The annual Premier Awards honor members of the UA community who exemplify the highest standards of scholarship, service, leadership and character. Six students, two faculty members and a student club received the University’s top honors.
The William P. and Estan J. Bloom Award
Honors a student who has improved relations among different groups. Past recipients have been chosen primarily for improving understanding and supporting interaction among groups for a common cause.
Aparna Bhooshanan
Creating a community for other Asian Americans at UA was something Aparna Bhooshanan wanted to do, even as a freshman. She indeed put that goal into motion first by taking on the role of secretary in UA’s chapter of the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers.
Bhooshanan also earned the distinction of being one of only two UA students to be accepted into both the Witt University Fellows Program and the Randall Research Scholars program. Through her work in Marion under the Witt Fellows program, she was also encouraged to reach beyond the UA campus to foster cultural collaboration among English and Chinese speakers.
Because of Bhooshanan’s unwavering passion for cultural exploration, she studied in Taiwan under the Critical Language Scholarship and Boren Scholarship. During this time, she took a gap year from her computer science major to focus entirely on studying Mandarin.
Bhooshanan believes her experiences at UA and the University’s support of her goal of building cultural bridges will continue to impact the UA community and beyond.
The Judy Bonner Presidential Medallion Award
The Bonner Prize recognizes a member of the UA community who has gone above and beyond normal expectations to change the culture or implement new initiatives designed to advance the Alabama experience for all undergraduate students or a segment of the undergraduate population (i.e. first generation, veterans, students in Greek-letter organizations, student leaders, student-athletes, students studying abroad, etc.).
The award recognizes one who has made extraordinary contributions to the Alabama experience, positively impacting undergraduate students.
While the recipient will typically be a member of the faculty or staff, others, including alumni, departments and student organizations, can be nominated when warranted.
Baby Steps
The Baby Steps student organization has worked tirelessly alongside the community-based nonprofit launched at The University of Alabama in 2023. Together, they seek to transform campus culture and end the stigma often associated with unplanned pregnancy in college.
In partnership with the nonprofit, Baby Steps goes beyond traditional support by providing connection, advocacy and practical assistance for pregnant and parenting college students. Through a highly trained and vetted network of student volunteers, the organization ensures these students can fully engage in their coursework and campus life.
Through their efforts, Baby Steps demonstrates that an unexpected pregnancy does not mark the end of a college journey. Their work proves both parenthood and graduation are achievable realities. In doing so, the organization empowers students to lead with compassion while building a campus community where parenting students are seen, supported and celebrated.
The Morris Lehman Mayer Award
Recipients will exemplify the life of Morris L. Mayer: selfless and significant service and leadership for the UA community, significant contributions to student life and integrity. Professor Mayer’s career exemplified the importance of enriching the undergraduate student experience; therefore, priority should be given to faculty candidates with extensive service in this area.
One current senior (graduating this year) and one teaching faculty recipient.
Emma Hou
Community service reflects empathy in the form of action — that’s what Emma Hou believes. She takes that conviction to heart in doing her part to advance the common good. Hou has been recognized as an effective advocate on campus in serving as president of the Alabama Women’s Lacrosse Team, where she has helped it become a strong and respected program. Because of her work, University Recreation leaders frequently call on her to help expand other club sports.
Spearheading a service mission within her own club, Hou established the first-ever LaCROSSe Out Cancer tournament to raise funds for pediatric cancer research. She also serves as president of Blue Key, representing top seniors in one of the University’s premier honoraries. Additionally, she is an inaugural Shelby Scholar, a distinguished leadership program designed to develop advanced skills and knowledge in public service.
Those around Hou say they are constantly inspired by her drive for excellence and service to others, which she views as complementary forces that shape her leadership.
Susan Daria
Many in the department of advertising and public relations use words like “exemplary,” “caring” and “passionate” to describe Susan Daria. For 25 years, she has been known among her colleagues for designing high-level, community-engaged courses that give her students hands-on experience with service organizations like Secret Meals. Since 2011, Daria and her students have helped provide more than 80,000 weekend food packs to children experiencing food insecurity.
That impact is one way Daria prepares students to be citizens beyond the classroom. She is unwavering in her love of community and service to others and brings that passion to each of her classes. Her students also see her as a dynamic instructor and steadfast supporter who is witty and magnetic, inspiring them to be the same.
The John Fraser Ramsey Award
The John Fraser Ramsey Award is not exclusively a service, leadership or academic award: it honors a distinctive kind of excellence. The Ramsey recognizes in a junior the versatility of gifts and attainments, as well as the breadth of excellence in mind and character, that have traditionally been the goals of a liberal education. It is awarded to a junior with broad interests related to the humanities who has exerted a positive influence on his or her contemporaries.
The Ramsey Award consists of a monetary award and a travel award in support of a Great Ideas Tour. The GIT is named for the signature class taught by John Ramsey in his 42 years as a history professor at UA and is the opportunity for Ramsey recipients to travel Europe and discover their own sense of possibility and responsibility within a global humanity. While encompassing aspects of both the best vacation and the most demanding study abroad program ever, the GIT is neither. Members of the Ramsey Board help recipients craft informed, intentional tours that provide authentic encounters and space for reflection while embracing Dr. Ramsey’s joie de vivre.
