Outstanding 2026 School of Engineering graduates honored

This year’s top academic honors were awarded to School of Engineering graduates Yiming Chen and Brennan Aboud-Hall as part of Vanderbilt University’s Commencement ceremony held on May 8, 2026.

Chen was named the 2026 Founder’s Medalist for the School of Engineering and Aboud-Hall was named Banner Bearer. Both were recognized, along with other student award recipients, at an Engineering Commencement reception held May 7 as part of Graduates Day.

Chen, a Crescere Aude Scholar, earned the highest honors in chemistry and honors in chemical engineering. He graduated with a bachelor of engineering degree, with majors in chemistry and chemical engineering. Chen will pursue doctoral study at the University of California-Berkeley, where he will continue working at the intersection of nanomaterials, energy, and catalysis.

During his time as a student, Chen participated in both the VUSE Summer Research Program and the Vanderbilt Undergraduate Summer Research Program. Through these opportunities, he was able to conduct independent research and collaborate with scientists from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Yale University and the University of California, Riverside.

Since 1877, a gold medal has been awarded to the student graduating at the top of his or her class from each of Vanderbilt’s schools. Cornelius Vanderbilt endowed the Founder’s Medal that “signifies first honors.”

Aboud-Hall participated in the Vanderbilt Fusion Project, the Biomedical Engineering Society, and held internships at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Siemens Corporation. He will be attending Stanford University and pursuing a master’s degree in electrical engineering.

Other awards and honors

The Stein Stone Memorial Award is given to a senior who has earned a letter in sports and who is judged to have made the most satisfactory scholastic and extramural progress as an undergraduate. This year’s recipient is Grayson Morgan of Nashville, Tennessee. Morgan, an engineering science major, was a three-star football recruit and ranked by On3 as the No. 30 offensive tackle in the country.

The Dean’s Scholar-Athlete Award recipient is Quinlan Hinerfeld of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Hinerfeld, a biomedical engineering senior, is an elite athlete in swimming and is third on the Commodores’ all-time performer list in the 200 backstroke and ranks fourth in the 100 backstroke as well.

The Dean’s Award for Outstanding Service is given to a graduating senior who has shown remarkable leadership qualities and who also has made the greatest contributions in personal service to the school. Four students received outstanding service awards. Here is a partial list of their leadership and service activities:

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  Caroline Duehay Lee, Waldo, Ohio. Co-president, treasurer, and public relations chair of the Vanderbilt Society of Women Engineers chapter; president and founder of Vanderbilt STARS: Small Town and Rural Students, an integrated statewide outreach plan to support undergraduate students from small towns and rural areas; Vanderbilt VUcept Orientation Leader; and student member of the Vanderbilt Multicultural Leadership Council.

• Elizabeth Rohrer, Bettendorf, Iowa. President of Vanderbilt Motorsports, the university’s Formula SAE team, where she teaches, coaches, and empowers fellow students to succeed;. and a teaching assistant for ME1151 since her freshman year.
• Eden Villanueva, San Diego, Calif. Vice president and president of the Vanderbilt chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers and community service contributions through technical and design projects.
• Elizabeth Walther, Glencoe, Ill. President and other leadership roles in Tikkun Olam Makers (TOM) at Vanderbilt, a global initiative dedicated to designing open-source solutions for individuals with disabilities; TOM Global Fellow, one of 82 students from 56 universities for a competitive international leadership program; and community service mentor to students.

Twenty-four graduates achieved summa cum laude distinction, the highest Latin academic honor awarded to Vanderbilt undergraduate students whose grade point average equals or exceeds that of the top 5% of the previous three years’ graduating seniors.

• Brennan Aboud-Hall, Louisville, Ky.
• Yiming Chen, Nanjing, China
• Isa Angela Dominguez, Highland Park, Ill.
• Rana Seda Dubauskas, Hinsdale, Ill.
• Haowei Fu, Nanjing, China
• Ethan Douglas Joslin, Downingtown, Pa.
• Jonathan Jiyu Kim, Waltham, Mass.
• Alexander Lishan Lin, East Setauket, N.Y.
• Margaret Eastburn McFadden, Bartlett, Tenn.
• Nicholas Albert Podar, Oak Ridge, Tenn.
• Rohan Vineet Rashingkar, Sunnyvale, Calif.
• Shansita Das Sharma, Gurgaon, India
• Zhongan Xu, Shanghai, China
• Allan William Zhang, Brentwood, Tenn.
• Klyment Bazavluk, Glenview, Ill.
• Carson DeWitt Felton, Gainesville, Ga.
• Galen Wei, Gallatin, Tenn.
• Siyuan Yi, Shanghai, China
• Syed Ansab Ali, Valley Stream, N.Y.
• Sean Vincent Confoy, Cornelius, NC.
• Katelyn Jenna Gildersleeve, Forked River, N.J.
• Benjamin Bryan Racape, Wilmington, Del.
• Andrew Gregory Sabo, Danville, Calif.
• Connor James Shore, Excelsior, Minn

Program awards go to members of the graduating class who, in the opinion of the program faculty, have made the greatest progress in professional development during the undergraduate career. The 2026 recipients are:

Biomedical Engineering: Jacob Stoebner, Franklin, Tenn.
Chemical Engineering: Zhongan (Aaron) Xu, Shanghai, China
Civil Engineering: Ella Dzialowski, Coppell, Texas
Computer Engineering: Rana Dubauskas, Hinsdale, Ill.
Electrical and Computer Engineering: Camille Gowda, Larchmont, N.Y.
Engineering Science: Elisa Ajamian, San Diego, Calif.
Mechanical Engineering: Viranda E. Kwok, Broken Arrow, Ok.

• The Thomas G. Arnold Prizes for Biomedical Engineering Systems Design is shared by Allie H. Ahn, Cleveland, Ohio; Isabelle Genevieve Berg, Washington, Mich; Elle Nicole Franciscus, Centennial, Ohio; Abby Nicole Johnson, Tulsa, Ok.; and Norah M Kolb, Newtown, Conn.; for their design project, Constrained Hip Implant.
• The Thomas G. Arnold Prizes for Biomedical Engineering for Research goes to  Isabelle Genevieve Berg, Washington, Mich.
• The American Institute of Chemists Award is given based on leadership, ability, character, scholastic achievement and potential for advancement in the chemical professions. The award is shared by Isabella Cate Atwood, Humble, Texas; and Alexander Daniel Goodness, Medfield, Mass.
• The Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Distinguished Senior Award goes to three seniors: Carson DeWitt Felton, Gainesville, Ga.; Avery A. Haynes, Woodway, Texas; and Samirah Ndane Salifu, Bowling Green, Ky.
• The Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Undergraduate Researcher Award goes to Yiming Chen, Nanjing, China.
• The Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Leadership Award goes to Caroline Duehay Lee, Waldo, Ohio.
• The Greg A. Andrews Civil Engineering Memorial Award goes to an exemplary senior who plans to do graduate work in environmental and water resources engineering. The recipient is Sydney Elise Cooper, Austin, Texas.
• The Arthur J. Dyer Jr. Memorial Prize is awarded to a senior who has done the best work in the study and/or design in use of structural steel, and who is a member of the American Society for Civil Engineers. The recipient is Natalie Victoria Whitehair, Chestertown, Md.
• The Walter Gill Kirkpatrick Prize in Civil Engineering is given to the most deserving third-year student majoring in civil engineering. The recipient is Joshua Oliver Dela Cruz Abigania, San Diego, Calif.
• The ASCE/Dan Barge, Jr. Award in Civil Engineering is given to an outstanding third-year student majoring in civil engineering. The recipient is Payton Marie Ohler, Bellaire, Texas.
• The C. F. Chen Best Design Award for the best design project in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering for the “Plasma-assisted Printing of Thin Films for Sensing Applications” project is shared by Ava Elizabeth DiLouie, Middletown, N.J.; David Nizovsky, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; and Andrew James Shaw, Staten Island, N.Y.
• The Walter C. Criley Prize is awarded for the best paper written on an advanced senior project in electrical engineering. The winning paper is titled “Integrated Electrical and Embedded Systems for In-Situ Soil Collection, Analysis, and Flight Telemetry for a NASA Simulated Extraterrestrial Lander Challenge.” The award is shared by Ashley (Yue Yang) Fu, Shanghai, China; Thor Hammer, Albany, N.Y.; and Sadie Elizabeth Mae Pullen, Brandon, Miss.
• The Wilson L. and Nellie Pyle Miser Award goes to a senior engineering student who has excelled in all aspects of mathematics during the student’s undergraduate career. The award goes to Patrick Dobranowski, Littleton, Colo., whose majors are computer science, mathematics, and physics.

Class of 2026 members of Tau Beta Pi engineering scholastic fraternity are:

• Brennan Aboud-Hall, Louisville, Ky
• Elisa Ajamian, San Diego, Calif.
• Syed Ansab Ali, Valley Stream, N.Y.
• Siwoo Bae, Yuseong, South Korea
• Ryan Francis Barry, Mars, Pa.
• John Joseph Martin Bohatch, Coral Gables, Fla.
• Yiming Chen, Nanjing, China
• Sean Vincent Confoy, Cornelius, N.C.
• James Dempsey Danis, Greensboro, N.C.
• Isa Angela Dominguez, Highland Park, Ill.
• Rana Seda Dubauskas, Hinsdale, Ill.
• Ella Kate Dzialowski, Coppell, Texas
• Haowei Fu, Nanjing, China
• Yue Yang Fu, Shanghai, China
• Carson DeWitt Felton, Gainesville, Ga.
• Aryan Garg, Cupertino, Calif.
• Alejandro Manuel Benitez Galeano, Asuncion, Paraguay
• Rashi Maya Gupta, Potomac, Md.
• Camille Savitri Gowda, Larchmont, N.Y.
• Thor Hammer, Albany, N.Y.
• Jillian Samantha Hornby, Mountain Lakes, N.J.
• David J Huang, Little Rock, Ark.
• Rebecca Faye Kroopkin Hurwitz, Niles, Ill.
• Shujun Jin, Shenyang, China
• Yifei Lu, Arcadia, Calif.
• Jenna Elizabeth Malone, Linville, N.C.
• Margaret Eastburn McFadden, Bartlett, Tenn.
• Ben Mongirdas, Glen Ellyn, Ill.
• Javier Emmanuel Olmos, Houston, Texas
• Joshua Joohwan Ok, La Crescenta, Calif.
• Jaime S. Park, Sherwood, Ore.
• Jackson Collyer Pfefferkorn, Arrington, Tenn.
• Haoran Qin, Qingdao, China
• Andrew Gregory Sabo, Danville, Calif.
• Samirah Ndane Salifu, Bowling Green, Ky.
• Shansita Das Sharma, Gurgaon, India
• Connor James Shore, Excelsior, Minn.
• Aditya Shrey, Bellevue, Wash.
• Nicholas Sheridan Cornin Strymish, Newtonville, Mass
• Megan Zhu Wang, Northbrook, Ill.
• Galen Wei, Gallatin, Tenn.
• Yuyang  Xing, Beijing, China
• Zhongan  Xu, Shanghai, China
• Siyuan  Yi, Shanghai, China

The Vanderbilt University Navy ROTC Class of 2026 Commissioning Ceremony on May 9 coincided with the university’s undergraduate commencement on May 8. Engineering graduates commissioned into the U.S. Navy, their majors and future military communities, are:

• Ava Brooks, Chevy Chase, Md., Engineering Science, Aviation
• Nyla Miles,  Columbia Tenn., Engineering Science, Aviation
• Grady Pereira, Midlothian, Va., Engineering Science and Human & Organizational Development, Submarines
• Andrew Rego, Barrington, R.I., Mechanical Engineering, Submarines
• Ava Sciara, Saint Paul, Minn., Engineering Science, Submarines
• Ava Suhocki, Freehold, N.J., Computer Science with Minor in Chinese Language and Culture, Cyber Warfare Engineer

Contact brenda.ellis@vanderbilt.edu