Graduating seniors recognized

Three graduating seniors have been awarded the prestigious President’s Prize for their exemplary leadership, academic excellence and service to the NAU community.

The awards were announced at the Gold Axe Awards Banquet on Tuesday night at the High Country Conference Center, where the three—Michele Coy, Jamie DeKemper and Rachel Williams—were among 16 students receiving the coveted Gold Axe Award for their achievements.

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 to recognize students’ outstanding achievement and distinguished service to the university and the greater community.

Students selected for a Gold Axe Award also are eligible for the President’s Prize, considered the highest student recognition from the university. After reviewing all the Gold Axe nominations, a universitywide committee makes its recommendations to President John Haeger, who then selects the President’s Prize winners.

Also during the ceremony, six students were named as Distinguished Seniors by their college:

College of Arts and Letters Stephen Sokola Art Education	College of Health and Human Services Ashlynn Antoni Physical Education and School Health	From left, Kirsten Monahan, Tina Johnson, Mary Cunningham, Stephen Sokola, Ashlynn Antoni and Jillian Urban were named Distinguished Seniors. Photo by Jerry Foreman

College of Education Mary Cunningham Elementary Education/ Early Childhood Education	College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Tina Johnson Sociology and Psychology

College of Engineering, Forestry and Natural Sciences Jillian Urban Mechanical Engineering	The W.A. Franke College of Business Kirsten Monahan Accountancy

Below are this year’s Gold Axe Award winners, along with the NAU faculty or staff member the students named as having the most significant impact on them during their undergraduate career.

Katherine Ashley Physical Education and School Health Rhonda Powers Associate Director Campus Recreation Services	Rachel Bodamer Liberal Studies, Biology Adiam Tesfay Coordinator Educational Support	Daniel Brown Elementary Education Robert Kelty Instructor College of Education	Michele Coy Biology Brandon Cruickshank Professor Chemistry
Jamie DeKemper Elementary Education Sigmund Boloz Senior Lecturer College of Education	Dana Flower Electronic Media and Film, Public Relations Dale Hoskins Associate Professor Electronic Media/Broadcasting	Nitsa Gianakoulias Management Chris Lockwood Associate Professor Business	Filiberto Gurrola Public Agency Administration Jayme Davis Lecturer Comparative Cultural Studies
Angelica Hernandez Speech Communication Dayle Hardy-Short Professor Communication	Morgan Johnson Speech-Language Pathology Tracie Hansen Coordinator Office of Public Affairs	Naomi Lajeunesse Elementary Education Meredith Hunt Academic Adviser The W.A. Franke College of Business	Nicole Lucero Community Health Promotion Betty Brown Assistant Professor Health Sciences
Jessica Schwartz Psychology Andrew Gardner Assistant Professor Psychology	Kim Skinner Physical Education and School Health Ellen Larson Senior Lecturer Health Sciences	Samantha Stauffer Political Science Cyndi Banks Professor Criminal Justice	Rachel Williams Speech Communication Julie Schutten Lecturer Communication