Purdue Fort Wayne announces Exemplar and Top 50 recipients for 2025

Purdue University Fort Wayne has chosen its next classes of Exemplar and Top 50 recipients. These students not only excel academically, they 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 during the fall, spring, or summer semester of the current academic year; have graduated with distinction or be tentatively qualified to achieve that status; demonstrate excellence in their areas of study; and have a record of community outreach in their field.

The following students are members of Purdue Fort Wayne’s 2025 Exemplar class:

Perla Figueroa | Biology | Senior | Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Emily Doctor | Anthropology | Senior | Fort Wayne
Jackson McKinney | Musical Theatre | Senior | Decatur
Mary Catherine Landrigan | Electrical Engineering | Senior | Roanoke
Renee Liu | Hospitality Management | Senior | Fort Wayne
Sabrina Guerin | Secondary Education/English | Senior | Fort Wayne

Since 2016, Purdue University Fort Wayne has also recognized a larger group of Mastodons for their enthusiasm and success in making the most of their full student experience. Called simply the Top 50, these individuals have high GPAs; excel in university activities, events, and organizations; and demonstrate strong community engagement across 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 2025 Top 50 class includes:

Alam Sayka | Biological Sciences | Graduate | Barisal, Bangladesh
Quinn Barabas | Biology | Senior | Demotte
Madison Boesch | Women’s Studies | Senior | Antwerp, Ohio
Jarred Bowser | Psychology | Senior | Johnston, Iowa
Matthew Burkle | Marketing/Management | Senior | Fort Wayne
Brittany Cerna | Biology | Senior | Bluffton
Priscilla Chamenyi | Mathematics | Graduate | Battor, Ghana
Nyasha Chiweshe | Organizational Leadership | Graduate | Harare, Zimbabwe
Sarah Cisz | Microbiology/Immunology/Psychology | Senior | Fort Wayne
Willow Cribb | Art and Design | Senior | Loris, South Carolina
Nada Dahouk | Biology | Senior | Fort Wayne
Andrew Danielson | Music | Senior | Fort Wayne
Elizabeth Davison | Mathematics | Graduate | Naples, Florida
Nevaya Deck | Human Services | Senior | Edon, Ohio
Faridah Fatungase | Biological Sciences | Graduate | Lagos, Nigeria
Perla Rocio Figueroa Fiallos | Biological Sciences | Senior | Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Samuel Garland | Business Management | Senior | Newburgh
Sadie Gerber | Biology | Senior | Fort Wayne
Fairuz Haq | Electrical Engineering | Graduate | Dhaka, Bangladesh
Elizabeth Haub | Data Science and Applied Statistics | Senior | Sycamore, Illinois
Emma Hedrick | Psychology | Senior | Fort Wayne
Ryan Herrick | Human Services | Senior | Bourbon
Victoria Hoffman | Sociology/Women’s Studies | Senior | Fort Wayne
Nicholas Holder | General Studies | Senior | Fort Wayne
Elise Huhn | Data Studies and Applied Statistics | Fort Wayne
Jisung Hwang | Construction Management | Senior | Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea
Abdullahi Idowu | Biological Sciences | Graduate | Lagos, Nigeria
Naomi Ijah | Counseling | Graduate | Abuja, Nigeria
Ishrat Jahan | Biological Sciences | Graduate | Dhaka, Bangladesh
Chinenyenwa Jasper-Duruzor | Biology | Lagos, Nigeria
Megan Jester | Psychology | Senior | Muncie
Veronica Johnson | Sociology/History | Senior | Fort Wayne
Emmanuel Jurineack | Marketing | Senior | Clarendon Hills, Illinois
Saideep Kotasthane | Electrical and Computer Engineering | Senior | Pune, India
Gwenna Lehmann | Psychology | Senior | Fort Wayne
Brooke Lickey | Elementary Education | Senior | Columbia City
Toriana Meyers | Biology | Senior | Huntington
Ryan Miller | Biology | Graduate | Angola
Kevin Partington | Electrical and Computer Engineering | Senior | Maria Stein, Ohio
Stella Doncy Peedikaparambil Peter | Biology | Graduate | Kerala, India
Alexandra Poda | Political Science | Senior | Brisbane, California
Gideon Prumm | History/Political Science | Senior | Fort Wayne
Navyaprabha Rajappa | Computer Science | Graduate | Karnataka, India
Aditya Ramesh | Computer Science | Graduate | Chennai, India
Sabene Rizvi | Computer Science/Mathematics/Political Science | Senior | Scarsdale, New York
Maleeha Sheikh | Electrical and Computer Engineering | Graduate | Dhaka, Bangladesh
James Soronnadi | Mathematics | Graduate | Owerri Imo, Nigeria
Matthew Swinehart | Biology | Biology | Senior | Fort Wayne
Nidhishree Talastha | Computer Science | Graduate | Karnataka, India
Riley Tate | Computer Science | Senior | Columbus, Ohio