Elmhurst University has presented the Founders Awards, the Senior of the Year award and the Bluejay of the Year award to five students in recognition of their outstanding service and leadership. The awards are considered among the University’s top honors for individual achievement.
The winners were announced on May 14 as part of the Student Leadership Awards, an annual event that highlights Elmhurst’s caring community and celebrates campus leaders, organizations and initiatives that nurture student success.
Founders Awards
The three Founders Awards, which are among the University’s oldest and most prestigious, recognize self-initiated service that brings about change and embodies humane values. One Founders Award is given for service to the campus community; the second, named for retired University Chaplain H. Scott Matheney, is given for service to the greater society; and the third, the Cureton Award, is given for service to the global community. All of the winners are seniors who were nominated by members of the University community:
- Neto Kalu, a sport management major from Lagos, Nigeria, received the Founders Award for Service to the University Community for her many contributions to campus life. As public relations chair for the International Students’ Association, she worked to ensure that students from all backgrounds felt at home on campus, and that global perspectives reached the broader student body. She also organized community service initiatives, volunteered at athletics events, and amplified campus programming as a social media marketing intern for the Office of Student Involvement.
- The Rev. H. Scott Matheney Award for Service to the Greater Society was awarded to Mateo Gomez Bedoya, a world language education major from Addison, Illinois. Guided by a deep personal faith, Bedoya has felt a calling to service that extended far beyond the classroom. As president of the Kappa Delta Pi and Alpha Mu Gamma honor societies, he led blanket drives for children’s hospitals, book donations for elementary schools, and toy deliveries for students in low-income communities. In addition, his research developed interactive language-teaching resources to increase access and equity for ESL learners
- Naomi Rondolo, a nursing major from Carol Stream, Illinois, received the Cureton Award for Service to the Global Community. Rooted in her faith community, Rondolo has devoted herself to mentoring youth, organizing local outreach and extending that mission globally. In 2024, she traveled to the Philippines to speak at an international leadership conference and to minister to young people there. Back home, she mobilized her church community to collect clothing, food and financial support for families affected by catastrophic typhoons in the Philippines. She continues to support a partner ministry there, a reflection of her belief that true service knows no borders.
Senior of the Year
The highly sought-after Senior of the Year award honors the senior who excels in academics and campus involvement, and who is passionate about continuing the Elmhurst University tradition. This year’s winner, who was selected by a special committee of the Alumni Association, is John Witcher, a marketing and management major from Hudson, Wisconsin. A student-athlete on the men’s basketball team, Witcher served on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, as co-president of the Business Club, and as a social media intern for the School of Business.
The Dr. Phil Riordan Bluejay of the Year Award
This award, named for recently retired Vice President for Student Affairs Phil Riordan, is given to a student who clearly demonstrates what it means to be an Elmhurst Bluejay. This year’s winner is Davionne Jakes ’27, a digital media major from Tinley Park, Illinois. Jakes has worked to bring about change through his involvement and leadership roles in the Student Government Association and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. He has been described as welcoming and enthusiastic, always exhibiting Bluejay spirit, and heavily involved in campus life.