FAYETTEVILLE — The U of A Honors College has selected 100 exceptional high school students, including 91 from Arkansas, to receive Honors College Fellowships.
The fellowships, which award up to $80,000, largely cover tuition, fees, books, room and board, and other academic expenses over four years, providing these students the freedom to pursue original research, study abroad, service learning and other academic interests.
The fellowship funds can also be combined with other scholarships and grants, such as the more than $1 million in study abroad and research grants that the Honors College awards to students each year.
“The Honors College continues to have an incredibly competitive pool for our fellowship program each year,” said Noah Pittman, associate dean of enrollment for the Honors College. “This year alone, we reviewed almost 900 applications for endowed fellowships. Our 100 new Honors College fellows are stunningly bright and accomplished, and we look forward to helping each of them achieve their goals at the University of Arkansas and beyond.”
The new fellows boast an average grade point average of 4.28 and an average composite ACT score of 34. Also, 15 percent of the students are the first in their families to attend college.
The members of this distinguished class plan to study a diverse range of subjects, from studio art and history to civil engineering, environmental science and architecture.
Many have achieved notable recognition. Within this group of new fellows, 27 were named National Merit Finalists. Overall, each of these new fellows has an impressive record full of accomplishments.
The fellowship application process is rigorous. Students must score at least 32 on the ACT and achieve a minimum 3.9 grade point average to apply. Each student’s application is then reviewed by Honors College administrators and faculty for evidence of intellectual curiosity, leadership potential and community involvement. The selection process also involves a timed writing test and a campus interview for finalists.
Including the 2025 recipients, a total of 1,876 students have benefited from the Honors College Fellowship program. Recent fellows include Truman, Goldwater and Udall Scholars, Fulbright award winners and an Olympic pole vaulter.
Fellowship alumni are launching startups, taking leadership roles at international corporations and nonprofit organizations and pursuing higher degrees at schools such as the California Institute of Technology, Cambridge University, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Georgetown Law School, Harvard Law School and Medical School, Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, Tufts University School of Medicine, the University of Chicago Medical School, and the University of Virginia.
The Honors College Fellowships were made possible by a portion of the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation’s $300 million gift to the university in 2002.
HONORS COLLEGE FELLOWS, Class of 2029
Kennedi Acklin – eStem High Public Charter School, North Little Rock
Charlize Adamos – Harrison High School, Harrison
Rehan Ah – Bentonville High School, Bentonville
Ryan Ah – Bentonville High School, Bentonville
Maya Allen – Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts, Harrison
Seth Antuna – Bentonville West High School, Bentonville
Amelia Armstrong – Austin High School, Austin, Texas
Tristan Banks – Haas Hall Academy-Rogers, Rogers
Vincent Baxley – Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville
Theodore Benson – North Little Rock High School, Little Rock
Lillian Blumenberg – Farmington High School, Fayetteville
Jack Bowles – Morrilton High School, Morrilton
Pearlyn Britto – Bentonville High School, Bentonville
Lasya Buddha – Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock
Madison Bussell – Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville
Zane Caldwell – Cabot High School, Cabot
Rithwik Chittem Setty – Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock
Charan Chitturi – Bentonville High School, Bentonville
Ava Clagett – Conway High School, Conway
Layton Cordell – Lakeside High School, Hot Springs National Park
Ethan David – Cabot High School, Cabot
Riley Davis – Charleston High School, Charleston
Dylan Dedman – Rison High School, Rison
