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At Hamilton’s annual Class & Charter Day convocation on May 13, 142 students were honored with academic prizes and scholarships, and faculty teaching award recipients were recognized. Delbert “Del” Gonzales ’25 was awarded the James Soper Merrill Prize, and Mohammad “Isa” Khan ’26 received the Fillius Drown Prize Scholarship. Associate Professor of Philosophy Justin Clark served as the keynote speaker.

As the 2024-25 academic year wraps up, we’re proud to celebrate students who have received national fellowships and scholarships, presented at conferences, and earned other recognition.

When President Barack Obama visited Hamilton College on April 3 as part of the Sacerdote Great Names Series, the crowd came for the moment — but what stuck were the words.

Naval Lappalainen ’25 and Xavier McMahon ’27 have been awarded Critical Language Scholarships (CLS) to study Russian this summer. Lappalainen, a double major in history and Russian Studies, from Wilmington, Del., will study in Kyrgyzstan, and McMahon, a double major in world politics and Russian studies from Louisville, Kentucky, will be based in Daugavpils, Latvia.

Sabina Feder ’25 and Brianna “Bri” Padilla ’25 both received Hamilton’s prestigious Bristol Fellowship, which sponsors projects “based on strong personal interest and commitment” and that “exhibit a spirit of inquisitiveness and a seriousness of purpose.”

Quentin Messer ’26 was recently awarded a Harry S. Truman Scholarship to pursue work in industrial and manufacturing policy. He becomes Hamilton’s third recipient of the prestigious award, presented to students interested in careers in public service, following Dewayne Martin ’24 and Frederick Nelson ’78. A world politics concentrator, Messer plans to pursue a J.D. and Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) following graduation.

In the world of Hollywood, the road from script to production is a long one. It starts with the development team that reads the scripts, hears the pitches, and ultimately decides whether a script has the potential to be a successful show. Then, it’s their job to get the network to see that vision. Zoe Neely ’25 had the opportunity recently to step into this world.

Yuxuan Xu ’26 has been named a recipient of the prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship, a national award that supports students intending to pursue research careers in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering. For Xu, the recognition wasn’t just a validation of his work — it was a meaningful milestone after years of dedicated effort and strong mentorship at Hamilton.

“Pointed Quandle Coloring Quivers of Linkoids,” co-authored by Associate Professor of Mathematics Jose Ceniceros and Max Klivans ’25, was recently published in the Mediterranean Journal of Mathematics.

Andrew Fredericks ’25 and Charlie Haberstock ’25 both received a 2025 Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, a national $40,000 grant to pursue a one-year passion project anywhere in the world. While receiving the award is a feat in and of itself, the two geosciences majors were particularly excited when they heard that the other had won. Close friends since their first year at Hamilton, the pair had supported each other throughout the Watson application process.