Homecoming 2023 Pillars of Excellency presented by the Purdue Student Union Board

The Pillars of Excellency scholarship is a way for selected students to be recognized on campus for their achievements. Juniors and seniors who are particularly accomplished in teaching and scholarship, service and leadership, or research and innovation can apply to be voted on by their peers. Students who apply will have the chance to win one of three $1,000 scholarships.

2023 Homecoming Pillars of Excellency Winners

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Full Name
Classification
School
Major
Hometown
Teaching and
Scholarship
Jason Packard
Junior
Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Woodstock, IL
Service and
Leadership
Raishma Anwar
Junior
Engineering
Biomedical Engineering
Walnut Creek, CA
Research and
Innovation
Chandni Garg
Senior
Science
Genetics
Foster City, CA

Teaching and Scholarship Applicants

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Full Name
Classification
School
Major
Hometown
Krish Jain
Senior
Daniels School of
Business
Economics
Surat, Gujarat,
India
Jordan Harris
Senior
Health & Human
Sciences
Nursing
Valparaiso, IN
Sebastian Rett
Senior
Polytechnic
Institute
Cybersecurity
Cicero, NY
Ramzi Kattan
Senior
Engineering
Aeronautics &
Astronautics
Dallas, TX
Julia Suter
Senior
Health & Human
Sciences
Speech, Language
& Hearing
West Lafayette, IN
Olivia Tan
Senior
Daniels School of
Business
Actuarial Science
Honors, Applied Statistics,
Economics
Florence, South Carolina
Natalie Penry
Senior
Liberal Arts
Film & Video
Production
Westfield, IN
Jaylyn Nelson
Senior
Health & Human
Sciences
Biomedical Health
Sciences
Columbus, IN

Service and Leadership Applicants

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Full Name
Classification
School
Major
Hometown
Hannah Semler
Senior
Liberal Arts
Public Relations
and Strategic
Communication
Westfield, IN
Gianna Bibbey
Senior
Engineering
Computer
Engineering
Oak Park, IL
Russell Kleiner
Senior
Agriculture &
Liberal Arts
Biochemistry and
Science Communication
Westchester, NY
Katelyn Carlson
Senior
Pharmacy
Doctor of
Pharmacy
Algonquin, IL
Allison Peterson
Junior
Science
Biology Education
Saint John, IN
Krish Jain
Senior
Daniels School of
Business
Economics
Surat, India
Tamia Austin
Junior
Health & Human
Sciences
Biomedical Health
Sciences
Farmington, MI
Julia Suter
Senior
Health & Human
Sciences
Speech, Language
& Hearing
West Lafayette, IN
Kayla Snaidauf
Senior
Health & Human
Sciences
Nursing
Orland Park, IL
Cecelia Cooper
Junior
Health & Human
Sciences
Nursing
Fort Wayne, IN
Cynthia Wan
Junior
Pharmacy
Pharmacy
Baltimore, MD
Sydney Brown
Senior
Science
Atmospheric
Science
Hamden, OH
Sydney Hefry
Junior
Agriculture
Agricultural
Economics
Auburn, IN
Sam Wadlington
Junior
Daniels School of
Business
Integrated Business
and Engineering
Sugar Land, TX
Ashley Neibrugge
Senior
Science, Health &
Human Sciences
Neurobiology and
Physiology
Psychological Sciences
Columbus, IN
Ava Ralston
Junior
Agriculture
Food Science
Batesville, IN
Isabelle Villeda
Senior
Health & Human
Sciences
Hospitality and
Tourism Management
Tegucigalpa, HND
Jack Walsh
Senior
Engineering
Mechanical
Engineering
Pittsburgh, PA
Kayla Owens
Junior
Purdue Polytechnic
Institute
Computer and
Information Technology
Indianapolis, IN
Alexis Lowe
Senior
Engineering
Biological
Engineering
Murfreesboro,
Tennessee

Research and Innovation Applicants

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Full Name
Classification
School
Major
Hometown
Jennifer Wallner
Senior
Health & Human
Sciences
Brain & Behavioral
Sciences
Westfield, IN
Julia Suter
Senior
Health & Human
Sciences
Speech, Language
& Hearing
West Lafayette, IN
Yufan Zhou
Senior
Science
Mathematics
Guangzhou, China
Amy Tang
Junior
Engineering, Pharmacy,
Agriculture
Biological Engineering,
Pharmaceutical Sciences
West Lafayette, IN
Heesoo Kim
Senior
Electrical and
Computer Engineering
Computer Engineering
South Korea
Charles King
Senior
Pharmacy
Pharmaceutical
Sciences
Austin, TX

Contact Us

Homecoming events—including Class of ’73 reunion activities—are administered by the Homecoming Steering Committee led by Purdue for Life employees. Please contact us at homecoming@purdueforlife.org for questions or to receive additional information.

