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Pristina Koon Awarded Inaugural Phi Kappa Phi Pioneer Award, 2023
Pristina Koon of Burke, Virginia, was recently awarded a Pioneer Award worth $1,000 from The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi — the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Koon is one of 50 students nationwide to receive the award.
The Pioneer Awards, in its inaugural year, are designed to encourage and reward undergraduate members for developing the research, engagement and leadership skills necessary to become a successful scholar.
Koon was initiated into Phi Kappa Phi in 2023 at University of Michigan.
The selection process for a Pioneer Award is based on the applicant’s academic achievement, honors and awards, relevant research experience, service and leadership experience, on and off campus, a personal statement and letter of recommendation.
The Pioneer Award is the newest addition to the Society’s robust portfolio of award and grant programs, which gives $1.3 million each year to outstanding students and members through graduate and dissertation fellowships, funding for post-baccalaureate development, and grants for local, national and international literacy initiatives. Phi Kappa Phi is proud to offer an award exclusively for undergraduates and this program is a welcome addition to the Society's portfolio.
To learn more about the Pioneer Award and other Phi Kappa Phi awards, visit www.phikappaphi.org/awards.
Phi Kappa Phi Welcomes Three New Student Vice Presidents as the Award Winners for 2023!
Soyoung Han is a PhD candidate in Economics at the University of Michigan. She is interested in labor & family economics and economics of higher education.
Selina (Boya) Gong: bachelor student at Stamps School of Art and Design, specializing in conceptual art and interaction design. Founder of Eureka International and co-founder of Half Origin.
Zongyu is a fourth-year PhD student majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering and is co-advised by Prof. Jeff Fessler and Prof. Yuni Dewaraja. His research focuses on solving inverse problems with application to single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) and phase retrieval,
using signal/image processing and machine learning methods.
Grayson Buning Awarded $35,000 Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship, 2023
Grayson Buning of Hamilton, Michigan, has been selected as the recipient of the 1897 Fellowship by The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi—the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. The prestigious $35,000 fellowship recognizes the top-scoring applicant in a STEM discipline.
Buning received a bachelor's degree in biopsychology, cognition, and neuroscience from the University of Michigan. As the 1897 Fellow, Buning will pursue a Doctor of Medicine at the University of Michigan.
Since its creation in 1932, the Fellowship Program has become one of the Society's most visible and financially well-supported endeavors, allocating $649,000 annually to outstanding students for first-year graduate or professional study. This year’s program awarded two awards at $35,000 each, the 1897 Fellowship and the Sherrill Carlson Fellowship; six $20,000 Marcus L. Urann Fellowships, named for the Society’s founder; and 54 fellowships of $8,500 each.
The selection process for a fellowship is based on the applicant's evidence of graduate potential, undergraduate academic achievement, service and leadership experience, letters of recommendation, personal statement of educational perspective and career goals, and acceptance in an approved graduate or professional program.
Phi Kappa Phi Fellowships are part of the Society’s robust portfolio of award and grant programs, which gives $1.3 million each year to outstanding members and students on chapter campuses through study abroad grants, graduate fellowships, funding for post-baccalaureate development, member and chapter awards, and grants for local, national and international literacy initiatives.
To see the complete list of 2023 Phi Kappa Phi Fellows and learn more about the program, visit www.PhiKappaPhi.org/2023Fellowships.