Honoring Student Excellence at the 2025 PAU Stars Awards | Palo Alto University

On Wednesday, June 11, Palo Alto University proudly hosted the 2025 PAU Stars Awards Ceremony, a special evening recognizing the achievements, leadership, and impact of our exceptional students. Held at the Palo Alto Events Center and live-streamed via Zoom, this annual event—organized by the Department of Student Success in collaboration with academic departments—brought together students, faculty, staff, university leaders, and members of the Board of Trustees to celebrate academic excellence, service, and community engagement.

This year’s ceremony reflected PAU’s core values, especially the 2024–2025 institutional value of Equity & Inclusion. Through the presentation of over 75 awards across academic programs, the event highlighted students who not only excelled in research and clinical work, but also demonstrated compassion, service, and leadership both in and outside of the classroom.

A Celebration of Distinction

The Outstanding Student Award, one of the evening’s most prestigious honors, recognized individuals who exemplify a collaborative spirit, commitment to service, and dedication to PAU’s mission of equity, inclusion, and compassion. Honorees represented all degree programs, including:

• BS Psychology and Social Action: Sara Macias
• MA Counseling: Erin McBride
• MS Psychology: Jessica Mitchell, Tyrique Patterson, Shweta Kumari
• PsyD Clinical Psychology: Annemarie Jagielo
• PhD Psychology: Shirin Aghakhani, Madison Wright, Ashlynn Steinbaugh, Alexandra Rousseau
• PhD CES: Jennifer Kiehl

Advancing Equity, Service, and Belonging

Several awards recognized students for embodying PAU’s value of inclusive excellence:

• Excellence in Promoting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB): Francesco Yepez-Coello
• Excellence in Promoting Belonging: Anthony Flores
• Excellence in Service: E. Jaye Catron, Vonya Shumate, Patricia Torio, Carolyn Decker, Bridgett Johnson

These students have gone above and beyond to foster welcoming environments, uplift peers, and challenge systems to create meaningful change within the PAU community.

Celebrating Scholarship and Clinical Impact

PAU’s commitment to academic rigor and applied learning was evident in the number of students honored for excellence in research and clinical work:

• Excellence in Research:
  From early-stage scholars to dissertation trailblazers, students such as Tyrique Patterson, Audrey Evers, Mariel Alano, and Maya Wong were recognized for contributions that advance the field of psychology and mental health.
   
• Excellence in Clinical Work:
  Honorees like Jessica Burgess, Jose Ramirez, and Mythili Ananthasayan exemplified professional readiness and compassionate care in their applied training.

Recognizing Leadership and Teaching Support

This year’s Teaching Assistant of the Year award went to students across all programs who helped enhance the academic experience for their peers. Among the recipients were Meagan VanDenmark, Raquel Borg, Mona Midani, and Marcella Rojas, who brought dedication and mentorship into the classroom and virtual learning spaces.

The Student Organization of the Year award went to the Psychological Association for Gender Expression and Sexuality (PAGES) for their outstanding work in creating inclusive community programming and educational opportunities rooted in the value of equity and belonging.

Special Honors

The evening concluded with two distinguished awards:

• The Koopman Award (PsyD Dissertation Excellence): Mackenzie Odier
• The Tondow Award (PhD Dissertation Excellence): Alondra Serrano

These honors recognized exceptional dissertation research that carries forward the legacies of two influential PAU faculty members, Dr. Cheryl Koopman and Dr. Murray Tondow.

A Heartfelt Thank You to the Planning Committee

This memorable evening would not have been possible without the thoughtfulness and dedication of the 2025 PAU Stars Awards Planning Committee. 

Special thanks to:

• Chanel Matta-Ortiz, Interim Assistant Dean of Student Support
• Ana Castrillo, Director of Student Support
• Erika Lambert-Shelton, Senior Financial Aid Advisor / Outreach Lead
• Dr. Genevieve Arnaut, Director of Clinical Training
• Dr. Tameeka Hunter, Assistant Professor
• Dr. Wendy Wade, Assistant Professor

And to our incredible Student Hosts, who helped welcome guests and guide the evening with professionalism and warmth:

• Julia Albro, Student Assistant for the Department of Student Success
• Deborah Scheele, Student Assistant for the Department of Student Success
• Dea Nair, Student Assistant for the Department of Student Success

Your efforts reflect the very excellence and spirit of service we gather to honor each year.

A PAU Tradition

Now in its sixth year as a university-wide event, the PAU Stars Awards are quickly becoming a cornerstone tradition, bringing the community together to celebrate academic excellence, service, and student leadership.

As Student Success and university leadership affirmed, these students are the heart of PAU’s mission. Their achievements not only reflect hard work and talent but also embody the values that will shape the future of mental health, education, and social justice.

Congratulations to all the 2025 PAU Stars, we can’t wait to see what you do next! To learn more about PAU Stars and learn more about previous winners, click here.