College of Engineering Outstanding Graduating Senior Awards

The College of Engineering has several awards to recognize outstanding graduating seniors. We invite you to learn more about the available awards, including The Stanley L. Lewis Memorial Award, the Harold and Melba Sullivan Award and the Dean's Award of Highest Academic Achievement.

The Stanley L. Lewis Memorial Award 

Award Overview

The Stanley L. Lewis Memorial Award recognizes an undergraduate senior from the college who has garnered outstanding achievements as an undergraduate and has demonstrated leadership within the college and the campus community. This award was established in 2018 and is given each spring to a student who is graduating during the calendar year in which the award is being given. The recipient of the award receives a plaque and is honored at the WSU Senior Honor and College Awards Banquet in the spring. Students will also recieve a $750 prize for recieving this award. If mutiple students are selected, the prize will be split between each student. 

In 2024, the award was renamed in honor of the late Stanley L. Lewis, father of Dr. Jacob Mendez, assistant dean of student success in the College of Engineering. Mr. Lewis sacrificed his dreams to allow Dr. Mendez to achieve his academic, personal and professional goals. Without the undying devotion of his father, Dr. Mendez's dreams would not have been possible. He is a first-generation college graduate from Wichita who attended Pittsburg State University for his bachelor’s degree, Missouri State University for his graduate degree and WSU for his Doctorate in Educational Leadership. Throughout his professional experiences in higher education, Dr. Mendez has found a passion for supporting students and helping them develop as leaders during their college experience. He values student leadership and involvement in extra-curricular activities and created this award to recognize students for their outstanding achievements during their undergraduate career. 

For questions or more information, contact Dr. Cindi Mason. 

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Selection Process

2025 Award Recipient

Taylor Cazabat

Taylor is from Wichita, Kansas, where she was born and raised. She started her undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering at Wichita State in 2019 as a participant in the first Shocker Engineering Academy (SEA) cohort. Along with her heavy involvement in SEA, she was active in the College of Engineering Student Ambassadors, Society of Women Engineers, ACE Mentoring, was a member of the Symphonic Band, and worked on campus as a student assistant in the Engineering Student Success Center. Off-campus, she worked in the medical field hands-on as a CNA as well as in the background assisting with research at the Mayo Clinic in 2023. Outside the classroom, she loves hiking, trying new foods, and playing video games. Her career aspirations include completing her master’s degree in biomedical engineering with a focus on biomechanics, completing a doctorate, and going on to lead a student-focused research lab that pursues affordable healthcare solutions.

Past Award Recipients

Harold and Melba Sullivan Award Winner

Award Overview

The Harold and Melba Sullivan Award is granted to a graduating senior at spring commencement and given in recognition of the highest cumulative GPA for work completed toward an engineering degree at WSU. In addition to award recognition, the award recipient receives a monetary prize, the amount of which varies slightly from year to year.

2025 Award Recipients

Maddox Kafka

Maddox grew up in Wichita, Kansas, and graduated from Wichita Northwest High School. As a student at WSU, he was a computer science major with a minor in mathematics. He had a strong liking for math and enjoyed sharing his academic interests and advice with others, having served as an ACE Mentor for the College of Engineering in the 2023 and 2024 fall semesters. He worked in a student position at the National Institute for Aviation Research in their CAD/CAM Lab from March 2024 on.

Braden Webb

Braden grew up in Leawood, Kansas, and graduated from Blue Valley North High School. At WSU, Braden pursued a computer science and mathematics double major. He is a Gore Scholar, Wallace Scholar, and National Merit Scholar. Braden was involved on campus as a Student Ambassador and an intern with NIAR WERX. He also spent a summer studying abroad in London, allowing him to explore his growing interest in public transportation. In his senior design project, Braden developed a trip planning app for the Wichita bus network. He also interned with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Braden accepted a full-time offer with WMATA and moved to the DC area after graduation. At WMATA, Braden will be developing data visualizations to assist maintenance scheduling operations across DC’s metro system.

Past Award Recipients

Dean's Award of Highest Academic Achievement

Award Overview

The Dean's Award of Highest Academic Achievement is granted to graduating seniors with outstanding academic achievement. In addition to award recognition, the award recipient(s) receive a plaque and a monetary gift from the Dean's Office.

2025 Award Recipients

Charmaine Aggson

Charmaine has been a resident of Kansas since the age of five, moving to Anthony, Kansas. Prior to attending WSU, Charmaine was homeschooled from kindergarten through 12th grade and then earned an associate’s degree in computer science from Cowley College. Ultimately, Charmaine pursued a bachelor’s degree in computer science at WSU and worked as a student research assistant with NIAR on the WSU Innovation Campus.

Julia Buie

Julia grew up in Derby, Kansas, and has always had a passion for learning and being challenged. At WSU, she was an aerospace engineering major with a minor in mathematics. During her time at WSU, she was accepted into the NASA Jumpstart program, interned at NASA Glenn Research Center, and interned at the Walter H. Beech Wind Tunnel. She also worked with a faculty member to make improvements to the university’s 3x4 wind tunnel. After graduation, Julia planned to contribute to innovation in her field while also continuing her pursuit of lifelong learning. 

Chidera Erondu

Chidera is a proud third-generation student from Nigeria in the College of Engineering at WSU. She majored in product design and manufacturing engineering. As a Global Select Scholar and Global Buddy Scholar, Chidera's college journey was driven by curiosity, purpose, and a commitment to making a meaningful impact on both her academic and personal life. She served as the vice president of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers and as secretary of the National Society of Black Engineers. Previously, she served as president of the African and Caribbean Students Association. She was also a three-year Resident Assistant, a Global Buddy Ambassador, and an Engineering Ambassador representing the College of Engineering.

Beyond campus, she interned at Textron Aviation as a maintenance engineer and worked there as a materials and processing engineering co-op, a position she began in Summer 2024. She recently joined Textron’s Leadership Development Program, a full-time role she continued after graduation, where she looks forward to the opportunities and growth ahead.

Peyton Henry

Peyton grew up in Wichita, Kansas, and graduated from Andover High School in 2020. After high school, he attended Emporia State University as a computer science major, earned a scholarship to play football, and maintained a 4.0 GPA. After five semesters at ESU, he transferred to WSU to pursue a degree in cybersecurity. He has also worked at Ennovar for two years, being contracted out to Textron Aviation to work at their IT Help Desk. Prior to graduation, he was contracted out to Spirit AeroSystems working in their Security Operations Center.

Alexander Kerschen

Monica Le

Monica was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas, and was a computer science major with a mathematics minor. She followed in the footsteps of her dad, Thanh Le, who was a first-generation WSU computer science graduate. She began interning at Textron Aviation as a developer on the product lifecycle management team in March 2024 and planned to continue on in the position full-time post-graduation.

Jacob Rees

Jacob grew up in Andover, Kansas, and graduated from Andover Central High School. He was a mechanical engineering student with a minor in mathematics. He is proud to be a Wallace Scholar and has always pushed himself academically, striving for excellence. He interned at Bombardier as a stress engineer on the defense program team, starting in April 2024. He plan to pursue a similar opportunity upon graduation.