Congratulations Class of 2026 & Award Winners! : Department of Religious Studies

Congratulations Class of 2026 & Award Winners!

June 25, 2026

OUR CLASS OF 2026

Thomas Wandossan Alemu, Tahia Bianca Alexio, Aidan Kobayashi Balagtas, Celestine Arinze Chukwudi Jr, Lillian Rebecca Coe, Shinyi Ding, Prashant Ghimire, Peighton Simone Hazel, Madeline Zai Mai Laffey, Mackenzie Jane Lanning, Jingyi Liao, Bohai Lu, Therese A Manego, Ashlyn Leigh Milford, Olivia Murane, Margaret Munday Odom, Sydney Marie Olson, Anastasia Alexandra, Tchernikov, Samuel Joseph Trammell, Cecilia Isabel Trujillo, Stella Zhu, Sylvia Li

RELIGIOUS STUDIES AWARDS

Edmund F. Perry Award for Best Research Bohai Lu '26 for his Honors Thesis “Traversing Northwestern: Catholic Life Under Conditions of Plurality”
Theta Kappa Alpha in Society Award for Most Innovative Research Margaret Munday Odom '26 for her "Walk Along" Libret
Religious Studies Charisma Award for Compassionate Presence & Community Citizenship Stella Zhu '26
*Richard Kieckhefer Undergraduate Research Grant* Abigail Alinda '27 to work on her honors research project, "Interpreting the Unexplained: An Ethnography of Extra-ordinary Experiences in Clinical Practice."

Congratulations to our inductees to the Phi Beta Kappa Society!

Bohai Lu '26
Stella Zhu '26
Sylvia Li '26
Shinyi Ding '26

GEORGE BOND GRADUATE TEACHING AWARD

Ray Buckner has received the Religious Studies George Bond Graduate Teaching Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching!

GOLDEN HOOPOE FACULTY TEACHING AWARD

Professor Robert Orsi received the Golden Hoopoe Faculty Award for passion and excitement about teaching religion and for being an inspiring mentor to our majors and minors.