2025 Distinguished Undergraduate Student Award

Written by  JENNA MCALISTER

The College of Arts & Sciences at Texas Tech University is proud to announce the recipients of the inaugural Distinguished Undergraduate Student Award. This prestigious honor is presented to a select group of undergraduate students who have demonstrated exceptional academic performance, leadership, and dedication within their respective disciplines. 

We are pleased to recognize Madeline Leeah, Lily Johnson, Odin Schneider and Cal Vinson as the first-ever recipients of this prestigious award. These four outstanding students were selected from nominees representing each department within the college. The award includes a commemorative plaque, a ceremonial medallion to be worn during commencement, a scholarship and formal recognition at the college’s Distinguished Awards Ceremony.  

The event, which will be an evening to celebrate our students and alumni, will take place at 5:30 p.m. on April 24 at the Frazier Alumni Pavilion. To learn more about the event and our distinguished alumni winners, click here. Also, please read below to learn more about our student award winners.  

Lily Johnson

A senior history major from Las Vegas, Nev., Johnson has immersed herself in topics ranging from women in modern America to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Known for her academic curiosity and deep love for the humanities, Johnson plans to continue her academic journey at Texas Tech by attending Texas Tech Law this fall.

Madeline Leeah

A third-generation Red Raider from Amarillo, Leeah is pursuing dual B.A. degrees in anthropology and languages & cultures (classics). She has engaged in extensive interdisciplinary research that combines forensic anthropology, chemistry and classical literature. Outside the classroom, she shines as a college radio DJ and violinist in the Tech Sinfonietta Orchestra. Leeah will continue her studies at Texas Tech in the anthropology master’s program.

Odin Schneider

A physics and mathematics double major, Schneider was born in Lubbock but spent much of his youth in Germany. His undergraduate career has taken him from the Advanced Particle Detector Lab in Lubbock to the Center for Particle Physics in Marseille, France. After graduation, Schneider will enter a joint master’s program in high-energy physics between ETH Zürich in Switzerland and École Polytechnique in France, with a goal of pursuing a Ph.D. and an academic career in particle physics.

Cal Vinson

Originally from Lubbock, Vinson completed majors in economics, mathematics with a concentration in data science, and general studies with focuses in actuarial science, biology, and chemistry. He is also earning a minor in Arabic and a certificate in data analytics from the Texas Tech Rawls College of Business. His undergraduate research spans financial modeling, sports economics, and natural language processing. After graduation, Vinson will attend the computational finance master’s program at Carnegie Mellon University and plans to pursue a career as a quantitative researcher or systematic trader.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to these exemplary students for their academic excellence, leadership and commitment to the Red Raider spirit.