Mizzou Honors College

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Meet the 2026-27 Honors College Student Council Executive Board! The Honors College Student Council is a student group r...
06/02/2026

Meet the 2026-27 Honors College Student Council Executive Board!

The Honors College Student Council is a student group responsible for planning social, academic, service and professional development events for Honors students. They do incredible work, including planning Geek Week and the Honors College’s involvement in Homecoming each year.

· Lara DePauw, president
· Fae Knudsen, vice president of communications
· Isaac Faust, vice president of finances
· Nourhan Balboula, vice president of membership
· Landon Ely, social committee co-chair
· Ava Waggoner, social committee co-chair
· Ava Jacquot, service committee co-chair
· Kampbel Jame, service committee co-chair
· Hannah Clevenger, student development committee co-chair
· Hannah Kroupa, student development committee co-chair
· Ember Amann, major events committee co-chair
· Tanishka Ashili, major events committee co-chair

For Carolyn Orbann, anthropology has always been about people — their stories, their cultures, the systems they build an...
05/18/2026

For Carolyn Orbann, anthropology has always been about people — their stories, their cultures, the systems they build and the ways they care for one another across time.

That curiosity has carried her from childhood years spent overseas in Kenya and South Africa to archaeological work in Joshua Tree National Park, and eventually to classrooms and research laboratories at the University of Missouri, where she now mentors Tigers exploring questions about health, policy and human behavior.

This spring, Orbann, a teaching professor in the Mizzou College of Health Sciences and affiliate faculty in the Honors College, was named the Honors College Outstanding Faculty Award recipient and spoke yesterday at the Honors commencement ceremony.

Learn more about her academic efforts across the campus: https://honors.missouri.edu/news/2026/05/connecting-health-history-and-humanity/.

Congratulations, Honors College graduates! You’ve accomplished so much during your time as a Tiger, and it was a joy to ...
05/17/2026

Congratulations, Honors College graduates! You’ve accomplished so much during your time as a Tiger, and it was a joy to celebrate you all this afternoon. Well done!

An updated radiopharmaceutical chemistry textbook will be published this spring, detailing the latest advancements and c...
05/15/2026

An updated radiopharmaceutical chemistry textbook will be published this spring, detailing the latest advancements and clinical successes in the field. When Nora Pryor gets her copy, she already knows which page she’ll flip to first.

Among the discussions of emerging cancer treatments and diagnostic technologies will be a chapter Pryor helped write as an undergraduate student at the University of Missouri.

“I’m going to see the pages of the textbook and be like, ‘I wrote that,’” Pryor said. “That is going to be crazy.”

For Pryor, the moment represents more than just a publication credit. It is the culmination of four years spent building a research career she never imagined for herself before arriving at Mizzou – one that led from freshman-year lab work to unique internships, cancer research and, soon, graduate school at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

“I never thought I was going to be a scientist,” said Pryor, who will graduate this May with degrees in chemistry and French, as well as the Honors College Certificate. “I took a chemistry course in high school because it was required, and I ended up really liking it. It was the first time that I had ever taken a science class and really enjoyed it. I decided to try a higher-level chemistry course and realized I still really enjoyed it. I figured I would begin my college career as a chemistry major with the thought that I would change my major down the road, but I never did.”

Pryor was recently named the 2026 Honors College Outstanding Senior and will speak during the Honors commencement ceremony: https://honors.missouri.edu/news/2026/05/from-first-year-fellow-to-future-scientist/.

Mizzou College of Arts & Science
Marching Mizzou

Photos by Chris Wang

From leadership and service to hands-on learning and scholarship, Mathew Kimaku made the most of every opportunity durin...
05/15/2026

From leadership and service to hands-on learning and scholarship, Mathew Kimaku made the most of every opportunity during his time at the University of Missouri.

Along with pursuing the Honors College Certificate, Kimaku served on the Alumni Association Student Board, worked as a student ambassador for the College of Health Sciences, cared for patients at MU Health Care’s University Hospital and led as vice president of Omicron Delta Kappa.

Kimaku will graduate this weekend with degrees in health science and nutrition & exercise physiology — and leave a legacy of service, engagement and support for future Tigers.

“As a freshman, it seemed like there were a billion different ways to get involved, and that’s something special that you might not get at smaller schools,” he said. “Applying to be on AASB as a freshman took courage because there were so many interviews where you really put yourself out there. Looking back on it now, I’m happy that I wasn’t afraid of failure. I had so many great mentors at Mizzou pouring into me with support, including those in the Honors College encouraging me to pursue scholarship opportunities. Now I try to be the biggest cheerleader for others.”

Learn more about Kimaku’s time at Mizzou: https://showme.missouri.edu/2026/graduating-honors-college-student-exemplifies-service-first-leadership-at-mizzou/.

Mizzou College of Health Sciences
Mizzou College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources

From first visiting the University of Missouri as a prospective Stamps Scholar to reporting in Brussels for POLITICO Eur...
05/14/2026

From first visiting the University of Missouri as a prospective Stamps Scholar to reporting in Brussels for POLITICO Europe and working in nearly every corner of the Missouri School of Journalism, senior Lilley Halloran is leaving with far more than a college degree.