Keagan’s story

I’m walking with Grandparents University tour group near the steps of Hovde Hall. It’s a Thursday morning in July, and the only students around are between the ages of 7 and 14. I catch a snippet of a conversation between a grandmother and her grandson as she details the pranks she pulled with her friends around this area.

I smile because just a few months ago I was doing the same thing.

Grandparents University (GPU) is a two-day event where grandparents and their grandchildren embrace Purdue and all it has to offer.

Participants choose a specific major to study and attend a class taught by Boilermaker experts. The majors aren’t exactly like the ones we have here at Purdue, but they do get to do cool activities like creating hot sauce, designing monsters, flying drones, and cooking in a Purdue kitchen. It’s a great opportunity to see wisdom and curiosity combined in the classroom, as grandparents and their grandchildren collaborate on these projects. They’re equally willing to learn from the instructors —and from each other—while creating lasting memories.

They might not know it yet, but this Purdue experience at such a young age will help with their college decision in a few years.

My mother started working at Purdue when she was pregnant with me, so I’ve been familiar with the university my whole life. Many of my childhood memories are associated with different parts of campus, and these memories played a big part in my decision to attend Purdue. I was going to a place that I knew—a place I already considered a home away from home. In the same way, when these children make their college decisions, they will already have built connections with Purdue through Grandparents University.

It will also help they already have a Purdue degree!

At the end of GPU, the kids graduate just like regular students by walking across the stage of Elliott Hall of Music. They even have their own caps to decorate and keep—which is great because robe rentals would be a nightmare.

I had been to nine commencement ceremonies before my own in May, so I’m well-versed in Purdue graduations. Nevertheless, it was still fun to watch this one.

These children had learned so much more than what was taught in their major. They learned more about their grandparents and strengthened their connection with them. They learned about the university and what’s in store for them when they (hopefully) become Boilermakers. And at the Block Party, they befriended students they had never met before and hung out on Memorial Mall—just like regular college students.

It was almost exactly what I experienced throughout my college career. Yes, I got my degree and now  have a job as was intended on this life path. But I also made lifelong friendships and went outside my comfort zone in ways that helped me grow as an individual.

Purdue shaped me and continues to shape me. I credit a lot of my growth as a person and a professional to my college career here, and a lot of what I know to the professors and instructors I had throughout my education.

Through Grandparents University, you have the opportunity to provide the same transformative experience for future Boilermakers. You can be the Purdue instructor that inspires a path that lasts a lifetime.

Patsy J. Mellott

BS College of Health and Human Sciences, 1969
Fishers, IN

Patsy earned a bachelor’s degree in food and nutrition in business from Purdue in 1969, in addition to an MBA in food marketing from Michigan State University in 1970. She retired from Kraft Foods in 2006 after 36 years in corporate food marketing and marketing communications management.

A community volunteer, Patsy serves on the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana Advisory Board and the Purdue College of Health and Human Sciences Dean’s Leadership Council, in addition to the President’s Council Advisory Board. She is a former member of the Health and Human Sciences Alumni Board. Patsy held several offices from 2006 through 2013, including president and treasurer. She serves her community’s Discover Indianapolis Club in Fishers, holding several leadership roles for over 10 years.

Patsy has received several honors, including the Purdue University Nutrition Science Department Hall of Fame recipient in 2009 and the Purdue University College of Health and Human Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016. She also received the college’s Gold and Black Award in 2016, an honor reserved for donors who have moved the college forward by committing exceptional financial resources.

In addition to endowing two scholarships, the Patsy J. Mellott Scholarship and Patsy J. Mellott HHS Scholarship, she established the Patsy J. Mellott Teaching Innovation Award in the College of Health and Human Sciences in 2013. In 2015, she endowed the Patsy J. Mellott Women’s Tennis Coach Performance Award. She is a lead donor in the Christine M. Ladisch Faculty Leadership Award and the Purdue Women’s Network Virginia C. Meredith Scholarship for the College of Health and Human Sciences.