31 students named to Franco's List

Franco's List awardees include (back row, from left) Dakota Staggs, Aaron Bouma, Christopher Haidvogel, Cassy Ross, Mary Claire Johnson, Adri Lobitz, Alexander Kniowski, Cooper Christiancy, Abigail Lewis, Collin Thompson, Darin Knobbe, and Lane Uhing; (middle row, from left) Emma Kwapnioski, Miranda Melson, Brooke Adams, Claire Berman, Victoria Simonsen, Rachel Speckmann, Jessica Fejfar, Estefania Yepez, Sylvia Jager and Shayne Arriola; (front row, from left) Griffin Mims, Bailie Saathoff, Jasie Beam, Morgan Wallace, Anna Ripa, Kylie Gunderson and Ashley Hornsby. Not pictured are Wai Joon Foong and Claire Patnode.

Thirty-one University of Nebraska-Lincoln students have been recognized as outstanding agents of character and integrity by being named to Franco’s List.

Students who attain the highest level of academic achievement are recognized by their academic dean through the Dean’s List. Similarly, Franco’s List — named for the late Juan Franco, vice chancellor for student affairs from 2006-2017 — recognizes students at Nebraska who demonstrate characteristics essential to being a person of integrity.

Juan Franco smiles during the groundbreaking for Nebraska's Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center. Franco, who served for 11 years as Nebraska's top administrator for students, died Aug. 2.

Franco’s List awardees represent six building blocks of character: caring, citizenship, commitment, dependability, open-mindedness and respect.

All recipients were nominated by a university community member and selected by a council of peers, the vice chancellor for student affairs’ Character Council.

Recipients were announced at an awards ceremony Nov. 17.

Following is a list, by hometown, of students named to Franco’s List with their year in school and academic major(s).

Nebraska

Columbus — Emma Kwapnioski, senior, speech-language pathology
Eustis — Collin Thompson, junior, agriculture economics
Gering — Jasie Beam, senior, management (entrepreneurship and innovation); Morgan Wallace, sophomore, journalism, and advertising and public relations
Grand Island — Shayne Arriola, senior, marketing; Lane Uhing, senior, biochemistry
Imperial — Darin Knobbe, junior, agribusiness
Kearney — Griffin Mims, junior, communications
Lincoln — Cooper Christiancy, senior, communication studies; Mary Claire Johnson, sophomore, psychology; Miranda Melson, senior, sociology, global studies and French; Anna Ripa, junior, accounting
Omaha — Brooke Adams, senior, actuarial science; Rachel Speckmann, junior, pre-nursing
Ruskin — Victoria Simonsen, graduate student, applied ecology
Waverly — Bailie Saathoff, senior, biological sciences
Wayne — Sylvia Jager, sophomore, elementary and early childhood education

Elsewhere

Phoenix, Arizona — Dakota Staggs, senior, environmental studies
Aurora, Colorado — Cassy Ross, junior, global studies and political science
Castle Rock, Colorado — Abigail Lewis, junior, secondary special education
Libertyville, Illinois — Christopher Haidvogel, freshman, mechanical engineering
Overland Park, Kansas — Kylie Gunderson, senior, advertising and public relations
Holland, Michigan — Alexander Kniowski, junior, criminal justice
Maple Grove, Minnesota — Claire Patnode, sophomore, psychology
North Mankato, Minnesota — Adri Lobitz, junior, psychology
Ozark, Missouri — Aaron Bouma, junior, computer engineering
Cincinnati, Ohio — Ashley Hornsby, graduate student, educational administration (student affairs)
Elk Point, South Dakota — Jessica Fejfar, junior, animal science (pre-veterinary medicine)
Sioux Falls, South Dakota — Claire Berman, sophomore, psychology
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — Wai Joon Foong, junior, civil engineering
Valencia, Venezuela — Estefania Yepez, senior, economics and math