At the end of each term, PSU Currently acknowledges and celebrates out students who have received recognition for their work at Portland State:
David Alvarez Isidoro, Russian Flagship, received honorable mention in the National Post-Secondary Russian Essay Contest administered by the American Council of Teachers of Russian.
Hannah Brewer, Russian Flagship, received a gold medal in the National Post-Secondary Russian Essay Contest administered by the American Council of Teachers of Russian.
Sophia Brousseau, book publishing student, was awarded the Society for Scholarly Publishing Fellowship.
Asher Bufton-Gilford, Russian Flagship, received honorable mention in the National Post-Secondary Russian Essay Contest administered by the American Council of Teachers of Russian.
Madison Davis, public administration graduate student, received the 2026 Presidential Award for Service to the University.
Bo Han Hurt, University Studies Undergraduate Peer Mentor, placed second in Portland State’s 2026 Everyday Entrepreneur competition with “Mentor Centaur,” a platform designed to enhance peer mentor leadership, career readiness, collaboration and student outcomes.
Harrison Kemmerly, Russian Flagship, received a $25,000 Boren Scholarship to support his upcoming capstone year abroad in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Harrison Kemmerly, Russian Flagship, received a bronze medal in the National Post-Secondary Russian Essay Contest administered by the American Council of Teachers of Russian.
Cotter Kiggins, Russian Flagship, received a bronze medal in the National Post-Secondary Russian Essay Contest administered by the American Council of Teachers of Russian.
Cata Krznarich, environmental studies and Indigenous Nations and Native American studies undergraduate student, was selected for the prestigious 2026 Fulbright King’s College London Summer Institute, where they will examine the political ecology of Britain and climate change adaptation initiatives.
Jack Longwell, Russian Flagship, received a Critical Language Scholarship to support intensive summer language study abroad in Kyrgyzstan.
Jack Longwell, Russian Flagship, received a silver medal in the National Post-Secondary Russian Essay Contest administered by the American Council of Teachers of Russian.
Alejandro Loera, Russian Flagship, received honorable mention in the National Post-Secondary Russian Essay Contest administered by the American Council of Teachers of Russian.
Grace Peterson, political science undergraduate student, received the 2026 Presidential Award for Service to the Community.
Katie Reeder, Russian Flagship, received honorable mention in the National Post-Secondary Russian Essay Contest administered by the American Council of Teachers of Russian.
Marie Simper, Russian Flagship, received a $25,000 Boren Scholarship to support her upcoming capstone year abroad in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Jonas Steffen, University Studies Undergraduate Peer Mentor, placed second in Portland State’s 2026 Everyday Entrepreneur competition with “Mentor Centaur,” a platform designed to enhance peer mentor leadership, career readiness, collaboration and student outcomes.
Alexandra Tissot, environmental science and management Ph.D. student, received Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry’s annual Best Paper Award as first author of “The effects of imidacloprid and polyester microfibers on the larval development of the endangered sunflower star.”
Cody Tricou, economics undergraduate student, received the 2026 Presidential Award for Service to the University.
Sarah Turay, Russian Flagship, received a gold medal in the National Post-Secondary Russian Essay Contest administered by the American Council of Teachers of Russian.
Zanna Vasquez, high school student conducting independent research in Dr. Shankar Rananavare’s lab, received the Portland American Chemical Society Outstanding Chemistry Project Award and Yale Science and Engineering Award, placed first in chemistry at the Northwest Science Expo and Gresham-Barlow STEM fairs, and was invited to present at the ACS monthly meeting in May.
Lauren R. Yanase, history M.A. student, won the Oregon Historical Society’s Joel Palmer Award for her journal article, “‘Not Fit for Human Habitation’: Portland’s Wartime Japanese American Detention Camp.