Wyatt Dodson – Pea Ridge High School, Pea Ridge
Chandler Doyle – Haas Hall Academy-Bentonville, Springdale
Zach Ellis - Catholic High School, Maumelle
Victor Espinoza Romero – Rogers New Technology High School, Rogers
Maricka Farr – Bryant High School, Bryant
Xander Ford-Wutzke – Rogers High School, Rogers
Owen Garrett – Bentonville High School, Bentonville
Timothy Garrison – Home School, Conway
Talia Gashler – Springdale Har-Ber High School, Springdale
Kolten Grant – Farmington High School, Prairie Grove
Logan Greggs – Russellville High School, Russellville
Ally Hamaker – Little Rock Christian Academy, Little Rock
Mattie Henry – Little Rock Christian Academy, Little Rock
Henry Jones – Oxford High School, Oxford, Mississippi
Natalie Jordan – Greene County Tech High School, Paragould
Kartik Joshi – Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock
KC Joyner – Rogers Heritage High School, Rogers
Olivia Keisling – Saint Joseph School, Morrilton
Jackson Kidd – Greene County Tech High School, Paragould
Hudson Kincade – Cabot High School, Cabot
Brendan Klaus – Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville
Maddie Kochman – Blue Springs South High School, Lees Summit, Missouri
Ryan Krown – Cabot High School, Ward
Gavin Lawrence – Glen Rose High School, Little Rock
Kade Lewallen – Benton High School, Benton
Carmella Lewis – Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts, Alma
Shamaya Liyanage – Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville
Caleb Lopez – Benton High School, Benton
Leah Marvin – Springdale Har-Ber High School, Tontitown
Matthew McDonald – Houston High School, Germantown, Tennessee
Caden Meadows – El Dorado High School, El Dorado
Alina Mehal – Haas Hall Academy, Fayetteville
Lydia Merriman – Bentonville West High School, Bentonville
Abdurrahman Muhammad – Bentonville High School, Bentonville
Anishka Nagarimadugu – Bentonville High School, Bentonville
Deven Nguyen – Rogers High School, Rogers
Noah Orsini – Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock
Jalia Osborne – Haas Hall Academy, Springdale
Ronak Pai – Bentonville West High School, Bentonville
Fiona Pearce – Rogers Heritage High School, Bentonville
Carsyn Pfitzner – Batesville High School Charter, Batesville
Max Polk – Conway High School, Conway
Addi Price – Benton High School, Benton
Isaiah Pulliam – Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville
Madelyn Pyle – Haughton High School, Doyline, Louisiana
Riley Raymick – Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts, Sheridan
Luke Rice – Bentonville High School, Bentonville
Jeffrey Robinson – Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock
Siya Rohant – Bryant High School, Benton
Saylor Ross – Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts, Crossett
Jack Seabolt – Rogers High School, Rogers
Tooba Sehr – Southside High School, Fort Smith
John Serio – Ruston High School, Ruston, Louisiana
Isaac Shilling – Olathe West High School, Olathe, Kansas
Elle Shipman – Joe T. Robinson High School, Little Rock
Sarah Shoptaw – Russellville High School, Russellville
Reese Smith – Haas Hall Academy-Bentonville, Springdale
Riley Smith – Haas Hall Academy-Bentonville, Springdale
Kohen Sprague – Vilonia High School, Conway
Kevin Sun – Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville
Jonathan Sykes – Dardanelle High School, Dardanelle
Wyatt Taylor – Bryant High School, Benton
Shubharashi Thapa – Bentonville High School, Bentonville
Gabby Thibeault – Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock
Ally Thomas – Greenwood High School, Greenwood
Dhruvika Thota – Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock
Aiden Ton-That – Frisco High School, Frisco, Texas
Emma Ward – Lake Hamilton High School, Royal
Greta Whitt – Knoxville Catholic High School, Knoxville, Tennessee
Nate Whittington – Van Buren High School, Van Buren
Avery Williams – Sheridan High School, Benton
Hadley Williams – Providence Academy, Rogers
Brianna Wilson – Greenwood High School, Greenwood
Silas Wilson – Springdale Har-Ber High School, Tontitown
Tony Wleklinski – Siloam Springs High School, Siloam Springs
Keynes Wright – Bentonville West High School, Centerton
Jack Zeuthen – Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville
