Student Spotlight | University Honors Program | SIU

Honors students from SIU Carbondale joined students and others at the Fuller Dome Center for Sustainability and Spirituality on SIU Edwardsville campus last week. They spent two full days  immersed in world resource simulations that discussed the most pressing problems in the world and the region.  A reboot of Buckminster Fuller’s World Game, these simulations generated dialogue centered around Fuller’s challenge to “make the world work for 100% of humanity.” Students from SIUC were hosted by Edwardsville Honors students for their stay.

Pictured (from left): Torre Huffines (SIUE), Shreya Acharya (SIUE), Kevin Ngowi (SIUE), Alliah Bombias (SIUC), Rahilly Machado (SIUC), Eli Collinsworth (SIUC), Vincent Arena (conference participant from New York). 

Ecology Enthusiasts from Across the Globe Assemble on SIUE’s Campus to Collaborate and Celebrate the Legendary Inventor Buckminster Fuller

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Prisha Kittu(1st from left) and Anna Rodgers (1st from right) just returned from presenting their research at the Honors Council of the Illinois Region Annual Student Symposium 2025, Governors State University, IL.  An intense day of learning and sharing - where many remembered the 2024 symposium we had hosted on our campus.

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Gladis Sunny (1st from right) and Emma McConnell (1st from left) presented their original research to guests and participants of the Illinois Junior Science and Humanities Symposium hosted by the SIU STEM Research Center on Feb. 22^nd. 

Way to go Gladis and Emma! 🎉

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Natalie Eves (2nd from right) Honors Assembly co-president recently attended the National Collegiate Honors Council conference planning session in San Diego as one of her first commitments as a new student board member. Way to represent SIU Honors at the national level, Natalie! 🎉____________________________________________________________________________________________

Carly Gist received one the 15 positions available for the three week (May 18 – June 7)  Radio in the American Sector Berlin Commission program for U.S. Broadcast Journalists!   Congratulations Carly!

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Natalie Eves, Co-president of the Honors Assembly has been chosen to be a member of the Student Affairs Committee for the NCHC (National Collegiate Honors Council)!  We are proud to have her represent our Honors Program and look forward to the ideas she will bring back for us from the National Honors Community.

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Carly Gist (Journalism, on the right) and Justyce Petty (Political Science) are awarded the Pat Browne Undergraduate Award,  Midwest Popular Culture Association.

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Gladis Sunny, Annabelle Barnes, and Reese Billingsley win the 2024 Portz Fellowship award from the NCHC.

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Gracie Murphy reflects on serving as a national FFA officer:

An SIU Chancellor’s Scholar from Macomb, Illinois, Murphy served as one of just six national FFA officers beginning in October 2022. She led more than 945,000 FFA members in the role after successfully competing in a series of interviews, speeches, mock discussions and other activities for nearly a week while being judged by a committee.  Read more

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Eli Jones (left), majoring in chemistry with a specialization in chemical catalysis, hopes to become a chemistry professor, applying data science and programming tools to unveil trends in reactivity that would be impossible to observe through traditional means. Aleida Iriarte (right), majoring in zoology and chemistry with specializations in wildlife biology, environmental chemistry and biochemistry, plans to earn her doctorate at the University of Florida with the long-term goal of becoming a biodiversity conservationist and researcher.  Read more

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Bethany Bergschneider Thierra Christopher Natalie Eves Max Fieber Brenna Gusewelle Eli Howton

Caitlyn Kleiss James Martin Morgan Meinicke Hannah Phillips Josh Vogel Samuel Wang

Sarah Lukavsky wins the 2024 Southern Illinois University System Distinguished Student Service Award.  

                                       

The award recognizes students “whose acts of service are demonstrative of excellence and exemplary commitment to the support, advancement and achievement of fellow students, their campus, and their community.”  Sarah is a first-generation college student, graduating this May with an outstanding academic record (3.985 GPA and a McNair Scholarship), majoring in Zoology with a specialization in Wildlife Biology and a minor in Environmental Studies.  She is also the outgoing President of the Honors assembly. Congratulations Sarah! We wish you every success.