Six graduating seniors who received the Gold Axe Award Tuesday also received the President's Prize, considered the highest student recognition from the university. Pictured from left: Mary Venezia, James Duncan, Patrick Murphy, Tom Wahl, Allisyn Alati and Christine Fimia-Moe. Photo by Jerry Foreman

Seniors win Gold Axe Awards,
President's Prizes

Six graduating seniors have been awarded the prestigious President's Prize for their exemplary leadership, academic excellence and service to the NAU community.

The awards were announced at the Gold Axe Awards Banquet on Tuesday night in the du Bois Center Ballroom, where the six—Allisyn Alati, James Duncan, Christine Fimia-Moe, Patrick Murphy, Mary Venezia and Tom Wahl—were among 39 students receiving the coveted Gold Axe Award for their achievements.

The tradition of the Gold Axe Award dates back to 1933, a year after the student body adopted an axe as the symbol for Lumberjack athletics. Students selected for a Gold Axe Award also are eligible for the President's Prize, considered the highest student recognition from the university. After reviewing all the Gold Axe nominations, a universitywide committee makes its recommendations to President John Haeger, who then selects the President's Prize winners.

Spring 2008 Gold Axe Award Winners photos by Michelle Talsma, NAU Office of Public Affairs
Allisyn Alati Psychology	Shannon Atkison Business Management	Rachel R. Blackman Art History and Religious Studies	Danielle Borth Public Relations
Thasanee Chantarojwong Biology	Shannon Davis Accounting	Crystal Diaz Mathematics	James W. Duncan Dental Hygiene
Kathryn Eilers Microbiology	Christine Fimia-Moe Accounting	Laura Foster Communication Sciences and Disorders	Michelle Gardner Journalism
Michael W. Goldman Business Economics	Marcie S. Goldstein English and Speech Communication	Shelani Homer Political Science	Bra'Sheika Johnson Biology
Robert Jumbo Accounting and Business Management	Lauren McIntire Environmental Engineering	Nicholas Mueldener Psychology and Women's and Gender Studies	Molly Murphy Communication Sciences and Disorders
Patrick J. Murphy Accounting and Finance	Michael A. Petriello Biology	Bobby Raquel Hotel and Restaurant Management	Kimberly Reid Criminal Justice
Terry Richardson Psychology	Daniel Schiller Political Science	Jamie Scott International Hospitality Management	Lauren Smerlinski Exercise Science
Lindsay Smith Visual Communication	Matthew Spilsbury Exercise Science	Niki Steffen Forestry	Mary Venezia Speech Communication
Edith M. Villalobos Interior Design	Kayte Vucurevich Psychology	Phillip Tom Wahl Accounting	Jennifer Wermes Secondary Education-English
Renee D. Wierz Biology and Psychology	Richard Williams History	Amber Wilson Public Relations

Six students were named as Distinguished Seniors by their colleges. Pictured from left: Hallie Ryan, Whitney Roberts, Elizabeth Weaver, Colleen Cooley, Rachel Blackman and Kali Laden. Photo by Jerry Foreman

Also during the ceremony, six students were named as Distinguished Seniors by their college:

• College of Arts and Letters
  Rachel Blackman, Art History and Religious Studies
• College of Education
  Hallie Ryan, Elementary Education
• College of Engineering and Natural Sciences
  Colleen Cooley, Enviromental Science Management
• College of Health and Human Services
  Whitney Roberts, Community Health
• College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
  Elizabeth Weaver, Public Relations and Advertising
• The W.A. Franke College of Business
  Kali Laden, Accounting and Finance

Longtime NAU supporters and benefactors Joe and Marie Rolle awarded Megan McPherson, a sophomore biology major, the Joseph C. and Marie M. Rolle Award for Excellence.