The University of Minnesota Crookston held its annual Student Awards Ceremony on April 16 in the Bede Ballroom and honored several individuals for their hard work and dedication throughout the school year. Over 40 awards were handed out in six categories, including Student Employment, Student Leadership, Athletics, Academics, Student-Voted, and Student of the Year.
Among those recognized were UMN Crookston Students of the Year – Emmah Burnes, Ayush Singh, and Jada Schimke. The Student of the Year award goes to a junior or senior who best demonstrates the skills and commitment required to succeed in college, business, and life while exhibiting Golden Eagle Pride, professionalism, and strong work ethic, all while excelling in academics.
The full list of award recipients included:
Student Employment Awards
Admissions Student Ambassador of the Year – Chase Nelson
Animal Attendant of the Year – Belle Syrett
Athletics Student Employee of the Year – Jada Schimke
Computer Help Desk Student of the Year – Hermon Tegegn
Library Student Employee of the Year – Mikaela Woodruff
Outstanding Student Employee of the Year – Brooke Hoven
Student Leadership Awards
Peer Mentor of the Year – Lauren Bowyer
Peer Tutor of the Year – Diane Cilengi
Community Advisor of the Year – Ayush Singh
Outstanding Student Orientation Staff Award – Kelsey Harms and Codey Wolff
Outstanding Student Group Representative – Najeem Sekoni
Outstanding CSA Senator – Zach Hanson
Golden Eagle Entertainment Programmer of the Year – Presley Westrum
The Inclusion and Belonging Excellence Award – Diane Cilengi
Athletic Awards
Male Scholar Student Athlete of the Year – Kyle Odenbach
Female Scholar Student Athlete of the Year – Emmah Burnes
Male Senior Student Athlete of the Year – Connor Bushbaum
Female Senior Student Athlete of the Year – Emma Miller
Academic Awards-
Outstanding Accounting Students – Charlotte Dombrowski and Elizabeth Medlen
Outstanding Management Students – Natalie Mikrot and Taryn Frazer
Outstanding Marketing Student – Isaac Telle
Outstanding Sport and Recreation Management Student – Anaka Lysne
Outstanding Communication Student – Kloe Wadd
Outstanding Elementary Education Student – Victoria Olson
Outstanding Sport Media & Communication Student – Emmah Burnes
Outstanding Exercise Science and Wellness Student – Aiden McPhee
Outstanding Information Technology Management Student – Sophia Shostell
Outstanding Software Engineering Students – Alina Ivashchenko and Jim Bond
Outstanding Agricultural Education Student – Katelyn Larson
Outstanding Animal Science Students – Hailey Schlotfeldt and Jada Schimke
Outstanding Equine Business Management Student – Alexis Triebenbach
Outstanding Equine Science Student – Grace Swaja
Wildlife Society Travel Award – Hannah DeLong and Gregory Utt
Norman Pankratz Memorial Conservation Award – Hannah DeLong
John Polley Soil and Water Conservation Award – Michael Anderson
Student-Voted Awards
Outstanding Educators – Theresa Helgeson and Randy Nelson, Ph.D.
Most Supportive of Students – Layla King, Ph.D. and Laura Bell
Outstanding Service to Students – Monica Kustritz
Student of the Year Awards
UMN Crookston Student of the Year – Emmah Burnes
UMN Crookston Student of the Year – Ayush Singh
UMN Crookston Student of the Year – Jada Schimke
Photo gallery link – z.umn.edu/studentawards2026-gallery
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