HONORable Mentions: Summer and Fall 2025

The Honors College is dedicated to student success by empowering and inspiring them to build lifelong connections and chart purposeful paths toward their futures. These stories reflect the depth and breadth of Honors student achievement throughout summer and fall 2025. From interning at the Georgia State Capitol to doing community service in Vietnam and beyond, these moments define the Honors experience and deserve an Honorable Mention. 

Sudip Agrahari

Junior, Computer Information Systems

• Sudip received the Community & Belonging Award during the Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference (GSURC) in 2025 for his presentation, “Assessing the Usability and Feasibility of an Inclusive Food and Microwave Access Map.” He led a project to develop an interactive map with over 200 places that helps students, faculty and staff locate inclusive food options across all of Georgia State University’s campuses.

Joshith Reddy Aleti

Senior, Computer Science

• Joshith’s internships at Fiserv and Boehringer Ingelheim in the past semesters has allowed him to explore the intersection of technology, data and health care. Building on these experiences, he leads the Indian Student Organization at Georgia State University, where he fosters a vibrant and supportive community for diverse students across campus.

Avvai Chandrasekaran

Senior, Computer Science and Philosophy

• Avvai co-authored the paper “Integrating Multimodal AI Services into Pepper for Natural Human-Robot Interaction” that was accepted for presentation at IEEE’s Computing, Communications and IoT Applications Conference. The paper presents a system that enhances Pepper, a humanoid robot commonly used for social interactions and customer service, by integrating interactive speech recognition and language models. She outlines future work to develop Pepper into an autonomous tour guide for Georgia State University.

Erin Davis

Junior, Interior Design

• Erin was awarded the $10,000 Edna McCandless Thornton Scholarship as an entering Bachelor of Fine Arts student in Georgia State University’s Welch School of Art and Design. This award is only offered to faculty-nominated students, and winners are determined by votes submitted by faculty from all art and design disciplines based on their portfolios and artistic promise.

Kokou Efou

Senior, Psychology and Computer Science

• Kokou presented research at the City University of New York (CUNY) Public Interest Technology Lab’s pop-up at the Oculus in New York City. This research concerned a recent two-semester Public Interest Data Literacy Learning Lab at GSU titled “Tackling Food Insecurity.” With this project, students analyzed data on the metro-area food crisis and he exemplified how data literacy can activate community change.

Aislynn Gonzalez

Senior, Management and Management Consulting

• Aislynn interned with Wells Fargo in Global Operations, where she led a 10-member intern team in presenting automated solutions to costly and time-consuming problems. She also guided 20-plus operators through high-stress operations, developing risk assessment tools and employee assessments to improve efficiency and accuracy. Her experience allowed her to make lasting connections with managers, mentors and peers, and she earned a return offer as an analyst.

Jiusi Guo

Senior, Biological Science

• Jiusi completed honors service-learning at Blue Heron Nature Preserve where he contributed to a restoration project on native Atlanta flora and pollinators, presenting his work at GSURC. At the Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium (SURS), he presented two posters on his University Assistantship Program (UAP) lab research. His achievements earned him a nomination for the 2025 International Undergraduate Student of the Year by GSU’s International Education Week.

Caleb Gustavson

Junior, Public Policy and Philosophy

• Caleb spent time in Santa Barbara, Calif., serving as the lead canvas director for the Fund for the Public Interest, a nonprofit that raises money and support for environmental and social-change organizations. In this role, he raised $124,000 and engaged with more than 4,200 Californians to further statewide efforts to ban toxic chemicals.

Maisha Habiba

Senior, Accounting

• Maisha was awarded the Atlanta Hospitality Alliance Scholarship as a recognition of her academic excellence, leadership potential and interest in the hospitality industry. This scholarship highlights her commitment to bridging her financial expertise with hospitality business operations.

Elias Harger

Junior, Music and Piano Performance

• Elias was invited by the Anti-Defamation League to Washington, D.C., to speak at its Concert Against Hate event and present the 2025 Kay Family Award. He delivered a monologue highlighting the importance of standing up against antisemitism and promoting social justice.

Elisa Heinzelmann

Senior, Political Science

• Elisa interned at the Georgia Capitol as part of the Georgia Legislative Internship Program. Interns work full time at the Georgia General Assembly and Elisa’s position focused on legislative research and aiding for the House Higher Education and the House Banks & Banking committees. As part of the internship, she was able to write, publish and pass a House Resolution honoring one of GSU's professors: Stephanie Kerce.

Matty Jallow

Senior, Biological Science

• Matty was awarded the Biology Undergraduate Leadership Award for her contributions to campus leadership, service and STEM engagement. She leads the Undergraduate Dental Society (UDS) at Georgia State University, providing networking opportunities, mentorship and shadowing opportunities. Under her lead, UDS has also established ongoing volunteer partnerships with local Atlanta organizations, promoting compassion and service within the pre-dental community.

Eda Kunutku

Sophomore, Psychology

• Eda co-conducted research for an oral presentation titled “How Biases Affect Jurors and Their Decisions” at GSURC. She also serves as a teaching assistant for a Careers in Psychology course and was awarded the Dr. Judy Deloache Scholarship for Honors students majoring in psychology.

Hannah Lang

Freshman, Neuroscience

• Hannah was appointed as the sole delegate representing the state of Georgia for the Aspen Institute’s Center for Rising Generations, a leadership initiative dedicated to empowering the next generation of leaders. She attended the Rising Generations Summit, an event bringing together delegates from around the country for a day of training, networking and a dynamic youth-led policy organization fair.

