President's Outstanding Student Award
The President’s Outstanding Student Award honors graduating undergraduate students in academic areas and University-recognized organizations. Students are nominated on the basis of academic performance in addition to devotion to the excellence of their departments and the University of Montana. One student is nominated per major-concentration within each academic department.
In order to qualify for the President's Outstanding Student Award, a student must be a graduate within the current academic year, earn an institutional GPA of 3.0 or higher, and demonstrate a commitment to their academic discipline through professional development, leadership, and service over the course of their academic career.
Campus Outstanding Student Awards
The Associated Students of the University of Montana (ASUM) strives to honor those students who have impacted their peers through their involvement in University-Recognized Organizations. These are students who stand out; individuals who have enriched the campus community, have demonstrated service minded leadership, or advocated for their peers within the club.
Campus Outstanding Student Award recipients who also meet the criteria for the President's Outstanding Student Award are denoted with an asterisk (*).
Linguistic Club
McKenna Flannigan
She puts impressive hard work and positive mindset into making the club a welcoming, fun and useful club.
International Students Association
Lina Spaes*
Lina has been actively involved with the club and helped us organize a lot of events making ISA recognizable among more and more international students. She has successfully acted as the president of the club and is an absolutely dedicated soul.
Chinese Students' Association
Wenting He
She has outstanding leadership skills, organizing activities such as lunar new year, Mid-autumn festival and Double 9 festival, etc. She is actively involved in campus and community culture events and contributing to the diversity of both. She is committed to making UM and MSO a loving and cozy home away from home for Chinese students on campus.
Haiheng Xu*
Haiheng is the vice president and treasurer of CSA, spending time and efforts in financially planning and executing events social and cultural for the members. He wrote a budget proposal for CSA. And throughout the year, Haiheng helps the president work with the students to make UM and MSO a warm home away from the home.
China Table Club
Gillian Gilbert
Gillian has good organizational and interpersonal skills. She designs and sets up weekly events, plus major Chinese and American cultural events. She works with the Chinese Students' Association and coordinates joint events. She is good at involving club members in planning.
Vanessa Stevens
Vanessa is the treasurer of the club. She is a very detailed person, preparing for and writing the budget proposal. She works with the president at planning each weekly event. She plans out the logistics for each event. She works with both the Chinese Students Association and Japan Club for joint activities, such as Majiang evening.
Pi Sigma Alpha Epsilon Mu
Jorgia Hawthorne*
Ms. Hawthorne, as co-president, worked to help revive the Political Science Honor Society, Pi Sigma Alpha Epsilon Mu. She actively encouraged our best majors to sign-up to the national membership. Under her leadership, the National organization gave the UM Chapter national recognition.
Ana Salyards
Ms. Ana Salyards, as co-president, helped to get our Political Science honor society, Pi Sigma Alpha Epsilon Mu recognition with the national chapter. She helped direct the other UM chapter board members with organizing events. And she successfully got the UM Chapter a grant from the National PSA office for holding an induction ceremony of new members and essay contest.
French Club
Kayla Bridges-Payne
Kaya Bridges-Payne is an Outstanding Student because of her engagement with the club activities, which require working constantly with her peers, the adviser, professors and ASUM to animate the meetings of the club, decide collectively about activities and scheduling. Her engagement and efficiency clearly deserve to be recognized and awarded.
Model United Nations
Maxwell Shaver*
Our club is thrilled to nominate Max Shaver for the Model United Nations Outstanding Student Award. Max's exceptional dedication and leadership within our club have been truly remarkable. Having attended the national MUN conference twice, Max has consistently displayed outstanding diplomatic skills, critical thinking, and a collaborative spirit, making him a strong leader and team player within our organization. Max's contributions as a member of the Executive Committee in his final year were instrumental in the success of Model UN. Despite the demands of maintaining a stellar GPA and pursuing two majors, Max's unwavering commitment to excellence in both academic and extracurricular pursuits exemplify his exceptional work ethic and passion for learning. His ability to balance academic rigor with active involvement in our club showcases his remarkable time management skills and dedication to personal and professional growth. Max's outstanding achievements and positive impact on our club make him truly deserving of this prestigious recognition.
Latiné Student Union
Zyanné Cervantes*
Zyanné has served as an LSU officer for three years, working to establish connections across campus and with local non-profit organizations like Here Montana and Latino Outdoors. This year as president, she has spearheaded many projects for the Latiné Student Union, including a successful Diversity Ice Skating event at Glacier Ice Rink. She is an invaluable resource to those around her, regularly communicating with ASUM leadership, university administration, and local partners to further her mission of building community for Latiné students on campus. Her fellow LSU members appreciate her dedication, and are particularly struck by her humility, kindness, and excitement for community organizing.
Dance Club
Elisabeth Lundgren*
Elle is extraordinary! She has been the Dance Club president for 2 consecutive years and has invented engagement for the students, continued and grown opportunities and funding for the club, and created lasting legacies for future iterations of ASUM Dance Club. She is leaving big shoes to fill next year as she is graduating this year with a double major in DANCE and Communications. Elle is endlessly positive, motivates her peers, communicates beautifully with faculty, staff, and students alike, and works hard for the success of the Dance Club. Elisabeth (Elle) deserves to be celebrated!
Gender Equity Resource Center
Erin Heaton
The Gender Equity Resource Center is nominating Erin Heaton as our Outstanding Student of the year. In addition to excelling in a heavy class load across a major in Social Work with minors in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Sociology, Erin has devoted the past two years to making GERC a stronger and more meaningful organization for UM and for the broader community, as one of the student directors and as a volunteer. They have advocated tirelessly for GERC and the students it serves. Erin's dedication to GERC is an inspiration to us all and embodies what it means to put theory into practice.
Griz Downstage
Jacob Christiansen
Three years ago, Jacob arrived at UM’s School of Theatre and Dance as an MFA Candidate in Directing. One of his earliest contributions to the School was his passionate reinvigoration and visionary leadership of our ASUM Theatre Organization, which he renamed “Griz Downstage.” Under his direction, he wasted no time in recruiting a student population of similarly committed theatre undergrads; and with a steady hand, he moved the group into the production realm with an eye toward social justice topics, resulting in student-led productions of THE LARAMIE PROJECT and TWELVE ANGRY JURORS. Both productions were positively received by audiences and their social messages were theatrically potent. Further, they succeeded in making our ASUM organization a valued part of the School’s production season, as well as an additional training ground and performance resource for our Theatre majors.
National Student Speech, Language, and Hearing Association
Shannon Welby*
Ms. Welby is the president of NSSLHA. She is an excellent student and undergraduate researcher in the LLEAD, BRAIN, and VOICES labs. Ms. Welby has volunteered for Hope Speaks Uganda, MOSSAIC as a peer, Head Start as a childcare intern, and as a clinic volunteer for Key Communication Speech & Language Services. She is the recipient of the MSHA student research award as well as the UM Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Leadership Award. Ms. Welby is wonderfully deserving of this recognition!