2020 Fellowship Recipients
The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi currently awards fifty Fellowships of $8,500 each, six at $20,000 each, and two at $35,000 each to members entering the first year of graduate or professional study. Each active Phi Kappa Phi chapter may select one candidate from among its local applicants to compete for the Society-wide awards.
Phi Kappa Phi is proud to present the 2020 Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship recipients:
1897 Fellow
Erin Mihealsick is the recipient of the Phi Kappa Phi 1897 Fellowship awarded to the top scoring applicant in a STEM discipline. She plans to pursue a program in cancer immunology research at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. She is a 2020 graduate of Clemson University where she majored in genetics/biochemistry and minored in psychology and gender, sexuality and women’s studies; she completed her undergraduate program with a 4.0 GPA. Mihealsick’s academic and professional interest now is in research, an interest that started in her high school science experiences and which set a foundation on which to build other experiences that served to clarify her goals and interest. These experiences included extensive research opportunities at her undergraduate institution, then as an Amgen Scholar at Duke University which also focused around learning concepts to design and implement a hypothetical drug for cancer treatments. Mihealsick now aims to become an independent researcher with a focused interest in disease-based research application, specifically to using the immune system (rather than chemotherapy drugs) to treat cancer. 1
Sherrill Carlson Fellow
Jonathan Puckett earned bachelor's degrees in history and English and a minor in Black studies from the University of Southern Mississippi. He is the recipient of the Sherrill Carlson Fellowship. Puckett’s love for history and literature began when he was quite young, using his public library to explore the world. As an undergrad, Puckett’s experiences in the honors college provided him many opportunities for research and study abroad. Most notable was his senior thesis about the archival rediscovery of the literature of Pauline E. Hopkins, an early twentieth-century African-American author, and Hopkins' literary contributions to conversations about citizenship in the Jim Crow era. Puckett’s undergraduate studies in history, literature and archival work will prepare him for his pursuit of a Master of Library Science at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; they offer training in public humanities. Through his studies, he will be empowered to bring under-appreciated, undiscovered, and well-known resources in archives and libraries to the public’s attention. 2
"Libraries, museums, and archives can be communal and bridge-building spaces, and I hope to use my occupation to emphasize the dignity and importance of every human being I encounter. I am beyond thankful for all of those who have contributed to my growth as mentors and friends." — Jonathan
Marcus L. Urann Fellows
Chip Chambers, a graduate of the University of Georgia, is a recipient of the 2020 Phi Kappa Phi Alice and Russell True Fellowship. His undergraduate studies included a double major in biology and economics with a minor in health policy and management, while at the same time cultivating and demonstrating his cheerleading personality and talent. He thrived in the cross disciplinary and professional connections across the basic sciences with its rigorous methodologies, the social sciences as they relate to leadership, business and policy, and the arts’ dance and performances. In addition, he supplemented his course work with research-rich learning opportunities and substantive service to the campus and its broader professional and cultural community. These investments earned him multiple awards including the Jamie Joshua Adams Memorial Award recipient for leadership, and recognition for service 2016-19 as clinical manager at Mercy Health Center. Chambers completed honors theses in biology and economics earning highest honors (conferred by the honors program as a result of meeting GPA, capstone and research requirements) and with a Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities graduation distinction. Chambers' plan for graduate study includes combined degrees in business administration and medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. 3
"(The best part of Phi Kappa Phi is) how it unites people from all over the country. This fellowship will greatly alleviate my burden of medical debt, enabling me to pursue a less lucrative specialty that I'm more passionate about." — Chip
Andrew M. Pregnall is a graduate of Virginia Tech. Pregnall was a microbiology and history undergraduate major who, over his undergraduate experience, received multiple awards in both areas: the 2019 Environmental History Scholarship (given to a history student performing outstanding environmental history research), the 2018 Leslie G. Sherman Scholarship (given to an honors history student studying abroad), and the 2017 Senora Pritchard Scholarship and 2018 Rachel M. Hill Scholarship (given to outstanding students in biology). He also excelled as a member of the honors college’s Presidential Global Scholars program, a program that prepares students to live as global citizens by exposing them to disciplines in the context of global civic engagement and allowing him to apply his studies cross-culturally. Based on his academic qualification, his leadership in research, his service to the campus community and with broader community and his ambassadorial potential, Pregnall was also named a 2020 Marshal scholar and will pursue graduate work in health data sciences at University College London in England.
"The cost of securing a medical or legal education prohibits many students from even considering these important fields. The support of the Marcus L. Urann Fellowship will allow me to pursue my dream of becoming a physician with less stress about the cost of my education, and for that I am grateful." — Andrew
Areeb Siddiqui graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a Bachelor of Science in economics. As a member of the Collegium V Honors Program at UT Dallas, Siddiqui competed on the Mock Mediation team—winning a top attorney award at a national tournament—and the Model U.N. team, winning awards at international tournaments. Siddiqui’s interests in civil rights, housing policy and economic development led him to internships with several organizations including the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas; the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.; and a non-governmental organization in Cape Town, South Africa, where he led and analyzed the results from a monthlong census in an informal settlement. In his senior honors thesis, “A Comparison of Barriers to Affordable Housing in post-Jim Crow U.S. and post-apartheid South African Cities,” Siddiqui drew upon the census data he collected in Cape Town, among other information, to analyze the impact of segregationist legacies on modern-day difficulties in securing affordable housing. Siddiqui will begin his studies at Yale Law School in the fall of 2020, where he will prepare for a career as a civil rights attorney in public service.
"I am humbled that my story and drive to fight for integrated cities resonated with the selection committee. Law school brings with it burdensome debt; the Urann Fellowship will help me tremendously in making my desire to pursue public interest civil rights law a reality." — Areeb
Jacob Tomory is a 2020 graduate of the honors college at Youngstown State University where he pursued dual majors in philosophy and political science. Tomory will attend Yale Law School as the next step in his educational journey. While at Youngstown State University, Tomory was a member of the university’s Ethics Bowl team. He received multiple awards for regional and national Ethics Bowl Competitions culminating in his being named a National Champion for his performance in the 2020 Ethics Bowl. Tomory was also a member of the YSU Moot Court Team. As a member of the university’s Moot Court Team, Tomory earned individual and team honors in regional and national Moot Court competitions. During his time at Youngstown State University, Tomory served as a coach for the debate team at a local high school and acted as a judge for multiple high school debate tournaments. He also helped tutor fellow students in their preparations for the Law School Admissions Test. Tomory was a member of the university’s academic senate and served on the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Dean’s Advisory Board. He also served as a peer tutor in the university’s Center for Student Progress.
"(The best part of Phi Kappa Phi is) sharing a community with others who recognize the importance of learning and the need to use that learning to better the world. I am honored and extremely grateful to be awarded this fellowship. It will be incredibly helpful in funding my legal education." — Jacob
Brian-Tinh Vu graduated with a Bachelor of Science in physics and mathematics from the University of Houston. Among his many achievements, he is the first author on a paper published in the Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics. He is a recipient of the Goldwater Scholarship and of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Accepted at various Ph.D. programs in bioengineering, Vu will attend the University of Pennsylvania program as part of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Interfaces’ program, which supports students for two years to take medical school courses at the Perelman School of Medicine.
"I am honored to receive the Marcus L. Urann Fellowship. It was a truly humbling and valuable experience to represent my institution, the University of Houston, in the national competition for this award." — Brian-Tinh
2020 Phi Kappa Phi Fellows
| Name | Chapter of Initiation |
| Jennifer Bentz 11 | Berea College |
| Kevin Crosby | University of Wisconsin-Madison |
| Jordan Curl | Lamar University |
| Anna Delony | Oklahoma City University |
| Mariah Dicksen | Western Illinois University |
| Emma P. Driggers | Francis Marion University |
| Anna Marie Fennell | University of South Florida |
| Abigail Franks | University of Alabama at Birmingham |
| Sara Gammon 7 | Kansas State University |
| Olivia Gellar | Ithaca College |
| Mary Elizabeth White Gently | Southern Oregon University |
| Anna Claire Golitzin | University of Michigan |
| Jonathan Grubbs 10 | North Carolina State University |
| Joseph Gulizia 12 | Middle Tennessee State University |
| Erica Hackett | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
| Colin Hammock 4 | Montana State University |
| Leena June Hornlein | University of Wyoming |
| Samantha Johnston | University of the Pacific |
| Dilpreet Kaeley | The University of Toledo |
| Prerana Katiyar | Carnegie Mellon University |
| Elizabeth M. Kay | The University of North Carolina at Charlotte |
| Chance Kennicutt | Nebraska Wesleyan University |
| Kimberley Kern 9 | Northern Arizona University |
| Ananya Koripella | East Carolina University |
| Noah Langenfeld | University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point |
| Risa Lewis | University of Connecticut |
| Benjamin Gabriel López 6 | The University of New Mexico |
| Hannah Yve Lyons 8 | University of Florida |
| Evan Mazur 11 | University of South Alabama |
| Matthew Melton | University of Kentucky |
| Emile Moura | University of Evansville |
| Emily Ness | Pacific Lutheran University |
| Micah Olivas | California State University, Fresno |
| Kyleigh Elise Petersen | College of Charleston |
| Nicole Plante 11 | Elon University |
| Zachary Joseph Porreca | Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania |
| Taylor Leigh Robinson | Queens University of Charlotte |
| Julian Rome 5 | University of Memphis |
| Aldo G. Sepulveda | The University of Texas at San Antonio |
| Avi Shah 11 | The College of New Jersey |
| Morgan Sisk 11 | Auburn University |
| Marisa Sloan | The University of North Carolina at Greensboro |
| Hollyn Slykhuis | Louisiana State University |
| Rosalyn Stoa | University of Wisconsin-Green Bay |
| Alexander Tripp | The University of Tennessee, Knoxville |
| Selina Vickery | The Ohio State University |
| Adam Weiner | Millersville University |
| Sarah Catherine Wenyon | University of Delaware |
| Callie Whitesell | Berry College |
| Elias J. Witte | University of Nebraska at Omaha |
Named Fellowships
Several of Phi Kappa Phi's Fellowships have been endowed by generous donors. Below is a list that details the Society's named fellowships and the contributors who made them possible:
1 1897 Fellow - The top-scoring applicant in a STEM discipline will be named the 1897 Fellow. Created in 2018, the award recognizes the year the Society was founded at the University of Maine.
