Pillar Awards

Students in the John Martinson Honors College excel in a variety of areas both in and outside of the classroom as they engage in endeavors that embody the values of our curriculum. To recognize those students who have excelled in their engagement with the honors college curriculum or who demonstrate great promise of excellence, the college annually bestows individual Pillars+ Awards for Interdisciplinary Academics, Undergraduate Research, Leadership Development, Community Engagement, Global Engagement, Belonging and Inclusion, and Outstanding Senior.

Apply for a John Martinson Honors College Student Pillar Award!

The deadline for 2025 applications has closed.

To recognize the great strides that our students make in each of these areas, each year the Student Pillar Awards will honor:

One 2nd and one 3rd year student who excel in Interdisciplinary Academics
One 2nd and one 3rd year student who excel in Undergraduate Research
One 2nd and one 3rd year student who excel in Leadership Development
One 2nd and one 3rd year student who excel in Community Engagement
One 2nd and one 3rd year student who excel in Global Engagement
One 2nd and one 3rd year student or student team that excels in Belonging and Inclusion
Two graduating seniors who embody all four pillars of an Honors Education

Interdisciplinary Academics

Interdisciplinarity is the pursuit of knowledge by means of more than one discipline or field of study, especially in an attempt to understand complex problems. Pursuing interdisciplinary academics can mean taking classes or engaging in extracurricular activities outside your disciplinary home, but at its highest levels it entails breaking down or breaking through the traditional “silos” of these academic disciplines to reach across fields, modes of thought, or communities of practice to find novel ways to think, create, and thrive.

Undergraduate Research

Research is the production of new knowledge by means of scholarly inquiry, including creative pursuits. It requires dedication to answering questions that matter to individuals, communities and the world; strong reasoning, organizational, and interpersonal skills; an understanding of and commitment to research ethics; and follow-through to ensure that results are disseminated and shared with other scholars and the public.

Leadership Development

Leadership is the utilization of your best academic, professional, and personal qualities to empower others, build community, forward knowledge, and/or foster meaningful change in the world. Great and effective leaders demonstrate vision, take initiative, enact empathy and openness, learn and evolve, and ultimately, work inclusively with others to achieve shared goals.

Community Engagement

Our JMHC community bonds in an inclusive environment as members collaborate with each other and in service with local community partners outside Purdue to create equity and prosperity.

Global Engagement

We prepare students for the world by exposing them to new ideas, cultures and locations. Through specialized programs, events and study away opportunities, our students connect with faculty, each other, and people around the world.

Belonging and Inclusion

Issues of belonging and inclusion are integral to JMHC’s understanding of what an inclusive and collaborative living-learning experience entails. Attentiveness to belonging and inclusion ensures that all students, from diverse backgrounds, in terms of their gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, abilities, receive the institutional, academic, and emotional support to thrive and succeed in the college and at Purdue. This award acknowledges the students as partners and collaborators in doing this important work. It recognizes students who support the college’s mission to embed and advance belonging and inclusion in programs, leadership positions, academic and/or co-curricular experiences, build capacity around belonging and inclusion skills, and facilitate connections between and across communities, to advance a sense of belonging for others.

Outstanding Senior

Outstanding Seniors embody excellence in all four pillars: interdisciplinary academics, undergraduate research, community and global engagement, and leadership development. The recipient of this award will also receive $500.

2024-2025 Recipients

Undergraduate Research Award

Daniel Xie (2nd Year): Daniel Xie came to Purdue with a mission of finding research that would impact the world around him, and he wasted no time learning in JMHC courses and connecting with opportunities on campus to do just that. As he works toward a career bridging AI and healthcare, he uses AI for business solutions and collaborates with Purdue’s Materials Science department to develop AI-driven analysis software. Xie finds seeing experts excited about turning outdated, manual processes into automated solutions through AI “incredibly rewarding.” Currently, Daniel has several papers under review in top journals in his field, and he has no plans of slowing down in his pursuit of great ideas and even greater innovation.

John Robbins (3rd Year): Through research, John Robbins aims to contribute to medical advancements that improve patient outcomes and quality of life for neurogenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer’s Disease. He attests that the John Martinson Honors College and Purdue have led him to invaluable research opportunities in two labs, one on auditory processing and the other investigating neuromuscular plasticity. HIs independent research on the genetic complexity of early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease led to an accepted manuscript. He enjoys uncovering new insights that challenge existing knowledge and fuel future discoveries, which aligns with his long-term goal of becoming a physician-scientist .

Interdisciplinary Academics Award

Bradley Screen (2nd Year): As a second year JMHC student majoring in mechanical engineering and music, Screen has shown a steadfast dedication to interdisciplinary academics. He has sought to explore the nexus of theory and praxis, combining a position as Lead Musical Pianist in the Purdue Theatre Department with the academic study of music and multiple engineering design projects with rigorous coursework in engineering. As he continues to take great leaps into the future, Screen plans to develop projects that synthesize the unique skills he has acquired from both disciplines.

