful.”

Among the dozens of courses offered

by Honors each semester are those directly related to the pursuit of medical and health sciences careers. Honors students can select from many courses in preparation for medical school in the STEM fields and other areas.

“Our students are fortunate to have these courses taught by outstanding faculty who do an excellent job of teaching and mentoring them,” Amstutz said. “I am certain that their commitment to teaching is critical to the success our students have in the medical student application process.”

Among these course offerings are:  Literature & Medicine: Using reading, discussion, and interpretation of literary texts that include medical themes, students focus on issues that medical professionals encounter in their daily practice: empathy, illness, suffering, death, dialogue, relationships, and the power of the human story.  Introduction to Disease: Students explore the many ways diseases can be caused in the body, how they happen and, in some cases, how they can be prevented.  Biomedical Ethics: The course introduces students to important problems in ethical and philosophical issues that arise in the context of medicine and bioresearch and develops a decision framework for their resolution.  Medical Sociology: Students explore topics such as the social sources of illness, social distribution of illness and health conditions, and social

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

33

meanings of illness.

Honors long ago decided to be innovative and intentional in providing support to its students. The core academic courses build the direct knowledge base, Assistant Dean Maria de Rocher said. What would separate UGA students from others was a fully rounded education that included reading literature and nonfiction books about the field and engaging in discussion groups; hosting book discussions led by faculty; providing writing support for the medical school and graduate education application process; offering

funding for a wide range of study abroad opportunities; and collaborating with the UGA Career Center’s PreProfessional Advising Office.

“These programs and activities help students clarify and articulate for themselves why they are pursuing this path. It is a process of self-discovery,” de Rocher explained. “It is particularly helpful for them to start the writing process for their applications early to clarify what their motivations are and why they want to do this. They need to demonstrate that they have reflected broadly on this decision.”

ALUMNI

A Doctor’s Journey Many bright rural students go off for an education and never return home. Before leaving his Valdosta home for college, Colby Ruiz was challenged not to forget where he came from.

Ruiz was a teenager when he watched his first surgery. He volunteered in the operating room at Valdosta’s South Georgia Medical Center Health, where his parents worked as nurses. Ruiz (BSA ’15) could have ended up in any of the hospital units except, at 14, he really didn’t want to wear the pink “candy striper” uniform of most hospital volunteers. When Ruiz learned that OR volunteers wore green, he was all in.

Even then, most volunteers didn’t actually cross the red line into the operating room. But Ruiz was offered an intriguing opportunity.

“Some of the doctors started to recognize me,” he recalls. “And then one day, one of the surgeons was like, ‘Hey, do you want to come and watch a case?’”

It became a regular occurrence as the young volunteer bonded with the surgeons.

He also met with patients during difficult times in their lives and developed empathy for their situations. These experiences ultimately set Ruiz on the path to becoming a vascular surgeon.

But before he graduated high school and left Valdosta behind, some of the doctors offered advice and a challenge.

First, they suggested he study in-state for college, telling him he “couldn’t get a better education anywhere” than at the University of Georgia.

The challenge?

“Don’t forget about us when you’re done.”

They meant: Don’t become another bright rural student who goes off for an education and never returns home.

SETTING OFF Ruiz came to Athens as a pre-med student on a scholarship from UGA’s Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities. He conducted research as a freshman in the lab of Walter Schmidt, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and a Georgia Cancer Coalition Scholar. There, Ruiz

34

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

A recent Honors book discussion led by Emma Laing, clinical professor of nutritional sciences and director of UGA’s dietetics programs, focused on “Anti-Diet: Reclaim your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating.” Shelley Nuss, founding dean of the School of Medicine, updated a large and enthusiastic group of Honors students on the new school’s progress.

There are two student-led Medicine in Literature book clubs in Honors.

Students select the books in consultation with de Rocher and meet to discuss them. Recent titles include:

 “The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care” by T.R. Reid  “The Perfect Predator: A Scientist’s Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir”

by Steffanie Strathdee and Thomas Patterson  “Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter” by Kate Clifford Larson  “Telltale Hearts: A Public Health Doctor, His Patients, and the Power of Story” by Dean David Schillinger.

Elizabeth Hughes, a student affairs professional, provides writing support

for Honors students who are applying for internships and scholarships, seeking professional opportunities, and beginning the application process for medical or graduate school. She works closely with juniors and seniors as they draft their personal statements and provides mock interview practice tailored to their individual applications.

As UGA enters an important new era in its standing as a research university with the addition of a School of Medicine, the Morehead Honors College will bring decades of

experience and practice to bear on its integration into the university’s academic life. It is as if, Amstutz says, this was the plan all along.

“What the Honors College has done over many years is think creatively about how we can best support our students who are focused on medical and health-related careers,” she said.

“Whether they enroll in medical school in Athens or in programs across the country, these students are preparing themselves well for important, muchneeded roles.”

PHOTOS BY ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER

experimented with a protein associated with pancreatic cancer.

He continued in the lab through his UGA tenure, eventually speaking at conferences with Schmidt. He was even published in a research journal.

“As a CURO Honors Scholar, I was able to hit the ground running and start a meaningful research project during my first semester on campus at UGA,” Ruiz shared with the Honors College. “This led to a very fruitful experience that challenged me and kept me focused on my greater career goals.

“I was constantly surrounded by peers and mentors that helped me to identify and work towards my personal goals while developing my communication skills and knowledge base. This longitudinal experience continued throughout my time at UGA and led to a scientific publication as well as multiple opportunities to present my research at local and regional conferences.

“This experience opened many doors for me (and continues to do so) and was a frequent topic of conversation in my medical school interviews. I can look back on many formative experiences in my time at UGA, but none is more formative than my participation in CURO as an Honors Scholar.”

After earning his degree in biological science from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Ruiz attended medical school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He completed his MD and stayed five more years for his residency at UNC, training in vascular medicine.

As a vascular surgeon, Ruiz helps people manage conditions ranging from blood clots to strokes and aneurysms. His patients are at risk of losing limbs or even death.

When operating, he might perform open surgery to repair an aorta, insert a stent to open an artery, or remove plaque from a vessel.

His skills as a surgeon can literally be a matter of life and death. But his ability to show empathy when helping patients manage their care is just as essential.

“You’re managing people’s emotions, feelings, and thoughts and helping them make decisions because it’s all about what the patient wants to do.”

Deanna Wagoner, center, talks with vascular surgeon Colby Ruiz in the hallway during a clinic visit at his offices in Valdosta as clinical nurse Michelle Simpson looks on.

THE DECISION Ruiz’s residency ended last summer, and it was time to figure out what he wanted to do. A fully trained surgeon with a wife and children, Ruiz hadn’t forgotten about Valdosta or the challenge from the surgeons who inspired him.

In July, he returned to SGMC to join the vascular surgery team.

“I came home, after all, to that same hospital that I started volunteering in back in the day,” Ruiz says.

His work in Valdosta is just getting underway, but he’s already looking to establish opportunities to bring high school students in to follow him and learn about becoming a doctor.

And who knows? Maybe Ruiz will inspire future doctors to come back and practice medicine in their hometowns.

—Aaron Hale, UGA Marketing & Communications

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

35

ALUMNI

Encouraging creativity ‘Opportunity to go above and beyond’ prepares alumnus Mack Williams for career that spans FX’s Archer, Saturday Night Live, and collaborations with TV and digital platforms

By Stephanie Schupska

M

ack Williams (BFA ’03) designed his way through the Honors Program, now the Morehead Honors College, both to complete his classwork and fulfill his course requirements. As an animation and digital media major, he didn’t have many Honors courses to choose from, so he got creative.

He credits the opportunity with giving him the drive he needed to succeed throughout his career.

“As an animation and digital media major, I had the opportunity to take many classes as Honors Options,” Mack explained.

Honors Options provide students in the Morehead Honors College with the opportunity to earn Honors credit on courses numbered 3000 or higher at the faculty’s discretion by completing additional assignments, papers, or projects.

“I took on extra coursework in collaboration with my instructor since fewer Honors classes were available in my area of study,” he said. “This opportunity to go above and beyond and come up with creative projects focusing on things that interested me was a massive lesson in the skills I would need later in life as a director and a freelance entrepreneur.”

A 2024 Bulldog 100 recipient originally from Blackshear, Georgia, Mack now lives in New York City.

He runs the boutique video production company Pig Apple with business partners and fellow UGA alumni Ed Mundy and Trevor Williams. Now a seasoned animator and Adobe After Effects specialist, his work includes shows like Archer, Saturday Night Live, and Sealab 2021. His clients include Netflix, Amazon, Apple, ESPN, and Univision.

Last fall, Mack returned to the University of Georgia’s campus to give the 2024 Jack Davis Lecture in honor of the centennial of Davis’s birth. Davis (1924-2016) was a cartoonist, illustrator, and founder of MAD Magazine. Jack Davis studied with artist Lamar Dodd at UGA and was beloved for his illustrations of the Georgia Bulldogs—usually a caricature of a bulldog pummeling opposing team mascots and/or celebrating after UGA victories, according to a tribute written by the UGA Alumni Association.

Mack shared with the Lamar Dodd School of Art that he remembers “attending football games with my dad, and I’d pay closer attention to Jack’s illustration on my souvenir Coke [cup] than the game itself. They were some of the most energetic and exciting cartoons I’d ever seen.”

This inspiration continues today, he said. “Jack Davis’s work is the North Star in everything I do, especially my illustration work.”

36

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

SUBMITTED PHOTOS

Left: Mack Williams; Above: Jack Davis and Mack Williams pause for a photo during Mack’s studies at UGA.

Classes in the Lamar Dodd School of Art and the dramatic media program were foundation to Mack’s success—and “the Honors Program at Georgia was an invaluable part of my undergrad experience,” he said. “Through Honors, I took a number of classes that I would likely never have taken otherwise. For example, one of my favorite classes at UGA was Honors Cultural Geography of the United States with Professor Andrew Herod,” who is now a Regents Professor and a Guggenheim Fellow. “I learned so many exciting things about the history of our country and cultural shifts that are still resonating today.”

Mack completed a senior thesis to round out his Honors coursework.

“My senior thesis probably had a bigger impact on my life than any individual class,” he shared. “I wrote about character animation in Adobe After Effects, which led to my first animation job and, eventually, my job as animation director on FX’s Archer.”

Sullivans + Honors

GIVING

Family discusses impact Honors has had on their children and why they give back

N

ancy Denlea and Michael Sullivan, both physicians in Brunswick, have sent five of their six children through the Morehead Honors College.

They share more about their family below.

What has Honors meant for your family?

We first learned about Honors at a prospective student orientation session.

We were interested to learn about the program, but we were most impressed with the achievements of the soon-to-be graduating seniors. Their accomplishments in a diverse array of fields of study were truly impressive.

Most importantly, our oldest son Christian (AB, MA ’20; JD ’23) was hooked and was already planning what he wanted to study and accomplish while an Honors student. In four years, he graduated with two majors, a minor, and a master’s degree.

His younger sister, Constance (AB, BSCHEM ’22), watching him, was equally hooked too since she wanted to study both Spanish and chemistry, and UGA Honors allowed her to do both while doing research—studies that have well prepared her for medical school at the AU/ UGA Medical Partnership.

Our third child, Britton (AB ’23, MA ’24), explored colleges across the United States, but chose UGA Honors. For him, there was so much to study and do, and he graduated in four years with a double major in English and Spanish and a master’s degree in Spanish literature.

Our fourth child, Spencer, already knew about UGA Honors and double majored in religion and economics. He graduated in three years and, following his oldest brother, is attending the UGA School of Law this fall.

Our youngest daughter, our fifth child, Gillian, has currently matriculated as an accounting and Spanish double major.

She again looked at multiple colleges but could find nothing comparable to the opportunities available at UGA Honors.

Besides all of the fun of UGA—game day, basketball games, frisbee clubs, swing dance clubs, as well as opportunities to

Gillian Sullivan takes a selfie of her family, which includes Nancy Denlea, Spencer, Constance, Christian, Elliot, Michael, and Britton Sullivan.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

help mentor at risk youth at Thomas Lay and tutor Spanish-speaking children at ULead—there is little that UGA Honors does not offer. For our five oldest children, UGA Honors represents opportunity and freedom—the ability to chart your own path in life.

What motivates you to support Honors?

We support Honors because we want to ensure other students across the state of Georgia and beyond can have the same opportunities as our children have had.

Nurturing and supporting bright young minds will build us all a better future.

What delights you most about Honors?

Through Honors, our children have had such wonderful opportunities. We love the fact that young adults have such opportunities, and we support Honors because we want it to continue. It is important to support what you believe in, and we believe in the Honors College at UGA. The Honors experience provides early registration and small classes but with all of the advantages of a large research

university. The Honors support staff makes all of this happen leading to an excellent college experience. In fact, if there is something you want to do—study abroad or add to your major—the Honors College will make it happen!

What in Honors has had the greatest impact?

It is truly hard to say what aspect of Honors has had the largest impact on our children’s education. There are so many good things at Honors! But the Honors seminars perhaps have made the most difference. Small class sizes with worldclass faculty discussing challenging and engaging topics have allowed our children to get the most from UGA. These classes have truly exposed our children to a wealth of material and help them chart their own path in the world.

What would you say to other families looking to get involved in Honors?

Your mind is your most important gift.

At the Honors College, the mind, body, and spirit of young adults is celebrated, promoted, and encouraged!

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

37

GIVING

Generations of giving

UGA alumni share how Honors impacted them Linda Carstarphen Gugin: A tribute to the UGA Honors Program Timing is everything. I enrolled at the University of Georgia in the fall of 1959 with a plan to major in journalism. At that same time the university was in the process of establishing specialized Honors courses, and the Honors Program was inaugurated in the academic year 19601961.

I am not sure when I became aware of the nascent Honors Program, but I suspect it was due to Dr. Boyd McWhorter, my academic advisor who later became dean of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. My first Honors course was in philosophy. From the outset it was an exhilarating and daunting experience.

Previously most of my classes were large and some met in lecture halls. In sharp contrast, the Honors class was more intimate with students and the professor sitting around a table discussing and questioning, which fostered critical thinking and logical reasoning.

I took only two Honors courses as the list of available courses at the time was limited. But even that brief exposure to the active learning style planted a seed

in me that would later influence my own teaching style.

I changed my major to political science, due in part to a course I took as a freshman taught by Dr. George Parthemos, one of the most dynamic professors on campus. While his classes were not Honors courses, his teaching style was the same.

He engaged his students in a way that stimulated learning in all things political.

As I neared graduation, I knew one thing for sure—I wanted to dwell in the world of academia for the rest of my life.

I graduated from Georgia in 1963 with a BA degree, earned my master’s degree in 1969, and my PhD in 1971.

I began full-time teaching as an assistant professor of political science at the University of Maine. I later joined the faculty at Indiana University Southeast, a regional campus of Indiana University, where I taught for 38 years. It was a small campus with mostly small class sizes, which provided a more intimate and fulfilling relationship with students. These were the most rewarding years of my life.

During this 38-year period, I came

to fully appreciate the influence of the Honors Program specifically and the University of Georgia in general. They provided excellent role models for teaching and learning that shaped the teacher as well as the scholar that I became. Teaching was my first love, but research and writing were also fulfilling.

I co-authored two biographies of U.S. Supreme Court justices, and co-edited four published works about Indiana Courts, politics, and history.

Over the years I came to realize the debt that I owed to the Honors Program and UGA, and I have become a regular donor to UGA and specifically to the Morehead Honors College. I am proud of the growth of Honors and the recognition it has received nationally.

Cleveland Piggott: Continuing a legacy of undergraduate research I still distinctly remember receiving a call from Dr. Pamela Kleiber from UGA in 2005. She called me and offered me a scholarship to be part of the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO) scholars program, and she invited me to a first look event. I didn’t know much about UGA or research at the time and was blown away by my first look experience. I knew UGA was a place where I could thrive academically and personally. Honors and CURO became a large part of my time at UGA as I did research all four years. One of my fondest memories from undergrad is spending a week at UGA’s Costa Rica Campus and being able to present my research. During the week, we went on a short hike to a waterfall and some people jumped into the water. I wasn’t going to, but when Dr. Kleiber jumped in, I wasn’t going to be shown up, so I did the same!

38

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

GIVING

“

My wife, a fellow UGA grad, and I have been donating now for over 10 years. To know I’m playing a small part in not only continuing Dr. Kleiber’s legacy but supporting other students in their research journey is a great privilege.

Cleveland Piggott

Honors and CURO opened so many doors for me, and it’s because of those experiences that I became a Midterm Foundation Fellow and received a near full tuition scholarship to my first-choice medical school! I also met some of my best friends, fell in love with Georgia football, and honed my ballroom dancing skills. The mentors I gained at UGA have been invaluable, and I keep up with many of them today.

Just as I distinctly remember my call from Dr. Kleiber in ’05, I also remember the call I received when I found out she had died from cancer. She hadn’t been able to attend my wedding a few months earlier as she was too weak to travel at that point. When I learned they were starting a scholarship in her honor, I jumped at the opportunity to donate. My wife, a fellow UGA grad, and I have been donating now for over 10 years. To know I’m playing a small part in not only continuing her legacy but supporting other students in their research journey is a great privilege.

Cleveland Piggott, MD, MPH, is now a family physician and associate professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He has his BS in biology and psychology from the University of Georgia ’10, MD and MPH from the University of North Carolina ’15, and completed his residency training at the University of Colorado Family Medicine in 2018. He is married to Susie Piggott (pictured), MD, MPH. She is a family physician who also graduated from UGA in 2010.

Though they love the mountains of Colorado, they still try to visit UGA from time to time. They are proud that their 3-year-old daughter is an expert at calling the Dawgs and has the cutest bark.

Jacob & Lauren Newcomer: Providing a launching pad for future thinkers We give to Honors because it truly changed the course of our lives. The intellectual rigor of your peers and the environment in Honors is second to none.

After entering Honors as an incoming freshman, Jacob met his three future roommates in the Myers dorm because of Honors. They would go on to live together for the rest of undergrad on Pulaski Street downtown.

During these times in Honors at UGA, they would contemplate the biggest challenges facing society and what our generation could do about them, always utilizing the critical thinking and analytical skepticism obtained during our exposure to Honors teaching and experiences. Honors taught us to never accept an answer at face value, to challenge the status quo, and to foster healthy competition to raise the level of discourse in pursuit of more effective solutions. To take initiative and not wait or become a bystander in the world, but also to stop and smell the roses (often over a PBR at the old Max

Canada downtown). Now these former roommates are living in four different major metropolitan areas around the world and contributing to society in ways that would not have been possible without the think tank atmosphere that Honors provides.

During sophomore year, Jacob and Lauren met. They would go on to get married in 2017 and welcome two sons, Cameron in 2021 and Drew in 2023. Today, Lauren runs a personal training and health coaching business specializing in prenatal and postnatal women and their unique goals. Jacob is a partner in a wealth management firm specializing in social and environmentally responsible investing.

They currently reside on the east side of Atlanta in Avondale Estates.

Jacob and Lauren choose to give to Honors to ensure UGA can continue recruiting the top in-state intellectual talent and beyond to maintain this level and standard of cutting-edge thinking and responsibility with young adults

who will go on to start companies, shape policy, and innovate in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors globally, motivated by the peers doing the same.