2 Sherrill Carlson Fellow - Created in 2018, this fellowship is awarded to the top-ranking nominee in humanities and the arts. Sherrill Carlson earned a B.A. in home economics at Oregon State University and a master's degree in journalism at the University of Minnesota. She served as president of the Washington State University chapter during her career at the university and was a lifelong supporter of Phi Kappa Phi, to whom she left her estate.
3 The Alice and Russell True Foundation Fellow - Established in 2012, this distinction is awarded to a Marcus L. Urann Fellowship recipient pursuing graduate education in any science field. Marcus L. Urann Fellowships are named for the Society's founder.
4 The Agatha Huepenbecker Burnet Fellow - Established in 2015, this fellowship honors the memory of Agatha Huepenbecker Burnet, a dedicated chapter officer who served the Society in leadership roles at the national, regional and chapter levels. Burnet taught textiles and clothing at Iowa State University from 1956 until her retirement in 1993. The fellowship is awarded to a top-ranking nominee in any discipline.
5 Alfred M. Wolfe Fellow - William J. Wolfe, an initiate of the University of Arizona chapter, donated funds to establish the Alfred M. Wolfe Fellowship to pay tribute to his grandfather, the first member of his family to receive a college degree in 1897, the year of the Society's founding. Created in 2004, the fellowship goes to a top-ranking nominee majoring in agriculture, classical Latin/ancient Greek, or English.
6 The Deborah & John Yeakel Fellow - John A. Yeakel and his wife Deborah established the fellowship in 2011 to support graduate education for student nominees from the state of New Mexico. If there are no nominees from a New Mexico chapter, the award will be given to any nominee pursuing graduate education in international relations, peace studies or conflict resolution. If neither criteria are met, the award will be given to a nominee pursuing graduate education in any field other than law.
7 Kathleen Greey Fellow - Created in 2001, this fellowship honors the memory of Greey, a longtime chapter officer at Portland State University and an education librarian, who provided for the fellowship in her estate plan. Preference is given to a nominee whose undergraduate field is other than the basic sciences.
8 Marjorie Schoch Fellow - This fellowship celebrates a top-ranking nominee in any discipline. Schoch earned a B.A. in political science from Butler University in 1938 and a master of library science from University of Illinois in 1944. A lifelong supporter of her Butler chapter and Phi Kappa Phi, the fellowship in her honor began in 2004.
9 Ruth E. Brasher Fellow - Brasher, Professor Emerita at Brigham Young University, served for nine years as Director of Fellowships at the Society. Established in 1998, her planned gift endows a fellowship awarded to a nominee from BYU. If there is no recipient from this chapter, preference is given to an applicant whose record of service is exceptional and/or whose undergraduate major is domestic and family science.
10 Slater Fellow - In 1985, on his 95th birthday, James R. Slater, emeritus professor of biology at University of Puget Sound, became the first member of the Society to endow a fellowship in the donor's own name. Preference is given to the top scorer whose undergraduate field is in the biological sciences.
11 Walter & Adelheid Hohenstein Fellows - The late Walter Hohenstein, a former national president of Phi Kappa Phi, and his wife Adelheid, bequeathed funds to establish scholarships that bear their names. First awarded in 2004, the six Hohenstein Fellowships go to the top-ranking nominee in each of the Society's five divisions and, if applicable, to a recipient from University of Maryland.
12 Yoerger Presidential Fellow - This fellowship, established in 2001 as a result of the generosity of Past National President Roger Yoerger, is awarded each year to a student in one of the basic science disciplines (i.e., engineering, agriculture) rather than law or medicine.