Leighanna Maddox

Senior, English and Creative Writing 

• Leighanna interned as a journalist for the Atlanta VUE magazine, publishing various lifestyle articles online and in print. She also interned as an editor for the Sarah O'Brien Editorial Agency where she edited manuscripts and made promotional material.

Menaalla Mansour

Senior, Psychology

• Menaalla serves as the director of programs and project manager for Psi Chi at Georgia State University, the international honor society in psychology. She presented a project titled “Predicting Children’s Empathetic Sadness and Happiness from Parent Empathy and Parent-Child Mutuality” at PURC that won an award and has been selected for presentation at the SEPA conference. She has also received the Elizabeth A. Kenny Scholarship in Psychology.

Trinity Nguyen

Junior, Biology

• Trinity visited her home country, Vietnam, where she engaged in community service. She and her family donated food, supplies and funds to temples and orphanages across the region. The experience strengthened her commitment to serving vulnerable communities and inspired her to continue advocating for children and individuals with disabilities.

Nathan Nwaokocha

Senior, Computer Science

• Nathan earned the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud Practitioner certification, demonstrating his fundamental understanding of IT services, concepts and security and their uses in the AWS Cloud.

Samuel Oriola

Sophomore, Data Science

• Samuel presented research at the IEEE-EMBS International Conference on Biomedical and Health Informatics. He was also highlighted for winning the IEEE BHI Young Professional NextGen Scholar Recognition.

Nishchay Rikunj Pat

Senior, Computer Science

• Nishchay received the Emeriti Association Just-in-Time grant, a resource given to Honors students that enables them to take advantage of professional opportunities and experiences. His paper titled “MultiRAG: A Fuzzy Logic-Driven Multi-Granularity Framework for Legal Document Generation” was also published in IEEE.

Poorav Rawat

Junior, Computer Science

• Poorav interned as a software engineer at Intuit, a Fortune 500 financial software company. He and his team also competed and won first place at AI ATL, the largest hackathon in Atlanta. His project, called HeyAI, is a platform that transforms AI agents into voice-powered assistants accessible via phone call.

Zayvion Shepherd

Senior, Political Science and Pre-Law

• Zayvion is a former SGA president and the co-founder of the nonprofit organization For Atlanta By Atlanta (FABA). This organization was made to address poverty in underserved communities through economic empowerment, education and sustainability.

Aaditi Singhal

Sophomore, Pre-Computer Science

• Aaditi and her team won first prize at HackMIT, a hackathon held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. With over 1,000 participants and 24 hours of building, the project titled “EcoAI,” an AI toolkit focused on sustainability, won in the Diamond Sponsor (Infosys) Track.

Varsha Sudharsan

Senior, Neuroscience

• Varsha presented a Tedx Talk called “Beyond Survival: The Neuroscience of Trauma and Recovery,” which combined her advocacy work with her passion for neuroscience. She was also invited to be a keynote speaker for the Youth Protection Seminar, where she spoke about trauma and recovery through her work with GSU’s Student Victim Association.

Ophelia Tchoupe

Senior, Accounting

• Ophelia earned an internship at Noble Investment Group, an award-winning investment firm focused on travel and hospitality.

Chimuanya Uwadileke

Sophomore, Marketing and Journalism

• Chimuanya serves as one of two public relations coordinators for GSU’s African Student Association. With her assistance of boosting engagement through promotional campaigns, the club has secured a partnership to collaborate with Davido, a globally recognized afrobeats star.

Madelin Vasquez

Sophomore, Studio Art

• Madelin competed in GSU Spotlight’s ninth annual art competition and won in the Sculpture category with her piece titled “La Piñata.” She has also received the GSU Second Century Scholarship and the Harold and Sara Wetherbee Foundation Scholarship. She also serves as the media team coordinator for GRACIAS, a nonprofit organization that empowers Latino youth at GSU.

Tayara Wallin-Damon

Senior, Elementary Education

• Tayara is completing a student teaching internship at International Community School, which is the same elementary school she attended as a child. Through this role, she is gaining hands-on experience in elementary education while giving back to the community that helped shape her early academic journey.

Mikayla Wilson

Sophomore, Public Health with Health Policy and Behavioral Science

• Mikayla interned at the Central Outreach and Advocacy Center, where she assisted unhoused individuals in obtaining essential documents such as birth certificates, Social Security cards and IDs. She also helps organize community support events, such as a free haircut program serving over 40 guests and a career fair for those seeking employment.

Ayesha Yousuf

Senior, Finance

• Ayesha has received the Ko Family Scholarship and the State Farm Transition Scholarship, aimed for successful students who are transitioning from one of GSU’s Perimeter College associate degree programs to a program that will lead to a bachelor’s dDegree at Georgia State University.

On the Horizon

The following Honors students have earned recognition for opportunities they will pursue in the months ahead:

• Haizhu Hu- Junior, Actuarial Science: Selected for an actuarial internship with MassMutual Ascend
• Touba Kamal- Junior, Neuroscience: Accepted into the Georgia Tech Petit Scholars Program
• Samuel Oriola- Sophomore, Data Science: Accepted into the Georgia Tech Petit Scholars Program
• Victoria Oltean- Senior, Political Science: Selected as an at-large fellow for the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress
• Amelia Michelle Rodriguez Villamarin- Junior, Accounting and Finance: Selected for an internship with Ernst & Young

The Honors College at Georgia State University is a destination for high-achieving students who embody curiosity, take pride in their work and dream about how they can make an impact through their studies and careers. Its mission is to serve students in a welcoming space by engaging students’ curiosity, empowering them to achieve their highest potential and inspiring them to find their place in the world. Its students form life-long friendships, participate in community service, perform research, excel academically, explore their interests and chart their career paths.

Story By: