Northern Arizona University announced its President’s Prize winners, Gold Axe honorees and Distinguished Seniors at a banquet Tuesday night at Ashurst Auditorium.
A committee selected 26 graduating seniors from all colleges to receive the Gold Axe Award. Of those 26, two were chosen to receive the President’s Prize, the highest award NAU offers to undergraduate students. Out of this class, Adrianna Camacho, a nursing student at NAU-Yuma, and Courtney McNichols, an exercise science student from Green Valley, received this prestigious award.
An additional seven students—Bonni Beaupied, Shaelyn Jiron, Tyler Dawson, Micaela Kingston, Amanda Ekdahl, Keith Nowak and Allison Rinne—were named Distinguished Seniors.
“Each year, the nominees for these awards are more impressive than the previous year, demonstrating the quality of students at NAU,” said President Rita Cheng, who presented the awards Tuesday night. “I’m proud of the academic excellence, community service and leadership skills demonstrated by every one of these students during their time here. I look forward to seeing all that they accomplish as Lumberjack alumni.”
The tradition of the Gold Axe Award dates back to 1933, a year after the student body adopted the axe as the symbol for Lumberjack athletics. It was then that NAU adopted the tradition of awarding small gold axe pins to outstanding members of the student body. To this day, the gold axe pin is considered the official emblem of the Associated Students of NAU and is presented each semester to recognize students’ outstanding achievements and distinguished service to the university and the greater community.
