Outstanding Student of the Year

Every year the College of Liberal Arts asks each department to select their outstanding student(s) for that year- students who possess the passion and creativity for new discoveries and scholarship, students who demonstrate independence of thought and action in the pursuit of knowledge, and students who exemplify excellence.

The Arctic and Northern Studies Program has chosen the following as students who embodies these qualities and so much more. Thank you for all your hard work and contributions to your department. You make a difference at UAF.

 

Congratulations to our 2026 Outstanding Students of the Year!

Tommy Taylor. Photo courtesy of Taylor
Tommy Taylor

Outstanding Undergraduate Student

"I don't think there's any other school like UAF. Many of the opportunities that are presented here, many of the programs that are part of this school... I think it's a great place to go, a great place to learn, and if anybody's ever thinking about this, on the fence about going to this school, I highly encourage it.”

Molly Minick. UAF Photo by Eric Engman
Molly Minick

Outstanding Graduate Student

"The moment when I realized that UAF was the right place was when I really found my community, which was very fast, honestly. The cohort of Arctic and Northern States is quite small, very close-knit, but ... having just all those people to support you through your journey, because school is hard, and grad school's really hard, so to have that community to lean on... I really appreciated."

 

Always Outstanding

Jus Tavcar, UAF Photo by Sarah Manriquez
Jus Tavcar, 2024 Outstanding Student

2025-2026

    • Tommy Taylor
    • Molly Minick

2024-2025

2023-2024

    • Jus Tavcar
    • Evdokia Wise

2022-2023

    • Hannah Ney

2021-2022

    • Nastasia Caole
    • Elizabeth Klemm
Hannah Ney. Photo courtesy of Ney
Hannah Ney, 2023 Outstanding Student

C

K

    • Elizabeth Klemm

M

    • Molly Minick

N

    • Hannah Ney

T

    • Jus Tavcar
    • Tommy Taylor

U

W

    • Evdokia Wise