Halloran, a Mizzou Stamps Scholar (Stamps Scholars) who will graduate with degrees in constitutional democracy and journalism, as well as the Honors College Certificate, said she quickly realized during her Stamps Scholarship interview weekend that Mizzou, and especially the Honors College, could offer opportunities beyond the classroom.

“Getting to meet faculty from so many different schools, especially in the Honors College and the J-School, really sealed the deal for me,” Halloran said. “It showed me there’s so much potential at Mizzou and especially through the Honors College.”

That sense of opportunity continued throughout Halloran’s college experience. Constantly surrounded by ambitious peers in her Honors courses, Halloran noted she was pushed to think more critically, ask deeper questions and grow more confident in both herself and her approach to journalism.

Read more about her Mizzou journey: https://honors.missouri.edu/news/2026/05/lilley-halloran-leaves-mizzou-with-global-journalism-experience-and-passion-for-public-radio/.

Story by Riley Palshaw

Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy

Wyatt Carlson’s experience has been defined by a simple philosophy: take advantage of every opportunity.That mindset l...
05/12/2026

Wyatt Carlson’s experience has been defined by a simple philosophy: take advantage of every opportunity.

That mindset led him to the Honors College, initially for practical reasons. Early registration and scholarship opportunities were appealing, but those benefits quickly became secondary. What kept him invested were the small, discussion-driven classes and the rare chance to build real relationships with professors.

“My favorite part of being a student in the Honors College has been the opportunity to work more closely with my professors and build more meaningful relationships,” Carlson said. “To this day, many of my closest friends and study partners are students that I met in my CHEM 1320H and PHYS 2750H lab sections.”

A Re*****on R. Williams Award recipient and a member of Mizzou ’39, Carlson will graduate with an electrical engineering degree and earn the Honors College Certificate this weekend. Beyond the Honors College and his degree program, Carlson has been involved with the Mizzou Interfraternity Council and MizzouThon.

After graduation, Carlson will return to Kansas City to begin his career as an assistant instrument and controls engineer with Burns & McDonnell.

Learn more about Carlson’s Mizzou journey: https://honors.missouri.edu/news/2026/05/leading-across-campus-wyatt-carlson-earns-electrical-engineering-degree/.

Story by Kaiya Lynch

We wanted to take a moment to highlight three members of our Honors College Communication Internship team who will be gr...
05/11/2026

We wanted to take a moment to highlight three members of our Honors College Communication Internship team who will be graduating this weekend – Sophia Anderson, Eric Kiekeben and Kaiya Lynch! This trio has done a tremendous job of sharing the Honors College story over the past two years. They were willing to tackle any project thrown their way. You will be missed!

Two years ago, Sabrina Michael, an assistant teaching professor, launched a General Honors College course with an ambiti...
05/08/2026

Two years ago, Sabrina Michael, an assistant teaching professor, launched a General Honors College course with an ambitious goal: immerse students in the hidden worlds beneath the surface of Earth’s waters. Since then, the class has evolved through small changes and new opportunities, but its mission has stayed constant — bringing together students from a wide range of majors to explore the science, ecology and conservation of marine and freshwater ecosystems. In “Blue Earth: Aquatic Science Through SCUBA,” students study everything from aquatic organisms and water quality to the environmental challenges facing oceans and rivers, all while examining how life adapts and thrives underwater.

This semester, the course offered its most immersive experience yet, the opportunity for students to earn scuba diving certification. Through hands-on labs, field experiences and introductory diving instruction, students connected classroom concepts to the realities of aquatic exploration, learning the physics behind scuba diving alongside the biology of underwater ecosystems.

Learn more about the course: https://honors.missouri.edu/news/2026/05/blue-earth-course-brings-aquatic-science-to-life/.

Story by Sophia Anderson

David Schenker, an associate professor of classical studies and affiliate faculty in the Honors College, will retire thi...
05/07/2026

David Schenker, an associate professor of classical studies and affiliate faculty in the Honors College, will retire this spring after more than three decades of educating Tigers. Schenker’s teaching efforts at have covered a number of topics, including classical humanities offerings and a range of courses throughout the Greek curriculum, from first-semester Greek to seminars on the tragedians, Plato and other configurations of Greek literature.

Schenker was a regular in the MU Honors Humanities Sequence over the years as well, where he always taught during the first semester of the four-semester Sequence. The Humanities Sequence was a regular point of discussion during the recent Schenkerthon event, which highlighted Schenker’s time at Mizzou. The two-day celebration featured numerous speakers and brought together Schenker’s peers and former students. The event highlighted Schenker’s impact across more than three decades of teaching.

Learn more about Schenker’s time on campus: https://honors.missouri.edu/news/2026/05/a-lifelong-student-of-the-classics-david-schenkers-mizzou-legacy/.

Mizzou: Classics, Archaeology, and Religion

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