These 2021-22 Outstanding Students Awards recognize the academics and co-curricular excellence and achievements of our students. Congratulations to this year’s winners and nominees! Read more about the winners and nominees!
These 2021-22 Outstanding Students Awards recognize the academics and co-curricular excellence and achievements of our students. Congratulations to this year’s winners and nominees! Read more about the winners and nominees!
Overall Outstanding Students of the Year for Academic and Co-curricular Contributions
Julia Jones, Sociology & Native American Studies
Named a William Randolph Hearst Scholar by the California State University, Julia Jones has been committed to community service and working for various projects that serve Native American youth. She also has demonstrated a wide spectrum of knowledge about Native American history and contemporary issues throughout her work.
She has been an indispensable teaching assistant for Native American Studies Professor Kaitlin Reed’s course (NAS 104) for the last two years. She has helped students navigate their first year of school and provided opportunities for students to further engage with Native American Studies curriculum by leading discussions and contributing to their classroom experiences. Her involvement in NAS 104 has helped student retention at Cal Poly Humboldt and her mentorship of these students has been key to their success in the classroom.
During the pandemic, she also assisted Professor Reed with transitioning the course to a mostly online platform, guiding primarily first year students through their learning process. Her ability to navigate this change and find new ways to engage students through online learning was invaluable to the Native American Studies department.
She has shown how her interdisciplinary training in NAS and Sociology can inspire the next generation of Native youth. Working alongside Native American Studies Professor Cutcha Risling Baldy as a teaching assistant, Jones led group discussions at Graton Rancheria’s online writing camp for Native youth, who wrote personal essays designed to educate people about Native American history. Jones has also mentored and tutored Hoopa Valley High School math students, and created activities as a summer youth worker for Hoopa Valley Child Development. She is working with Risling Baldy to identify children's books that can be introduced to childcare facilities throughout Humboldt County. The hope is to encourage child care workers to diversify the books available at their facilities.
Princess Jincton Colegrove, Environmental Studies
An enrolled Hoopa tribal member (also Yurok/Karuk), Princess Jincton Colegrove has been actively serving her community and beyond in formal ways since she was at least 16 years old. She has been a mentor at Two Feathers Native American Family Services, a camp planner for Hoopa Tribal Education, an intern for Hoopa Tribal Fisheries, and a guest speaker for the Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services. She is currently a senior park aide and interpreter at Sue-Meg State Park, where she teaches visitors about the Native history and uses of the land.
Her commitment to Humboldt is demonstrated through her work with the Department of Child Development department on an ACEs Aware grant and the Ka’m-t’em Speaker Series, and her participation in Indian Teacher and Educational Personnel Program and curriculum programs for youth that emphasize higher education.
She has worked with many local agencies, including California State Parks, Two Feathers Native American Family Services, Hoopa Tribal Fisheries, Yurok Tribal Education, Hoopa Tribal Education, Yurok Social Services, the Northern Indian Development Council, Seventh Generation Fund, and United Indian Health Services to nurture spaces that embrace diversity and support Indigenous children, families, and communities. She is currently partnering with the Seventh Generation Fund to develop curriculum and activities to assist girls, ages 11-13, to prepare for their coming-of-age ceremonies. Participants will learn the process of gathering and preparing acorns, materials for traditional maple bark skirts, and pine nuts, bear grass, and shells for ceremonial dresses. For this project, she is applying her academic and community knowledge to provide culturally and developmentally appropriate lessons that emphasize a relationship with the natural environment. Most recently, she was an invited speaker for “Hidden Heroes of the Environment,” an environmental speaker series event hosted by Wade Crowfoot, California’s Secretary of Natural Resources.
Excellence in an Academic Discipline for the College of Arts, Humanities, & Social Science
Unique McCalpin-Carter, Critical Race & Gender Studies
Excellence in an Academic Discipline for the College of Natural Resources & Science
Albert Ochoa Castillo, Chemistry
Excellence in an Academic Discipline for the College of Professional Studies
Kelsey Taylor, Child Development & Family Relationships
Excellence in Visual & Performing Arts
Makani Kawai Anuhea O'akua Bright, Music and Applied Mathematics
Outstanding Contribution to a Campus Club, Program, or Organization
Brandi Hoyt, Art Education
Outstanding Contribution to an Associated Students Program
Chelsea Rios Gomez, Psychology
Al Elpusan Award for Student Activism
Lizbeth Cano Sanchez, Business Administration
Excellence in Community Service
Andrew Martin Padilla, Environmental Science & Management
Excellence in Intercollegiate Athletics
Motoki Sato, Kinesiology
Excellence in Sports Clubs
Michael Carlo Castellino, Environmental Resources Engineering
Excellence in Sustainability
Kristina Fiebig, Environmental Studies
Excellence in Student Employment
Shiara Naicker, Psychology
Patricia O. McConkey Outstanding Graduate Student Awards
- Crane Conso, Psychology (Academic Research)
- Sophia Lemmo, Natural Resources
- Kristen Orth-Gordinier, Environmental Science & Management
- Evan R. Morden, Public Sociology
- Allison C. Iafrate, Applied English Studies
Outstanding Student Researchers
- Eli Allen, Biology
- Eli Baginski, Kinesiology
- Skye H. Choi, Kinesiology
- Emily Jean Jackson, Biology
- Taylor Jones, Child Development
- Eden G. Marquez, Kinesiology
- Jesse Mendez, Physics
- Jeremy Nichols, Child Development
- Natalie Pedicino, Biology
- Carrie Tully, Environment & Community