The WKU Department of Society, Culture, Crime and Justice honored its students during the 2026 Annual SCCJS Departmental Awards Ceremony at the Eva and Jim Martens Alumni Center on Monday.
Interim Chair of the SCCJS Department Amy Krull said the event serves to recognize the students who exhibit leadership, go “above and beyond” in their academic work and commit to understanding people, culture and society. Students, family of students, and faculty filed into the alumni center and mingled amongst one another prior to the main event.
“Today is one of those good days for academia, the kind where we get to pause, take a breath and celebrate the people who remind us why we do this work in the first place,” Krull said.
The banquet recognized student ambassadors in the department. Ambassadors engage with prospective students and families, assisting with events and building a sense of community.
Students Jakayla Brown, Madison Butler, Katie Dudgeon and Kirsten Eversmann were recognized as graduating ambassadors. New ambassadors include Ethan Price, Macy Reining, Brody Robinson, Tess Segal and Hannah Vincint.
“Thank you all for your leadership, professionalism and willingness to step up,” Krull said.
WKU has two honor societies associated with the SCCJS Department.
The WKU chapter of Alpha Kappa Delta was founded in 1967 and is a part of the international sociology honor society. Eligibility for the society requires a junior or senior status, a sociology or criminology major or minor and a 3.5 GPA overall and 3.0 GPA within the major.
Lambda Alpha is the national collegiate honor society for anthropology. Professor Jean-Luc Houle said the society encourages and stimulates scholarships and research in anthropology by honoring achievements in the discipline. Eligibility for the society requires a declared major in anthropology, at least 12 hours of coursework within the major and a minimum GPA of 3.0 within the anthropology major.
Brianna Bennish, Emily Brown, Kendall Coley, Sira Diame, Delaney Kieu, Rush Robinson and Aldina Vranjkovina were inducted into the Alpha Kappa Delta honor society at the banquet. Jenny Wilkerson was inducted into the Lambda Alpha honor society.
Each program within the department gave awards to students who “stand out.”
The anthropology program gave out an Outstanding Graduating Senior award and up to one award for each concentration within the major. Associate Professor Kate Hudepohl handed out four awards:
- Outstanding Graduating Senior Award: Ellen Swenson
- Outstanding Anthropology Graduate in the Applied Anthropology Concentration Award: Madison Butler
- Outstanding Anthropology Graduate in the Archeology Concentration: Gwendolyn Lamb
- Outstanding Anthropology Graduate in the Cultural Anthropology Concentration: Chloe Todd
The criminology program, sociology program, citizenship and social justice certificate and the folklore minor programs recognize a single student. The Alpha Kappa Delta honor society also recognized a student. The recipients included:
- Outstanding Criminology Student Award: Clayton Hockman
- Outstanding Sociology Student Award: Rush Robinson
- Outstanding Citizen and Social Justice Student Award: Aliyah Frazier
- Outstanding Folklore Minor Award: Ellen Swenson
- Outstanding Alpha Kappa Delta Student Member Award: Katie Dudgeon
“It really means a lot, and it’s very encouraging to actually be recognized and receive this award,” said Aliyah Frazier, a senior healthcare administration major with a certificate in citizenship and social justice.
The department also awarded six scholarships, made possible by donors. Krull said most of the scholarships were established in honor of individuals with connections to the WKU Department of SCCJS. The scholarships and awardees include:
- Drs. Du-Powell Scholarship in Anthropology: Allyah Slagle
- Excellence in Anthropology Scholarship: Jason Vincint
- Jennie B. and N.O. Taff Scholarship: Delaney Kieu
- Jennie B. and N.O. Taff Scholarship: Rylan Jarboe
- Dr. Paul Wozniak Memorial Scholarship: Jeremy Stallings
- Dr. Paul Wozniak Memorial Scholarship: Marlie Sublett
“They are given to some of our strongest students that meet the criteria of the scholarship,” Krull said.
