ATHERTON, CA – Providing a congratulatory end to the 2025-26 academic year, Menlo College proudly celebrated the outstanding academic and leadership achievements of its students at the 98th Annual Honors Convocation and other concluding ceremonies. More than 65 current and former Menlo student-athletes across 19 different sports were honored for their dedication to excellence both inside and outside the classroom.
Each spring, the Menlo College Academic Affairs department highlights some of the brightest and most impactful students during the Honors Convocation ceremony where, this year once again, Menlo Athletics stood out as current and former student-athletes were recognized for exceptional accomplishments in academics, leadership, and service.
"The Honors Convocation represents what makes Menlo great and better each year," said Vice President for Athletics
Keith Spataro. "These students work tremendously hard to foster an engaging and enjoyable environment through vulnerability, curiosity, and gratitude. Congratulations to the students and to the College as a whole."
Honors Convocation recognitions featured the Board of Trustees Award, the highest honor a student can receive at Menlo College, which highlights a graduating senior who, through outstanding demonstration of scholarship, leadership, and service, embodies the mission of the College.
In addition, the Don Jordan Award, named for an 18-year Menlo professor of history and humanities and Vice President of Academic Affairs, was bestowed upon a student with high academic and leadership potential.
Other honors included the Wall Street Journal Award, designated for a management program student who demonstrates outstanding scholarship, the Social Justice Award, a merit-based scholarship that recognizes a student who has significantly contributed to enhancing community activism for the Menlo campus and beyond, and the Judge Russell Award, named for John D. "Judge" Russell who served for more than 50 years as a business law professor and Director of the School of Business at Menlo, given to a student who exemplifies the greatest scholarship, leadership, character, and service to the Business Management Program.
The Richard F. O'Brien Awards selected students from each class who best exemplify the true spirit of Menlo College, maintaining a minimum GPA of 3.0, leading in the classroom, and recognized as active contributors to the campus learning community. Presented annually, the Graduate Student Excellence Award recognized a student who demonstrates outstanding academic achievement, leadership in the classroom, and meaningful contributions to the Menlo graduate community. Finally, the Collis Steere Academic Excellence Awards spotlighted male and female four-year and transfer student-athletes with the highest cumulative grade point averages.
From the award-winners at the 2026 Honors Convocation to those recognized in the five different honors societies, the vibrant academic, athletic, and community spirit of Menlo College was on display. Congratulations to all honorees for their hard work, resilience, and embodiment of what it means to be an Oak!
2026 Honors Convocation Award Winners:
- Board of Trustees Award: Marc Hegele (Men's Cross Country)
- Don Jordan Award: Carmella Foley (Women's Wrestling)
- Social Justice Award: Jessica Mendieta (NCWA Women's Wrestling)
- Wall Street Journal Award: Martin Fiala (Men's Soccer)
- Judge Russell Award: Donovan Kerr (Baseball)
- Graduate Student Excellence Award: Frida Schmidt (Women's Basketball)
- Richard F. O'Brien Awards
- Collis Steere Academic Excellence Awards:
Honors Societies:
Alpha Chi - Since 1922, Alpha Chi has honored academic excellence and exemplary character exhibited by college and university students. Students must place in the top ten percent of their class to be eligible for membership. Its name derives from the initial letters of the Greek words for truth and character. Alpha Chi admits membership students from all academic disciplines.
Alpha Chi Society:
Psi Chi is a college student honor society that recognizes high-performing students majoring in Psychology with international outreach. Founded in 1929 at the University of Kansas in the United States, Psi Chi is one of the largest honor societies in the United States, with more than 1,160 chapters.
Psi Chi Society:
Beta Gamma Sigma is the scholastic honor society established to encourage and honor academic achievement in the study of business, foster personal and professional excellence, advance the values of society, and serve its lifelong members. The Beta Sigma National Honor Society honors those who are ranked in the top 10 percent of their class at an AACSB accredited institution like Menlo College.
Beta Gamma Sigma Society:
Tri-Alpha, was founded March 24, 2018 at Moravian College (now Moravian University) in Bethlehem, PA. Over 100 members of the Alpha Chapter were initiated that day, including undergraduate students, faculty, staff, alumni, and honorary members. The national honor society is for first-generation college students.
Tri-Alpha Society:
Chi Alpha Sigma, the only nonprofit honor society to recognize college student-athletes who excel both on and off the field of competition, honors undergraduate student-athletes who participate in a sport at the varsity intercollegiate level, achieve junior academic standing or higher after their fourth full-time semester, and earn a 3.5 GPA or higher.
Chi Alpha Sigma Society:
