Graduate Student Award Winners Recognized in April 25 Ceremony
The Auburn University Graduate School and the Graduate Student Council hosted the annual Graduate Awards Ceremony on April 25 in the Melton Student Center Ballroom. Over 200 graduate students, faculty mentors, friends and family attended the awards ceremony to recognize student achievement in more than a dozen different categories including outstanding master’s thesis, outstanding doctoral dissertation, and three different graduate fellowships. In addition, one staff award and one faculty award were presented, including the Outstanding Graduate Mentor Awards.
The Graduate Student Council (GSC) recognized nineteen Graduate Student Senators, as well as the Executive Board members from the past academic year while introducing the newly elected 2025-2026 GSC Executive Board.
The Graduate School congratulates the following students and faculty for their dedication, perseverance, and achievements:
Outstanding Graduate Student Awards
Masters’ recipients
- Jacinta Amoakoa-Djan, Chemical Engineering
- Andrew Allen Balder, Natural Resources
- Tiffany Blodget, Management Information Systems
- Hilary Gisselle Carrera Arcia, Food Science
- Lana Dedecker, Biomedical Sciences
- Sandra Anti Eyiah, Human Development and Family Science
- Ndubuisi Ezenwa, Development Practice
- Ella Johnson, Animal Sciences
- Amalia Del Rocio Martin Sides, Spanish
- Kislaya Mishra, Mechanical Engineering
- Lane Montgomery, Psychology – Cognitive and Behavioral Option
- Abosede Onifade, Sociology
- Kate Pottle, Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences
- Ashmita Poudel, Civil Engineering
- Md. Hasibur Rahman, Biosystems Engineering
- Wesley Rogers, Poultry Science
- Hemant Sherawat, Cybersecurity Engineering
- Akashdeep Singh, Crop, Soil and Environmental Science
- Falin Sun, Agricultural Business and Economics
- Tahseen Tawseef, Consumer and Design Sciences
- Yagya Adhikari, Poultry Sciences
- Shadi Alathamneh, Building Construction
- Emma Cox, Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences
- Benedicta Donkor, Chemistry
- Savannah Douglas, Animal Sciences
- Anthony W. Fava, Kinesiology
- Pankaj Prakash Gaonkar, Biomedical Sciences
- Matthew Garnett, Chemical Engineering
- Soundarya Korlapati, Computer Science and Software Engineering
- Janaki Sandamali Kuda Udage, Earth Systems Science
- Atefeh C. Langroudi, Hospitality Management
- Yu Li, Consumer and Design Sciences
- Daniel S. Little, Aerospace Engineering
- Qais Qasaimeh, Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Zarna Raichura, Medicinal Chemistry
- Jialiang Shen, Materials Engineering
- Rajveer Singh, Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences
- Sheila R. Sjolseth, Human Development and Family Science
- Rogan Tokach, Entomology
- Sidi Zhao, Business Information Systems Management
- Andrew Vieira Aitken, Biomedical Sciences
- Ayuba Akinpelu, Chemical Engineering
- Emily Brigham, Human Development and Family Studies
- Karamjit Baryah Kaur, Entomology and Plant Pathology
- Md Mijanur Rahman, Aerospace Engineering
- Pathmanathan Sivashankar, Applied Economics
President’s Award
- Rudy Al Ahmar, Aerospace Engineering
Frank Sturm Memorial Fellowship
- Sheila Sjolseth, Human Development and Family Science
- William Knight, Industrial & Systems Engineering
- Jordan Ninde, Exercise Science
- Elijah McAllister, Administration of Supervision & Curriculum
- Cassandra Stevens Pruitt, Exercise Science
- Overall Winner: Ayden Kemp, Biosystems Engineering
- Runner-Up: Md Mijanur Rahman, Aerospace Engineering
- People’s Choice Award: Azeez Adebayo, Mechanical Engineering
- Thane Bryant, Psychological Sciences
- Jennifer Edwards, College of Nursing
- Joline Landry, McWhorter School of Building Science
- Amelia Pendleton, Biomedical Sciences
Distinguished Dissertation Awards
Mathematics, Physical Sciences & Engineering Category:
- Vitale Kyle Castellano, Mechanical Engineering
- Chidinma Odili, Chemistry
- Jagdeep Singh, Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences
- Takhellambam Bijoychandra Singh, Biosystems Engineering
Social Sciences Category:
- Akua Adu-Gyamfi, Career and Technical Education
- Courtney A. Brown, Consumer and Design Sciences
- Erin M. Cooper, Human Development and Family Studies
- Yejia Guo, Hospitality Management
Mathematics, Physical Sciences & Engineering Category:
- Jack Janik, Mechanical Engineering
- Preetika Kaur, Biosystems Engineering
- Tanner Koza, Mechanical Engineering
- Nathaniel Azujuike Nwogwu, Biosystems Engineering
- Muhammad Shahan Qamar, Aerospace Engineering
Humanities & Fine Arts Category:
- Hannah Luz, Communication
Outstanding Graduate Mentor Awards
- Katharine Brown, University Writing
- Jean Fantle-Lepczyk, Wildlife Sciences
- Russell Mailen, Aerospace Engineering
- Vrishank Raghav, Aerospace Engineering
- Tonia Schwartz, Biological Sciences
Outstanding First Year Experience (FYE) Mentor Award
- Sayantani Bhattacharya, Mathematics & Statistics
- Antrelle Clark, Biological Sciences
Outstanding Service to Auburn Research Award
- Gabrielle Brown, Special Ed, Rehabilitation and Counseling
- Rachel Long, Interdisciplinary Engineering
Outstanding Graduate Student Council Senator Awards
- Bridget Yeboah Bafowaa, Agriculture
- Sam Donohoo, Agriculture
- Oluchukwu Ezeala, Pharmacy
- Lotanna Ezeja, Pharmacy
- Courtney Faulkner, Business
- Lauren Fendley, Human Sciences
- Micheal Fokuo, Engineering
- Sebastian Gomez Maldonado, Forestry, Wildlife & Environment
- Dani Hilliard, Liberal Arts
- Jasmine Kelley, Business
- Lauryn Lewis, Liberal Arts
- Bruno Henrique Lisenko Ribeiro, Sciences & Mathematics
- Tabeth Mwema, Forestry, Wildlife & Environment
- Chukwuma Nwanazoba, Engineering
- Anjolaoluwa Joy Ogunsina, Liberal Arts
- Enyinnaya Onuma, Business
- John Oyinbo, Engineering
- Temitope Popoola, Agriculture
- Seiyefa Vincent, Engineering
- Kylie Weis, Agriculture
- Austin Whitehead, Liberal Arts
- Daniel Yahya, Engineering
Photos from the event can be viewed on the Graduate School’s Flikr account. The Graduate School sponsors a variety of awards and fellowship programs for faculty and students to recognize achievement in teaching, research, and service. For more information on student awards, visit https://graduate.auburn.edu/current-students/awards-and-grants/ or contact the Auburn University Graduate School’s Associate Dean, Dr. Maria Witte, at wittemm@auburn.edu.