Our Honors Alumni
Honors Alumni
We are incredibly proud of our students. Not only do they excel in their undergrad courses and are involved in numerous extracurriculars, they consistently win highly competitive and selective scholarships and fellowships.
Commencement Speakers
Authors and Publications
World Records
WWU Honors alumni Devin Crowley with the Dynamic Robotics Laboratory at Oregon State University set a new world record with their bipedal robot, Cassie, in a 100m race. Currently a PhD student at Oregon State University, Crowley is studying AI and Robotics.
IRIS Undergraduate Internship
Ula Jones
Geophysics, Environmental Science (BS)
Astronomy, Mathematics, & Honors Minors
Ula is a senior in the environmental science major and a junior in the geophysics major with minors in math, astronomy, and honors interdisciplinary studies. She was recently accepted to the IRIS undergraduate internship program as a research assistant at Brown University in summer 2022. The project is regarding the propagation of Rayleigh waves from various earthquakes through Alaska and is expected to shed light on some of the unusual aspects of the Alaskan subduction zone. After graduating in Spring 2023, Ula hopes to broaden her understanding of geophysics and other interdisciplinary sciences and go on to study planetary science or another application of geophysics.
Goldwater Scholarship
The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship is a highly competitive, merit-based award for college juniors and seniors preparing for a career in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering.
Darby Finnegan
Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program, Duke University, 2017
Goldwater Scholarship, 2019
BS, Marine Biology, 2020
While at Western, Darby's love for the Pacific Northwest's coastal ecosystems evolved into a persistent curiosity about the strange phenomena of the marine environment. Her special interest in fish and their movements ultimately lead to her selection for the Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP) at the Patek Laboratory of Duke University to study biomechanics. Darby then went on to earn the Goldwater Scholarship, the first recipient for WWU. Upon graduating from Western, Darby had her sights set on graduate school, where she would be able to continue her research.
Hudson Fellowship
The Hudson Fellowship offers outstanding undergraduates the opportunity to study political theory in a way that will broaden and deepen their understanding of public policy and American political principles.
Petra Ellerby
BA, History, 2024
English, Honors Interdisciplinary Studies Minors
Fulbright
The English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Programs place Fulbrighters in classrooms abroad to provide assistance to the local English teachers. ETAs help teach English language while serving as cultural ambassadors for the U.S.
Western Washington University produced five Fulbright winners in 2019 and was named a top national producer for Fulbright Scholarship winners in the 2018-2019 school year.
BAEd, Environmental Studies, 2019
Certificate in Elementary Education
BA, Philosophy, 2014
English, German Minors
BA, Communication Sciences & Disorders, Spanish, 2017
BA, History, 2014
International Studies Minor
Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship
The Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship was established in 2005 after Senator Ernest “Fritz” Hollings of South Carolina retired. Hollings was an advocate for ocean policy and conservation and the scholarship was created to bolster undergraduate training in NOAA mission sciences, as well as increase environmental literacy.
Thomas Morrissey
Hollings, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, New Jersey, 2016
BS, Chemistry, 2018
Materials Science Minor
Thomas, a student in the Honors Program at Western Washington University, received a NOAA Hollings scholarship to help fund two years of college tuition and an internship at a NOAA facility. During the summer of 2016, he participated in sample-collection and computer modeling at a national laboratory in Highlands, NJ. Under the instruction of NOAA scientists, Thomas contributed to studies on the efficacy of alternative, low-toxicity methods for measuring ocean acidification. This research will help increase the safety and environmental compatibility of future studies which monitor changes in ocean chemistry due to climate change. Following graduation, Thomas hopes to begin a research career in chemistry or materials science.