GRADUATING SENIORS

Sociology Majors

Fall 2024 Graduates

• Siena Baracsi
• Madison Puhl
• Mia Sedory 

Spring 2025 Graduates

• Abraham Almaraz
• Kaitlin Bates
• Nakearia Cunningham
• Jalen Deloach
• Sheldon Edwards Jr
• Madeleine Falkenholm
• Lauren Fariello
• Miyah Fleury
• Jessica Flores Perez
• Francis Nwaokorie
• Delaney Frank
• Gracie Frank
• Caroline Gavin
• Fionn Harrington
• Cole Hartsfield
• Anton Jahn-Vavrus
• Samuel Libis
• Tawonga Mzumara
• Angie Ordonez
• Renee Johanna Page
• Naomi Pegler-Gordon
• Willa Poland-McClain
• Brenda Rutledge
• Jada Schubbe
• Minnie Spremich
• Annie Soukup
• Xitlalie Tafolla
• Audrey Webb
• Dane Wenzel
• Greyson Wilder
• Maja Wloch
• Orly Wolf
• Vivian Zagotta
• JJ Whiteside

Sociology & Anthropology Majors

• Blairlanee Bowden
• River Preston-Gage
• Elle Kelbrants
• Paige Schumacher
• Ariana Wauer

GRADUATE DEGREES

Dr. Marilyn Krogh, Associate Professor
Graduate Program Director Department of Sociology

Master of Arts

Syeda Khadija Quadri al-Jilani

Doctoral Degrees

Melissa Kinsella
“A “Scary Time” to Be A Man? Comparing Men’s Engagement with Sexual Violence and Anti-Sexual Violence Discourses in the Private and Public Spheres” (Conferral Dec. 2024)

Samirkumar Talati
“Ethnicity through Education: The Influence of Formal Education on Ethnicity in Garo Hills” (Conferral May 2025)

Dana LaVergne
“Buying Time or Doing Harm?”: Tracing Contestation and Consensus in Debates on Puberty Blockers for Trans Youth (Conferral August 2025)

Keyla Navarrete
“Fear of Victimization, Trust, Security, and Public Spaces in Guatemala” (Conferral August 2025)

Leslie Watland
“A Phenomenological Study of Meaning Making in University Faculty Regarding Role Expectations in Response to Student Crises” (Conferral August 2025)

UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS

ALPHA KAPPA DELTA

Sociology Honor Society Honor Cord Recipients
New Members

• Kaitlin Orthwein Bates
• Lauren Fariello
• Delaney Frank
• Gracie Frank
• Cole Hartsfield
• Hayden Hirschhaut
• Elle Kelbrandts
• Tawonga Mzumara
• Willa Poland-McClain
• Angelina Smith
• Annie Soukup
• Minnie Spremich
• Orly Wolf

Graduating Seniors who received their AKD Honor Cords in 2024

• Siena Baracsi
• Anton Jahn-Vavrus
• Naomi Pegler-Gordon
• Mia Sedory

UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS

Dr. Judson Everitt, Associate Professor
Undergraduate Program Director Department of Sociology

Departmental Distinction in the Sociology Major

Outstanding capstone paper or completion of two graduate courses

• Siena Baracsi
• Madeleine Falkenholm
• Gracie Frank
• Anton Jahn-Vavrus
• Annie Soukup
• Minnie Spremich
• Audrey Webb

Fredericks Scholarship

• Mollie Badoni
• Nicolas Giner-Calero
• Ro Martini
• Tawonga Mzumara
• Kai Sinnott
• Angelina Smith

Addams-Wells Barnett Award

Civic or Campus Leadership

• Siena Baracsi
• Willa Poland-McClain

Durkheim Award

Outstanding Sociology and Anthropology Senior

• Elle Kelbrants
• River Preston-Gage

Gallagher Award

Outstanding Sociology Senior

• Anton Jahn-Vavrus
• Angie Ordonez
• Greyson Wilder

Ross P. Scherer Award

Outstanding Sociology Junior

• Nico Giner-Calero
• Kevin Sanchez-Carrizales
• Angelina Smith

Wittner Award

Social Justice in Action

• Anton Jahn-Vavrus

GRADUATE AWARDS

Individual Graduate Awards made possible through the generous support of Kristin Blakely, LUC PhD 2008

McNamara Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Sociology of Religion

Eyyup Yilmaz
Article: “The Crisis of Turkish Social Sciences: An Explanation Through the Case of the Sociology of Religion.” Türkiye Günlüğü 162(1)

Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor

Ryan Wong
For Fall 2024 Sociology 255 “Deviance and Social Control”

Peter Whalley Award for Outstanding Graduate Scholarship

Keyla Navarrete
Dissertation: “Fear of Victimization, Trust, Security, and Public Spaces in Guatemala”

Moriah Johnson
Paper: “Threats to Thriving: Black boys, maternal resistance, and the racialized homeschooling terrain”

Blakely-Wittner Award for Scholarship in the Sociology of Gender

Dana LaVergne
Dissertation: “Buying Time or Doing Harm? Tracing Contestation and Consensus in Debates on Puberty Blockers for Trans Youth”

Melissa Kinsella
Dissertation: A ‘Scary Time’ to Be A Man? Comparing Men’s Engagement with Sexual Violence and Anti-Sexual Violence Discourses in the Private and Public Spheres

Award for Service to the Department, University, Community or Profession

Jenny Rakotoarisoa
For presidency of Sociology Graduate Student Association

Eyyup Yilmaz
For leadership of the Sociology Salon

Kajal Patel
For leadership of Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education (EDGE)