Avery Biggs (3rd Year): Avery Biggs exemplifies the value of interdisciplinary academics in addressing real-world issues through innovative solutions. With a psychology major and creative writing minor, she has applied the knowledge she has gained in co-founding a new student organization, Arts for the Heart, with the support of the Lead Forward Fellowship Grant. Through JMHC courses, Biggs has excelled at developing her leadership skillset, conducting research on arts therapy practices, and cultivating expertise at the intersection of arts and sciences in the effort to promote mental wellbeing among her fellow Boilermakers.

Honorable Mention: John Robbins (3rd Year)

Belonging and Inclusion Award

Adeline Dering (2nd Year): Adeline Dering is a dedicated advocate for creating a welcoming environment for underrepresented groups at Purdue. She is a founding member of the Purdue chapter of Cultivating Change, an organization focused on fostering inclusivity in agriculture. Derine utilized her education in the John Martinson Honors College and collaborates with the Office of Multicultural Programs to support professional development and advocacy opportunities for underrepresented groups in the field of agriculture. As an ambassador for the College of Agriculture, Derine actively promotes Purdue’s agricultural programs to prospective students. Additionally, Derine serves as a peer mentor in the Dean Scholars Program, where she helps cultivate an inclusive and supportive environment for students from diverse backgrounds within the College of Agriculture.

Colin O'Donnell (3rd Year): Colin O'Donnell is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment for all. As a member of the JMHC’s Blue Sky Learning Advocates, O'Donnell collaborated with Ivy Tech students to enhance their experience living and studying within the John Martinson Honors College. He is also a co-founder of the Learning Advocates Program, which provides support for students navigating academic challenges while emphasizing personal growth. In his role as a Resident Assistant, O'Donnell focuses on building a strong sense of community and belonging among his residents, organizing events aimed at addressing issues such as sexism. O'Donnell is a passionate advocate for creating an inclusive atmosphere at Purdue, actively contributing across various organizations .

Honorable Mention: Grace Chen (2nd Year)

Leadership Development Award

Devansh Kejriwal (2nd Year): Devansh Kejriwal has enthusiastically embraced the resources within the JMHC to springboard what has already amounted to an incredibly inspiring undergraduate leadership experience. A Co-Chair of the Honors Leadership Council in Business and Director of Marketing at Consult Your Community, Devansh’s leadership experience is as multifaceted as it is visionary. But leadership positions are not enough for Devansh. He intends to be a leader academically as well, with plans to publish a paper as part of the JMHC’s mentored house research, which will align his leadership with environmental sustainability.

Abigail Frank (3rd Year): As a servant leader, Abigail has shown tremendous commitment to the growth of others. She has proven highly successful at creating a culture of continuous learning in the teams and organizations she leads, which has resulted in unprecedented developmental outcomes for her and the students who work with her. Building on skills gained through the Honors Mentor Program and Leading Women Toward Space Careers, she has taken on leadership opportunities that would further challenge her and maximize her growth, from presenting to educators on the need to enhance teamwork training to more expansive roles in the Purdue Space Program where she manages a team with over 100 students.

Honorable Mention: Jenny Guan (2nd Year)

Honorable Mention: Abby Hoekstra (3rd Year)

Community Engagement Award

Yutika Sawant (2nd Year): Yutika Sawant encourage s and support s the next generation of inventors and scientists. On the planning committee of a 2024 total solar eclipse outreach event, she interviewed science professionals and created a careers -related activity packet for distribution to schools. During the eclipse event , she used those materials to discuss careers in astronomy with K-12 students while conduct ing hands-on activities to demonstrate the importance and magic of science. These days, s he can be seen at Purdue’s Saturday Morning Astrophysics, interact ing with middle and high school students by answering questions and engaging in conversations about astronomy .

Wesley Lin (3rd Year): Wesley Lin founded Campus4Vets, a nonprofit student organization for mobilizing students to engage with veterans in the community by volunteering and interviewing them. Through those interactions, students help relieve veterans’ issues, including homelessness, substance abuse disorders, and mental health struggl es. As a volunteer at the Indiana Veterans’ Home (IVH), Lin has used his service in the National Guard to bridge the gap between his worldview and those of older generations, from WWII to Afghanistan. As a future veteran , rallying Boilermakers and others for veteran advocacy will be a lifelong undertaking.

Honorable Mention: Jackson Stone (3rd Year)

Global Engagement Award

Mia Schmetter (3rd Year): Mia Schmetter values cultural engagement, the growth that comes from expanding her worldview, and contributing to the communities in which she engages. She has taken the lessons of the four pillars learned through the JMHC with her into multiple international settings including medical service trips to Guatemala and Costa Rica , and a summer internship at a Ugandan health center. Most important to her is learning from the people and cultures in which she immerses herself . Mia states that true global engagement means forging connections that transcend borders and applying those lessons to create lasting impact. These are values she plans to carry into her future career as a neuroscientist aimed at understanding the psychological and biological layers that drive human connection, growth, and resilience. A Brain and Behavioral Science major, Mia serves on the executive board for both medical service trips and plans to study this summer in Kenya exploring rural healthcare settings.