Elizabeth Owens
Studying both aerospace engineering and legal history, Elizabeth Owens is certainly sending her future to great heights. She’s taken every opportunity to turn her curiosity into leadership and collaboration at UA.
Her service and commitment to helping others are evident through her work as a member of both the Randall Research Scholars program and the Shelby Institute for Policy and Leadership. She also serves as an ambassador for the Office of Undergraduate Research. Owens has also worked with the Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School to mentor students from all backgrounds to pursue their curiosity about aviation.
Owens believes progress must always serve humanity. She feels the goal of education is to connect what you learn in the service of the people around you. She hopes to expand her ideals of versatility, influence and depth of purpose and her world view studying in Italy, England, Switzerland and Germany.
The Catherine J. Randall Award
Recognizes the most outstanding student scholar at UA based on GPA, rigor of course study, and extraordinary scholarly or creative endeavor; applicants may come from any academic program of study, as scholarly and creative activities from within all majors will be considered for this award.
Elena Kuehner
Academic pursuits as a chemistry major and Blount Scholar have been central to Elena Kuehner’s Alabama experience. Navigating a demanding multidisciplinary curriculum, Kuehner has maintained a perfect GPA. She has earned an A+ in every chemistry and biology class she has taken.
Kuehner conducts cancer research on metal-based complexes for photodynamic therapy, examining their DNA-binding activity and synthesizing novel compounds. Last summer, she worked in a cancer immunology laboratory through a prestigious research internship at Harvard Medical School.
A Rhodes Scholarship finalist, Kuehner has been recognized with numerous awards from the department of chemistry for her academic excellence and initiative. Her leadership extends across campus as president of both the Honors College Assembly and the Gamma Sigma Epsilon chemistry honor society, among other accolades. She has a deep commitment to scientific discovery, mentorship and service.
Even among the most elite programs, her professors feel Kuehner is exceptional. And her joy of discovery will continue to inspire beyond her years at the Capstone.
The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award
The award honors one member of this academic year’s graduating class as well as one non-student. The recipients of the award have demonstrated the highest standards of scholarship, leadership, and service. Recognizes the practical application of noble ideals and is based on excellence of character and service to humanity.
Liam Smith
Scholarship, leadership and service are not concepts Liam Smith takes lightly. A student in the Randall Research Scholars Program, he is also a double major in management information systems and mathematics. He is also pursuing a master’s degree in applied statistics and maintains a 4.0 GPA. That caliber of commitment extends beyond the classroom for Smith.
His mentors say wherever he goes, leadership follows. That is evident in his involvement with the Adapted Athletics program where he leads the scorer’s table crew. His guidance ensures the games are administered accurately through the unique classification systems that wheelchair basketball programs adhere to worldwide. In this role, he identified a need for a system to help track lineups and catch violations in real time. Smith’s solution was used at multiple national tournaments.
On top of his rigorous class load, he also shares his DJ talents with UA’s softball team. He also serves as a statistician and public address announcer at Stillman College. That might seem like a heavy lift for many, but Smith carries it happily. He believes we should all pay our experiences forward.
Kagendo Mutua
Visionary leadership has inspired Kagendo Mutua’s students and colleagues at the Capstone for many years. So much so that on more than one occasion, her former students have returned to work alongside her to continue to learn and be inspired by her.
Mutua is the co-founder and executive director the CrossingPoints Program. CPP is a multi-tiered inclusive postsecondary education initiative that continues to enhance the lives of the University’s students with intellectual disabilities.
Mutua works behind the scenes to make this and other opportunities available to students. Over the past decade, Mutua has been awarded nearly $20 million in external funding, supporting initiatives for both inclusive higher education and for professionals serving youth with significant disabilities. Her research and grant leadership have built sustainable pathways for inclusion and have trained hundreds of educators, rehabilitation counselors and advocates who now serve communities nationwide.
All who have had the privilege of learning from Mutua in any capacity agree that her contributions to her field and to the service of those with intellectual disabilities are extraordinary.
Graduate School Premier Award
This award honors a graduate student whose University of Alabama experience encapsulates the University’s tripartite mission of teaching, research and service.
Tyler Fezzey
Her peers describe Tyler Fezzey as the embodiment of the graduate school experience at The University of Alabama. She is a current doctoral candidate in the Culverhouse College of Business. As such, she brings a myriad of knowledge that enhances the Culverhouse experience for students, faculty and staff alike.
Fezzey’s accomplishments include being published more than any doctoral student in the history of the department of management. She has also presented her research at numerous international conferences and college campuses. Fezzey is a natural leader. She holds multiple elected and appointed roles in the internationally-renowned Academy of Management Student Community, the PhD Project and the Management Doctoral Student Organization. She has also served on several editorial boards and peer-reviewed for top journals and conferences. Serving as a chair for a local nonprofit organization shows that she has a heart for service as well as research.
Fezzey’s mentors call her a rising star who inspires and enriches the experiences of both her students and her peers.