Rise and shout! Across various disciplines, BYU students have been recognized for their world-class accomplishments.
While it’s impossible to recognize every award-winning student, these highlights capture the considerable work and creative capabilities of our Cougars during the past academic year.
Jane Drinkwater (College of Fine Arts and Communications, College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences)
Jane Drinkwater was named a 2024 Truman Scholar, one of only 60 recipients chosen from a nationwide pool of over 700 applicants. The Truman Scholarship recognizes college juniors who display exceptional leadership potential and are committed to affecting change through public service. The scholarship provides students with $30,000 for graduate study. Drinkwater’s achievement marks the fourth consecutive year a BYU student has received the scholarship.
Volunteering in low-income communities ignited Drinkwater’s desire to make online government tools more user-friendly. She’s currently a research fellow at BYU’s Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy and serves as president of the university’s UX Design Association.
“My time at BYU has continually pushed me out of my comfort zone, both spiritually and academically,” said Drinkwater. “Above all, it has helped me discover new ways to serve God's children and fulfill His plan for my life. I'm especially grateful for the disciples I've met here at BYU. Their encouragement to seek and act on inspiration has brought me divine guidance, a career path I'm passionate about, and even a Truman scholarship.”
Jordan Moore (College of Life Sciences)
Jordan Moore was named a Barry M. Goldwater Scholar. The prestigious Goldwater Scholarship awards up to $7,500 to students intending to pursue careers in the natural sciences or engineering and mathematics. Moore currently works with BYU professor Tim Jenkins and is researching ways to quantify microbiomes in the gut through a blood test.
James Hall
James Hall was named BYU’s 2024 Student Employee of the Year. Hall subsequently won the National Student Employee of the Year Award in the Leadership category. Over the past year, Hall worked with BYU Grounds as an advertising assistant. His work was instrumental in helping to double the department’s labor force through creative recruiting tactics.
“Studying and working at BYU has had a significant impact on my academic growth,” said Hall. “The rigorous academic environment, combined with the emphasis on values and ethics, has helped me develop critical thinking skills and a strong work ethic. The supportive community at BYU has also played a crucial role in my academic journey, providing me with opportunities for mentorship and collaboration.”
Joshua Riley (College of Computational, Mathematical and Physical Sciences)
Joshua Riley is one of 15 individuals selected by the U.S. Department of State for the Foreign Affairs Information Technology Fellowship 2024 cohort. Riley will receive up to $43,500 annually in academic funding for the last two years of his undergraduate study. The fellowship includes two summer internships with stipend support.
Philip Klocke (College of Engineering)
Philip Klocke, a Ph.D. student was selected as a NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Fellow. As part of the fellowship, Klocke will receive a generous stipend, tuition, and travel funds for four years to research and develop groundbreaking space exploration technology at NASA facilities.
“Merging spirituality with science enables me to understand the world in the light of a gospel perspective,” said Klocke. “I have found that the calming influence of the Holy Ghost enhances the study of science by magnifying one’s understanding of it. And studying at BYU provides the unique environment to foster this relationship.”
Other Awards
The BYU Math team placed seventh in the International William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, which is widely regarded as the pinnacle of mathematical prowess among undergraduate students in the United States and Canada.
The BYU Illustration program ranked 11th nationally and 1st in Utah in the 2024 Animation Center Review.
Anaiya Harris, a BYU ROTC cadet, was selected as one of two cadets nationally by The American Battle Monuments Commission for a 2024 fellowship. Harris will participate in a two-week program that will include ABMC mission orientation and deployment to the Netherlands American Cemetery for hands-on involvement with the cemetery’s Memorial Day commemoration.
The BYU AdLab was named School of the Year for the One Club Creativity Young Ones competition. The One Club is considered one of the world’s most prestigious awards shows for the creative industry. The AdLab also won the Student Best of Show, a judge’s choice award, and 20 ADDY’s at the Utah American Advertising Awards competition.
The BYU Supermileage team took first place in the Prototype Internal Combustion Engines division at a recent competition held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They achieved over 2,300 miles per gallon, beating the second-place team by over 600 mpg. They also won the Technology Award at the competition.
BYU’s competitive programming team finished ranked 11th in the world at the recent International Collegiate Programming Contest in Egypt. The BYU team topped every other participating university from the United States and was the second highest-rated school in North America.
BYU Humanities students Sofia Eyring, Julia Hill, and Bethelle Rushton had a three-way tie for BYU's highest score in the CAMWS College Greek Exam, a standardized exam for assessing students in their first year of college-level Greek.
Humanities students also performed well on the national Maurine Dallas Watkins translation exams. Jon Hanna won an Honorable Mention in Advanced Greek, while Clifford Simpson placed second in the nation and Tori Nielsen placed third in Intermediate Greek. Al Gale also received an Honorable Mention in Intermediate Latin.
Seven BYU students will present their research at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research. The students come from three different colleges and six different departments. The students are Allison Dahl (McKay School of Education), Tavish King (College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences), Tyler Hamm (College of Computational, Mathematical and Physical Sciences), Josh Hutchins (College of Life Sciences), Naomi Julian (College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences), Mary Harris (College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences), and Elizabeth Smart (College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences).
BYU TMA student Bailey Pack filmed and produced "Dollhouse" as part of the BYU Advanced Film Production course. The film was shown in various film festivals and won an award at the prestigious New York International Film Awards.
Seven journalism students were selected by The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation as 2024 Gracie Award winners. The winners include Aubree Jennings, Alexa Elliott Johnson, Anna LaTour, Lynnette McConkie, Lily Cook, Miori Kennedy.
BYU advertising students Eli Wright and Gabriel Bori were selected as two of fifty students by the American Advertising Federation's Most for the Promising Multicultural Student program. Wright and Bori spent a week in New York City meeting with professional advertisers, media companies, and agencies.
Aubrey Smedley, a nursing student, was awarded the Gold, Silver & Bronze medal Congressional medal from the Wyoming Congressional Award Council.
