Purdue Fort Wayne announces Exemplar and Top 50 recipients for 2022

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Purdue University Fort Wayne has chosen its next classes of Exemplar and Top 50 recipients. These students not only excel academically, but go above and beyond in their communities.

Each year, college and school deans, department chairs, and/or faculty select students to be Exemplars. Those receiving this honor must complete an undergraduate degree in December, May, or during the summer semester of the current academic year; have graduated with or be tentatively qualified to graduate with distinction; demonstrate excellence in their areas of study; and have a record of community outreach in their field.

The following students are the proud members of Purdue Fort Wayne’s 2022 Exemplar class:

Olivia Bressler | Music | Fort Wayne
Caitlin Crowley | Mechanical Engineering | Fort Wayne
Michael Gerardot | History, Political Science | Fort Wayne
Erica Miller | Physics, Mathematics | New Haven
Raven Morton | Education (M.S.) | Fort Wayne
Faith Rollins | Accounting | Rockford, Ohio

Since 2016, Purdue University Wayne has also recognized a larger group of Mastodons for their enthusiasm and success in making the most of the full student experience. Called simply the Top 50, these individuals not only have high GPAs, they also excel in university activities, events, and organizations – and through community engagement both here in Fort Wayne and in their hometowns.

Students must meet specific qualifications and apply to be considered in the selection process. The final recipients are chosen by the Top 50 Committee. Purdue Fort Wayne’s 2022 Top 50 class includes:

*Malaika Ahmed | Biology, Chemistry | Fort Wayne
Nikolas Albertson | Bus. Econ. Public Policy | Fort Wayne
*Ateik Almalahi | Biochemistry | Malah, Yemen
Mammer Almalahi | Biochemistry | Kendallville
Mohamed Almalahi | Biology | Fort Wayne
Isabella Bailey | Biology, Chemical Methods | Decatur
Cassie Beer | Organizational Leadership | Fort Wayne
Katherine Brandewie | Biology, Chemical Methods | Ossian
Victoria Burk | Music | Shelbyville, Tennessee
Galen Burrell | Biology | Ann Arbor, Michigan
*Jacob Bushur | Computer Engineering, Computer Science | Fort Wayne
Noah Cook | History | Fort Wayne
Rachel Corwin | Music Education, Music Performance | Kokomo
Rebecca Craig | Music Therapy | Fort Wayne
#Caitlin Crowley | Mechanical Engineering | Fort Wayne
Alexandra Denning | Political Science | Fort Wayne
Jillian Dunn | Speech-Language Pathology | Auburn
John Garces | Biology | Queens, New York
*Justin Geise | Physics, Chemical Methods | Churubusco
#Michael Gerardot | History, Political Science | Fort Wayne
Whitney Hadley | Anthropology | Fort Wayne
Madeline Herbst | Political Science | Huntertown
Wilmer Hernandez | Biology | Vega Baja, Puerto Rico
TyShawna Herron | Education (M.S.) | South Bend
Sarah Hobson | Theatre | Fort Wayne
Logan Lemon | Music Industry, Accounting | Terre Haute
Yilei Li | Computer Engineering | China
Romain Lopez | M.B.A. | Cannes, France
Kirsten Macintyre | Elementary Education | Crown Point
Emma McMillan | Civil Engineering | Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
*Kale Menchhofer | Mathematics (M.S.) | Celina, Ohio
Nathan Mills | Actuarial Science | Columbia City
Leah Morris | Mathematics (M.S.) | Greenville, South Carolina
#Raven Morton | Education (M.S.) | Fort Wayne
Phuong Nguyen | Biology | Vietnam
Lisa Otis | M.B.A. | Fort Wayne
Elijah Paulk | Psychology | Fort Wayne
*Sophia Petrov | Biology, Chemical Methods | Fort Wayne
Daniele Pieve | Management, Marketing | Trieste, Italy
#Faith Rollins | Accounting | Rockford, Ohio
Nicholas Sanderson | Economics | Fort Wayne
Michelle Selo-Ojeme | Biology, Chemistry | Nigeria
Shahab Shah | General Administration, Business | Fort Wayne
Varun Shenoy | Biochemistry | St. Louis
Monica Solga | Education (M.S.) | Montpelier
Emily Staehr | Accounting | Holdrege, Nebraska
Loren Stukey | Organizational Leadership | Rockford, Ohio
Catalina Todd | Psychology | Elkhart
Kennedy Westfall | Psychology | Fort Wayne
Carsten White | Biology | Saint Joe

# Denotes Exemplar and Top 50
* Denotes returning Top 50

All Exemplar and Top 50 honorees have been invited to a dinner and awards ceremony on April 29 in the Walb Union International Ballroom. The event begins at 6:30 p.m.

For more information on the Exemplar and Top 50 classes, or to request a high resolution, full-color photo of a recipient, contact James Velez, director of student activities, at 260-481-6883 or [email protected].