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Grace has really maximized her time at CU. In terms of intellectual maturity, she is much more like a graduate student than an undergraduate. Perhaps more than anything else, I was impressed by something she said: she enjoys learning that she is wrong much more than learning that she is right. She is the best undergraduate student I have taught at Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØsince I arrived in 2015. - Associate Professor Aun Hasan Ali

Aya relishes her classes and her time at CU. She consistently seeks opportunities to learn, whether by participating in a professor's research project or meeting with guest speakers on campus. She is civic-minded and humanitarian-minded and has been active in advocating for Palestinians. I met Aya when she sat in the front row of my Introduction to International Relations class. In a large class of over 300 students, she stood out as a student who was willing to speak up, whether it was to ask a question or advocate for something she believed in. She is grateful for the opportunity to learn, and she does not take her education for granted. - Professor Megan Shannon

Mädchen Craig pours herself into everything she does. As an Asian Studies major, she has dedicated her senior thesis to exploring experiences of belonging, mattering and identity among Asian Americans in Denver, shining a light on communities that are too often overlooked in research. Her deep commitment to cultural understanding and building more resilient communities is inspiring. Beyond just being a student, Mädchen was selected for the Program for Teaching East Asia's competitive classroom outreach program, where she developed a lesson plan around a picture book set in Japan and brought a storybook reading and mini-lesson to Colorado K-8 classrooms. It’s wonderful to watch her light up when she talks about connecting with young students and sparking their curiosity about culture and the world. On top of all of this, Mädchen works as a substitute teacher while completing her degree. She is a talented artist, a generous mentor to her students and someone who has worked incredibly hard to reach this milestone. I have no doubt she will go on to do great things, and I couldn't be more proud to celebrate her. - Assistant Teaching Professor Lauren Collins

Lexie is a standout student whose path to Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØreflects both resilience and genuine intellectual curiosity. Returning to school as a non-traditional student after years of military service and workforce experience, Lexie brought a grounded maturity and sense of purpose to her academic work that sets her apart. Earning a BA in Psychology alongside a minor in Women and Gender Studies, she has excelled across both disciplines, and is among the top students in my undergraduate Queer Theories course. What is perhaps most distinctive about Lexie, however, is her commitment to making her education matter beyond the classroom. She works thoughtfully and intentionally to bridge the frameworks she has encountered in Women and Gender Studies with the culture of her hometown community–serving as a connector between worlds that do not always speak to each other. That kind of translation work is difficult, meaningful, and exactly the sort of contribution that transforms not just a student, but everyone around them. - Associate Professor Kristie Soares

Hunter Geist Sanchez is graduating with a master’s degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Ecology. A sixth generation Coloradoan with roots in the San Luis Valley ranching community, Hunter brings a rare perspective shaped by lived experience, cultural heritage and a lifelong dedication to restoring semi-arid grasslands. His exceptional thesis work investigated seeding restoration in the face of drought in local rangelands. Along the way, Hunter secured six competitive awards that funded his research and a team of undergraduate trainees, built strong partnerships with local land managers and co-founded the Colorado Buffalo Collective. ÌýHunter’s curiosity, resilience and interdisciplinary approach position him to make meaningful contributions to ecological land stewardship in Colorado - Professor Katharine Suding

Casey Ringer is one of the first scholars to make intensive use of the U.S. Navy Japanese Language School Collection in the Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØLibrary. She came to know of this collection via her undergraduate job in the archives and mined some of its most interesting materials for her senior thesis (completed in her third year). She then matriculated in our MA program with an eye toward expanding her research question, ultimately addressed in her outstanding thesis on continuities of Japanese and American occupations of the South Pacific. Casey has also been a leader of the History Graduate Association (including a role as organizer of the Rocky Mountain Interdisciplinary History Conference), a mentor for students in and beyond the department, and a dedicated TA. Her graduate studies (including learning Japanese) were supported by a prestigious FLAS fellowship. Working with her has been one of the highlights of my career at CU. - Professor Miriam Kingsberg Kadia

Gil tells me that when he was growing up, he didn’t see himself going to college. Well, here he is: a first generation student, excelling in everything he’s done. He’s been an RA, helping others, getting great grades, while writing an honors thesis using data from the MAVEN spacecraft orbiting Mars. He’s the first person on Earth to use ultraviolet light to see how Mars’s polar cap changes and evolves over the seasons. He built an astronomical spectrograph from scratch and used it at Apache Point Observatory. Next stop: nuclear fusion research on the path to a PhD from CSU. The best thing about Gil is how he’s looking for a way to turn his progress through life into ways to help and inspire others. - Professor Nick Schneider

Sean came to Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder from Yale-NUS College in Singapore and will move on to PhD studies at the University of British Columbia this fall. In Boulder’s Chinese MA program, Sean has been doing brilliant academic work, while also venturing across campus: he is the first student in our program to complete CU’s graduate certificate in Digital Humanities plus a micro-credential in Research Data Foundations. Sean is highly creative in integrating what he learns in Digital Humanities with his research in Chinese literature and visual culture. As a TA, Sean has shown uncommon enthusiasm, drive and care in teaching and completing the certificate in College Teaching and the Future Faculty Development certificate. In his role as Lead TA, Sean has shown tremendous dedication to fellow graduate students, to the undergraduates he teaches and to the whole department. Sean is truly an amazing grad! - Professor Antje Richter

Asia is a creative, outstanding scientist and a fantastic communicator who makes scientific ideas accessible and exciting. Her research, supported by a prestigious USDA fellowship, is already making waves, with publications in leading journals that reveal how urban landscapes and social factors shape insect biodiversity and the ecosystem services that support food production in community gardens. She brings originality and passion to everything she does, from applying innovative methods and novel data sources to understand how urban insect biodiversity is changing, to communicating her science through dance (earning a category prize in Science magazine’s Dance Your PhD competition). She is also a thoughtful, generous mentor and peer who supports and inspires others. Her work is important, her voice carries and her enthusiasm is contagious. Exactly the kind of scholar we love to see representing Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder! -ÌýAssociate ProfessorÌýJulian Resasco

I enthusiastically nominate Joseph (Joey) Pontiff as an Amazing Graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences. While Joey's extremely strong academic performance and success in research in our demanding major is impressive in its own right, his resilience and commitment to community is profound. Joey has achieved his scholarly successes while overcoming a traumatic brain injury that demanded months of active recovery and re-learning. One of Joey's legacies is his leadership as chair of the executive board for the Quantum Scholars program. He is the leader among our 150+ scholars, spearheading the board's formation, supporting national partnerships and helping shape the program's social and intellectual framework. Beyond his own success, Joey is dedicated to building community and advancing science for the public good. Responsible, resilient and collaborative, Joey is a credit to our institution and highly deserving of the Amazing Graduate recognition. - Professor Noah FinkelsteinÌý