Troy University recognized academic excellence and achievement Wednesday afternoon during the annual University Honors Convocation.
The event was held in the Claudia Crosby Theater on the Troy Campus and recognized students who have earned prestigious awards for outstanding scholarship and service and acknowledged those inducted into honor societies during the last academic year.
Dr. Shirley Farrell, recipient of the University’s 2025 Wallace D. Malone Jr. Distinguished Faculty Award, delivered the convocation’s keynote address, sharing five ideas to help students continue moving forward even when the path isn’t clear.
“You have figured out how to meet and exceed expectations, to manage deadlines and somehow still function on very little sleep,” she said. “Life doesn’t come with a clearly marked flight plan. There will be no syllabus, no checklist and no guaranteed outcomes, and in those moments, what guides you won’t be achievement. It will be your internal compass, your character. Keep building your resume, but also build integrity, kindness and courage. Those are the things that will help you to navigate with the path isn’t clear.”
An avid birdwatcher, Farrell drew on some aspects of her hobby to offer guidance to students.
“Birders have a simple habit. We are constantly looking up because if you don’t look up, you miss what is possible,” she said. “I think that applies here too. The people who go the farthest are the ones that stay curious. Stay curious, listen to perspectives different from your own and explore beyond what feels familiar because growth doesn’t happen when you already know everything. It happens when you are willing to keep looking.”
Farrell also pointed to nature for an important lesson – nothing thrives alone.
“Success that only lifts you is temporary, but success that strengthens others creates lasting impact,” she said.
Farrell also encouraged students to take lessons from migratory birds who sometimes encounter storms along their journey.
“You will face storms too – moments when things don’t go as planned, opportunities don’t work out, or you question what comes next,” she said. “Here’s what I would like for you to remember – storms don’t mean that you are lost or that you have failed. It means you are in motion. Fail forward, learn from it, adjust and grow because often those moments shape your direction the most.”
In closing, Farrell encouraged students to protect their joy.
“You are allowed to enjoy your life while you are building it,” she reminded the students. “Protect your joy, make time for what grounds you, excites you and reminds you that you are more than your accomplishments. Even the most driven journeys need moments of stillness.”
During the convocation students were honored for their induction into honor societies, including Alpha Epsilon Delta, Beta Beta Beta, Beta Gamma Sigma, Chi Sigma Mu, Sigma Tau Delta, Lambda Pi Eta, Kappa Delta Pi, Psi Chi, Phi Epsilon Kappa, Sigma Theta Tau, The 87, Order of Omega, Alpha Lambda Delta, Omicron Delta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi.
Individual awards were presented by college.
College of Science and Engineering
- Alpha Epsilon Delta Award – MacKenzie Daniel
- Beta Beta Beta Leadership and Scholarship Award – Emily Hyman
- Dennis Lee Bowden Computer Science Award – Huy Q. Tran
- Virgil L. Collins Mathematics Award – Cruz Fuller
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics Outstanding Graduate Student Award – John Cao
Sorrell College of Business
- Carr School of Accountancy Outstanding Student Award – Bradley Smith
- School of Creative Enterprise and Market Systems Outstanding Student Award – Fabian Rogosch
- School of Management Outstanding Student Award – Jonas Koturenka
- School of Hospitality, Sport, and Tourism Management Outstanding Student Award – Ellison Laney
- Sorrell College of Business Outstanding Graduate Student Award – Yagya Pokhrel
College of Arts and Humanities
- Bernard E. Williams Award – Anais Rose Shelley
- John M. Long Achievement Award – Laura Fell
- The Modern Language Award – Elijah Brooks
- The Leonard Y. Trapp Memorial Scholarship – Tyler Thorne
- William R. Denison Choral Excellence Award – Mia Sanchez
College of Education and Behavioral Sciences
- Chelsea Rae Huggins Memorial Psi Chi Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Psychology – Paige Klosterman
- College of Education and Behavioral Sciences Outstanding Student Award – Olivia Mills
- R.H. Ervin Award for Outstanding Senior in Education – Hannah Claire Ketchum
- Susan Gibson Vance Outstanding Future Educator Award – Margaret Lauren Palmer
- Dr. Sam Shelton Undergraduate Political Science Award – Jayden McQueen
College of Health Sciences
- Sigma Theta Tau International – Anna Glynn Lott
- Outstanding Bachelor of Social Work Student Award – Kate Marie Seale Esposito
- Outstanding Human Services Award – Macy McGovern
- Outstanding Undergraduate School of Allied Health Student – Makenna Calbert
- Outstanding Graduate Student Award – Kiana Mims
Scholarship, Leadership and Service Awards in Interdisciplinary Fields
- Academic Excellence Award for Sororities – Alpha Gamma Delta (accepted by Coryn Kendrick)
- Academic Excellence Award for Fraternities – FarmHouse (accepted by Brad James Smith)
- Nolan C. Hatcher Outstanding International Student Award – Alejandra Gutiérrez Fuente
- Alpha Lamba Delta Outstanding Freshman Award – Bruce Eldredge
- Phi Kappa Phi Outstanding Junior Award – James Nichols
- Phi Kappa Phi Outstanding Senior Award – Mayra Schliemann
- Dr. Robert Kruckeberg Faculty Senate Excellence Award – Avington Medeiros, Department of History and Philosophy
- Ingalls Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching – Dr. Brandy Simpler, School of Nursing
- Algernon Sydney Sullivan Awards – Students: Alyssa Billings and Ben Hollensworth; Non-student: Preston Pritchett, Sorrell College of Business
Members of this year’s Honors Convocation Committee are: Dr. Ventsislav Stamenov, Dr. Morgan Sewell, Dr. Hui-Ting Yang, Dr. Scott Sexton, Dr. Lauren Berlingo, and Dr. Byungkwan Jung, Dr. Adam Rutkowski, and Dr. Priya Menon. The convocation was followed with a reception on the quad.
Additional photos of the event are available at online.
