Meet the 2026 Presidential Scholars

Each year, WWU honors seven graduates with the Presidential Scholar Award, honoring the high achievements of students for exceptional scholarship, success in furthering multicultural programs and activities, and other service to the university and community. 

Presidential Scholars are nominated by faculty members, recommended by deans and formally selected by the president. Presidential Scholars will also wear their award medallions during their commencement ceremonies.

The 2026 Presidential Scholars are: 

Sofia Choi brings intellectual rigor, genuine curiosity and a deeply held commitment to community to their work in the Design Program. Known for their integrative thinking, Choi's work moves fluidly between editorial design, web and community-based workshops – all grounded by the belief that design can expand public access to arts, culture and education. With their minor in digital humanities, Choi's work incorporates perspectives from literature, philosophy, fine art, history and technology. They applied these skills to work with the Civil Rights Oral History Archive project, where they designed a website prototype sensitive to the historical and cultural importance of the archive’s content. They also worked with Western’s Basic Needs Hub as both designer and advocate, creating publicity materials and programs that helped students secure crucial basic services. 

Wren Mason-Todd, a Spanish and linguistics double-major, is known as a critical, creative thinker and a hardworking student with a passion for language learning. Mason-Todd’s many research interests include second-language pedagogy, language and identity, and the psychological and emotional factors of second- and third-language acquisition. She pursued this research alongside faculty and a team of undergraduate researchers with the help of Western’s Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Fund. She was able to share this research at the Washington Association for Language Teaching conference and during Western’s Scholars Week. Mason-Todd also studied Chinese, and she taught Spanish to WWU faculty and staff through Western’s Employee Language program, and to employees at Whatcom Educational Credit Union. Next, Mason-Todd plans to continue her teaching experience in Galicia, Spain on a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship. 

Faculty describe Tyanin Opdahl as one of the most service-oriented students in the history of the Computer Science Department. She worked tirelessly furthering a variety of diversity and inclusion efforts in both the department and the college. Opdahl was the CS student ambassador to the dean, the student representative on CSE’s strategic task force, a regular panelist at quarterly CS New Major Orientations and an outreach officer for the Association of Gender Inclusion in Computing, to name just a few examples of her participation across campus. In addition to her service, Opdahl displayed excellence in academics by co-authoring a manuscript on disability fairness learning in data science and serving as one of the few undergraduate presenters at the Special Interest Group Computer Science Education Technical Symposium, the preeminent conference in computer science education.

Emma Smith balances excellence in academics, athletics, leadership and service. Smith , who majored in accounting with a concentration in management information systems, is praised by professors as a collaborative leader who elevates discussion and positively influences those around her. As a Native American Student Union leader, she organized key events and worked with local Native youth. She also volunteered with the VITA tax return program and guided fellow students as a peer mentor. On the track and cross-country teams, Smith also mentored younger athletes and modeled dedication and patience in both athletics and personal development. Emma earned GNAC Academic All-Conference honors each of her three years of eligibility, showing her ability to shine both in the classroom and on the field.

Caitlin Starmer is an early childhood education major whose academic excellence, commitment to diversity and inclusion, and sustained service to the campus and broader community make her exceptional. Since entering the program in 2023, Starmer has distinguished herself as a thoughtful scholar, reflective practitioner, and emerging leader in early childhood education. She ranks among the top students in recent early childhood education cohorts and has demonstrated scholarly distinction through international academic presentations and ongoing research collaboration. In addition to her academic accomplishments, Starmer has contributed meaningfully to multicultural and equity-focused educational practices through coursework, internships, and professional experiences grounded in inclusive and culturally responsive teaching. Her work reflects a genuine commitment to equity and a belief that all children deserve meaningful opportunities to learn and thrive. 

Megan Ward is an Honors College student with a double-major in history and archeology, along with a minor in Spanish. Known for their sharp research and analytical skills, Ward completed an internship at the Spark Museum, served as a research assistant for the ancient history podcast “Peopling the Past,” and as a program assistant on the PNW Social Movement Oral History Project. They were also an integral part of the campus community as a research and writing assistant with the Hacherl Research & Writing Studio and an active member of Western Academic Workers United. Faculty members say Ward's presence and preparedness in the classroom motivated fellow students and illustrated their belief in the potential of higher education to empower, shift perspectives, and lead to growth and social change. 

Sol Wilborn is an environmental studies major with a concentration in education and eco-social justice and minors in Honors Interdisciplinary Studies and STEAM. They meld intellectual rigor with ethical reflection and action. At Western, they demonstrated shared leadership, engaged with local thinkers, scientists and artists, and a showed a commitment to equity. Wilborn worked as an Honors College peer mentor supporting first-year students with marginalized identities to help them build a sense of belonging in their academic, social, and extracurricular lives at Western. They also worked for LGBTQ+ Western on programming to support diverse and intersectional student identities. Wilborn’s professors extolled their exceptional academic performance and say they’re an insightful learner, a thoughtful classroom member, and an engaged campus leader, whose achievements embody the spirit and practice of community.