17 graduating students earn University Honors Program awards

Seventeen graduating seniors have earned awards from the University Honors Program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The students were selected from among 215-plus Honors graduates during the 2025-26 academic year.

The Outstanding Honors Leadership Award recognizes the Honors graduates who have made the most significant and lasting impact on the Honors Program through their leadership. This year, the award was given to two graduates: Drake Hermanson of Atlanta, Nebraska, and Huy Le of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, a December 2025 graduate.

The Honors Program collaborates each year with Nebraska’s undergraduate colleges to recognize an Outstanding Honors Graduate from each college. The nine students who earned this award were selected based on their contributions to, and involvement with, both the Honors Program and their respective colleges.                       

Four students were also recognized for outstanding leadership within one of the Honors Program’s registered student organizations: Honors Ambassadors, Honors Program Student Advisory Board and Honors Peer Mentoring.

Finally, four students were recognized with the Honors Resilience Award, which acknowledges Honors graduates who have persisted and grown through adversity during their time at Nebraska to achieve at a high level both personally and academically.

Following is a list of Honors Program award winners by hometown, excluding those who requested not to have their names published. The information includes major(s), college(s) and the award(s) won by each student.

Nebraska

Atlanta:

• Drake Hermanson, software engineering, Outstanding Honors Graduate: College of Engineering and Outstanding Honors Leadership Award

Cozad:

• Shaundra Wiederholt, psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, Outstanding Honors Peer Mentor Leader

Garland:

• Katherine Lewis, management, College of Business, Outstanding Honors Program Student Advisory Board Member

Grand Island:

• Nayla Torres Ruiz, anthropology, history and Spanish, College of Arts and Sciences, Honors Resilience Award

Lincoln:

• Simone Hill, mathematics and emerging media arts, College of Arts and Sciences and Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, Honors Resilience Award
• Allyson Lanham, biological sciences, Outstanding Honors Graduate: College of Arts and Sciences

Omaha:

• Fletcher Kuper, architectural studies, Outstanding Honors Graduate: College of Architecture

Papillion:

• Ashley Llewellyn, animal science, Outstanding Honors Graduate: College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

Scottsbluff:

• Jaqueline Lara Patino, criminology and criminal justice, psychology and history, College of Arts and Sciences and UNO College of Public Affairs and Community Service, Outstanding Honors Graduate: UNO College of Public Affairs and Community Service

Waverly:

• Emma Smith, communication sciences and disorders, Outstanding Honors Graduate: College of Education and Human Sciences

Wymore:

• Shelby March, English, College of Arts and Sciences, Honors Resilience Award

Elsewhere

Nevada, Iowa:

• Marissa Lindemann, broadcasting, Outstanding Honors Graduate: College of Journalism and Mass Communications

Lee’s Summit, Missouri:

• Khang Nguyen, music, Outstanding Honors Graduate: Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts

St. Louis, Missouri:

• Kathryn Koehler, psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, Outstanding Honors Peer Mentor

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam:

• Huy Le, actuarial science, accounting and finance, College of Business, Outstanding Honors Ambassador and Outstanding Honors Leadership Award