A host of local students have achieved various honors at their colleges. The Times is proud to recognize these wonderful achievements.
Albion College
Noblesville student Elaina Hendrix was selected as a member of Albion College’s 2025 volleyball team. For her second season with the Britons, Hendrix will play as an outside hitter.
“We’re definitely looking forward to the year,” said Kristin Slamer de St. Aubin ’07, who has led the volleyball program since 2012. “Our competition is some of the best teams in the country, but I’m looking forward to a championship season.”
Hendrix is a sophomore at Albion College. Hendrix is the daughter of Crystal and Shawn Hendrix of Noblesville and is a graduate of Noblesville High School.
Baldwin Wallace University
Fabiany Villasmil of Carmel was among over 500 first-year students welcomed to the Baldwin Wallace University campusthis fall who earned more than $9.4 million in merit scholarships. Villasmil, a graduate of Carmel High School, majoring in theatre acting and directing and psychology, earned an $18,000 Deans’ Scholarship based on outstanding academic achievements in high school. In addition, Villasmil earned the Eileen Stevens Scholarship.
Greyson Johnson of Fishers, a graduate of Hamilton Southeastern High School, majoring in sport management and Spanish, earned the Edward & Diane White Explorations Scholarship.
Georgia Tech
Shivani Narahari of Westfield has earned a Master of Science in Analytics from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. Narahari was among approximately 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students who earned degrees during the Summer 2025 semester.
Indiana University Kokomo
Indiana University Kokomo congratulates the 123 students who earned degrees in August 2025. The graduates represent 29 Indiana counties and six states. A number of those were from Hamilton County, including: Kelley Barresi, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, from Noblesville; Benjamin David Earl, Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, from Noblesville; Ethan N. Leslie, Bachelor of Science in Business, from Noblesville; Gurinder Sembhi, Master of Science in Nursing, from Noblesville; Elaina C. Anderson, Bachelor of Science in History and Political Science, from Westfield; Natalie Cole, Master of Business Administration, from Westfield; Olivia Miller Cope, Bachelor of General Studies, from Westfield; Brooke Jansen, Master of Business Administration, from Westfield; Madilyn Guffey, Master of Arts, from Carmel; Fengping Jin, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, from Carmel; Lily Njau, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, McCordsville; and Sai Charan Yallakara, Master of Business Administration, McCordsville;
Bob Jones University
Conner Barfield, a resident of Noblesville, has been named to the Bob Jones University Bruins men’s basketball team roster for the 2025-26 academic year. Barfield is a Senior majoring in Business Administration at BJU.
The reigning South Region champion Bruins men’s basketball team begins its season marking the start of a new era under Head Coach Tony Miller.
Kettering University
Ronald Schwanke was named to Kettering University’s Summer 2025 Dean’s List. Schwanke, of Fishers, is majoring in Electrical Engineering.
The Dean’s List recognizes overall academic performance based on the student’s term grade point average (GPA). To be eligible for the Dean’s List, students must satisfy the following requirements: be a degree-seeking student with a minimum term grade point average of 3.5, no grades below B, and a minimum of 16 earned credits for the term.
University of Maryland Global Campus
More than 11,500 University of Maryland Global Campus students were named to the Dean’s List for the summer 2025 term. To be eligible for the honor, a student must complete at least six credits during the term, earned a grade point average of at least 3.5 for the term, and maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.5 at UMGC.
The following local students were named to the Dean’s List: Claire Uglum of Westfield, Brian Phan of Carmel, Matea Skegro and Blake McDonald of Fishers and Oumar Diallo of Indianapolis. McDonald also earned a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. He was one of 3,800 students worldwide who earned degrees from UMGC in the term.
Southeast Missouri State
Southeast Missouri State University proudly welcomes Luke Almodovar to their first semester as a Redhawk.
From Noblesville, Luke is stepping fearlessly into a community built on big dreams, bold support, and real-world experience. At SEMO, every student is backed by mentors who believe in their potential, challenged through hands-on learning from day one, and inspired to turn their passions into purpose-driven careers.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Just over 1,500 students received doctoral, bachelor’s, master’s, and professional degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in August 2025, including Carmel’s Kevin Bursaw who earned a College of Letters and Science, Master of Science-Cartography and Geographic Information Systems, Cartography and Geographic Information Systems. Although the university does not hold a commencement ceremony in August, many graduates participate in the May or December ceremonies.
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
The following local students are among the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater scholarship recipients receiving financial awards for the 2025-26 academic year.
Ashnaya Gupta of Carmel, who is studying Human Performance, won the following scholarship(s): Roger & Lenoire Fish.
Preston Pekala of Westfield, who is studying Business, won the following scholarship(s): Faculty-Staff Endowment. In addition, Preston is a member of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team, which will compete in the NCAA Division III Championship for the 20th time in program history.
The Warhawks (8-2 overall), earned an at-large bid to the 40-team national tournament.