The world faces many challenges today and supporting Honors is vital to providing the launching pad for wave after wave of future thinkers that will rise to meet them—in Athens, in Georgia, in the USA, and abroad. Please join us in giving to and supporting Honors at UGA! Jacob Newcomer graduated with a BBA in finance and management information systems in 2013, and Lauren Newcomer graduated with a BBA in marketing in 2012.

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

39

AMY WARE

IN MEMORY

Remembering Dr. Jan Westpheling [1951-2025] Genetics professor leaves a lasting legacy in Honors

By Krista Richmond

J

anet (Jan) Westpheling, longtime professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ genetics department, passed away in February after an extended illness. In the Morehead Honors College, she is remembered for her work with the Foundation Fellowship and Major Scholarships Office.

“Jan was a dear friend and an extraordinary member of the UGA faculty,” said President Jere W. Morehead.

“She was a devoted mentor to many students, a responsible and dedicated university leader, and a thoughtful and engaged scholar.”

In 1990, Dr. Westpheling joined UGA’s genetics department as an assistant professor. She rose through the ranks and was promoted to professor with tenure in 2003. She also held an adjunct professor position in the microbiology department.

During her time at University of Georgia, Dr. Westpheling directed an internationally recognized research program studying the regulation of antibiotic synthesis and developing innovative genetic methods to produce

40

Morehead Honors College Magazine // 2025

biofuels and bioproducts in important but understudied microorganisms.

She trained and mentored numerous undergraduates, 13 graduate students and 14 postdoctoral fellows and published 72 peer-reviewed articles.

Among her honors and service, Dr. Westpheling was awarded a Creative Research Medal (2000) and Award (2015) from the University of Georgia.

She was named a Senior Foundation Fellow (1995-2001) and helped recruit and advise undergraduate Foundation Fellows from 1992 to 2024. She also served as a Lilly Teaching Fellow and a Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar and was on the Division of Student Affairs’ inaugural Academic Advisory Board.

Her service to the university continued beyond the classroom. She served on the executive committee of the University Council and on the board of directors of the Georgia Athletic Association. She was also UGA’s representative on the USG Faculty Council and spoke at USG Chancellor Sonny Perdue’s investiture ceremony.

Additionally, Dr. Westpheling was very active in the Society for Industrial

Microbiology and Biotechnology (SIMB) for more than 30 years. She served as treasurer and as a member of the board of directors from 2011 to 2017. She also served as SIMB president from 2018 to 2021 and received the organization’s Charles Porter Award for service in 2022.

Dr. Westpheling graduated from Carmel High School in Carmel, Indiana, and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in microbiology from Purdue University and a PhD at the John Innes Institute in Norwich, England. She served as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Harvard University prior to joining the research faculty at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Dr. Westpheling is survived by her husband, David Garfinkel, a professor in UGA’s biochemistry and molecular biology department.

Contributions may be made to the Janet Westpheling Memorial Fund in the Morehead Honors College, which will provide support for the Foundation Fellowship and college, ensuring that her legacy of dedication to students continues.

+ADDING OPPORTUNITIES

FOR OUR STUDENTS, ONE GIFT AT A TIME Your gift provides support for undergraduates in the Morehead Honors College—both now and in the future!

+

Donate at give.uga.edu/honors

Nonprofit Org. U. S. Postage

PAID

Moore Hall, 108 Herty Drive University of Georgia Athens, GA 30602-6116

A summer of research

Athens, GA Permit No.

Logan Griffin presented his research on thiamine insuffciency and neuroinfammation at the 2024 CURO Summer Fellows Final Forum. He conducted the research with Jason Zastre, associate professor in the College of Pharmacy. In April, Logan received the Alan J. Jaworski Science Award in Life Sciences, one of 12 outstanding student awards given at the Morehead Honors College’s graduation banquet. In May, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences.