Outstanding seniors from Illinois' four-year colleges and universities — including a student from Galesburg's Carl Sandburg College — will be honored by The Lincoln Academy of Illinois at the Old State Capitol State Historic Site in Springfield on Saturday, Oct. 24, the Academy announced.

To accommodate all of the student laureates and their families, half of the students will be recognized during an 11 a.m. ceremony and the other half during a 2 p.m. ceremony.

Representing Carl Sandburg College is Kaden C. Pickard of Galesburg. Carl Sandburg College is a public community college with its main campus in Galesburg that serves west-central Illinois, according to the college's website.

The 52nd annual Lincoln Academy Student Laureate program recognizes excellence in curricular and extracurricular activities by selected outstanding seniors from each of the state's four-year, degree-granting colleges and universities. Student laureates are selected by their individual schools.

The program will include welcoming remarks by Harold Oakley, the Academy vice chancellor. Each student laureate will receive the Abraham Lincoln Civic Engagement Award, a Lincoln medallion, a challenge coin and a $1,000 check from The Lincoln Academy.

According to the Academy, Illinois is unique in the United States in also selecting present or former citizens who have made outstanding contributions toward the progress and betterment of humanity to be honored as Laureates of the Lincoln Academy and receive the "Order of Lincoln" from the governor, a process in place since 1964.

The Class of 2026 Student Laureates

  • Augustana College — Olivia James Fleming, Grand Rapids, MI
  • Aurora University — Riley Doggett, Oswego, IL
  • Benedictine University — Mahnoor Fatani, Villa Park, IL
  • Blackburn College — DeNautica Williams, East St. Louis, IL
  • Bradley University — Caleb Robert Hollis, Elmwood, IL
  • Carl Sandburg College — Kaden C. Pickard, Galesburg, IL
  • Chicago State University — Alyssa Jasmine Perea, Chicago, IL
  • Columbia College Chicago — Rebeca Adelaida Urzua Canela, Chicago, IL
  • Concordia University Chicago — Sarah Elizabeth Redhage, Lowden, IA
  • DePaul University — Sara Elizabeth Maloney Hughes, Redwood City, CA
  • Dominican University — Nyla McClinton, Broadview, IL
  • Eastern Illinois University — Laney LeeAnn Wright, Mattoon, IL
  • East-West University — Jamaya Ariel Fullilove, Chicago, IL
  • Elmhurst University — Kristin Rosario Bukata, Valparaiso, IN
  • Eureka College — Maleah Hill, Peoria, IL
  • Governors State University — Amber M. Whitted, Park Forest, IL
  • Greenville University — William Warman, Barrington, IL
  • Illinois College — Emma Dunsworth, Clarksville, AR
  • Illinois Institute of Technology — Jilliana Dawn Pilutti, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI
  • Illinois State University — Neer U. Jain, Vernon Hills, IL
  • Illinois Wesleyan University — Mannat Kaur Kandal, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
  • Judson University — Gracie A. Lockett, Clinton, MD
  • Knox College — Elena Marie King, Houston, TX
  • Lake Forest College — Anika McKinney Kinnear, Lake Mary, FL
  • Lewis University — Mary E. Lee, Romeoville, IL
  • Loyola University Chicago — Victoria Prause, Oak Lawn, IL
  • McKendree University — Kelsey Dionna Lyles, O'Fallon, IL
  • Millikin University — Alayna Diane Schultz, White Heath, IL
  • Monmouth College — Claire Elyse LaBadie, Griffith, IN
  • National Louis University — Nurtilek Raimzhanov, Kyrgystan, Central Asia
  • North Central College — Miranda Analiah Dominguez, Oswego, IL
  • North Park University — Jorge Ricardo Rodriguez Barletta, Danli, Honduras
  • Northern Illinois University — Hannah Grace Havel, Appleton, WI
  • Northwestern University — Kris Soojin Yun, Northbrook, IL
  • Principia College — Rafael Armando Ascencio Garcia, San Salvador, El Salvador
  • Quincy University — Megan Marie Schill, Grand Forks, ND
  • Rockford University — Saidi Ishmail, Rockford, IL
  • Roosevelt University — Alejandro Pina Jr., Chicago, IL
  • St. Xavier University — Aine Siobhan Kelly, Oak Lawn, IL
  • School of the Art Institute of Chicago — Anisa Vida Lopez, San Antonio, TX
  • Southern Illinois University Carbondale — Kaitlynne Franklin, Rockford, IL
  • Southern Illinois University Edwardsville — Jennifer Emery, Maryville, IL
  • University of Chicago — Michelle Claire Du, Vienna, VA
  • University of Illinois Chicago — Arseny Acosta Nunez, Chicago, IL
  • University of Illinois Springfield — Ameilia Ko'u Anela Ann Hopkins, Pleasant Plains, IL
  • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — Madison Christine Fanning, Jacksonville, IL
  • University of St. Francis — Skylar Kandyce Yazum, Plainfield, IL
  • VanderCook College of Music — Lizbeth Rodriguez, Chicago, IL
  • Western Illinois University — Kylie Marie Kinser, Macomb, IL
  • Wheaton College — Elizabeth Grace Clawson, St. Louis, MO

Proceeds from the spring Laureate Convocation are used to support the Student Laureate program each fall. For more information, visit www.LincolnAcademyIllinois.org or The Lincoln Academy's social media sites.