Past Student Award Winners

Recent Award Winners

Each year, the ECU chapter of Phi Kappa Phi selects three student award winners. The Outstanding First-Year award goes to a student in their first-year of study at ECU who exemplifies outstanding academic achievement, a love of learning and a spirit of community service. The winner receives a plaque and a cash award of $500. The Outstanding Senior award goes to a graduating senior who has excellent scholarly accomplishments but who has also made positive contributions to both the university and the greater Greenville community. The winner receives a plaque and a check for $1,000. The third award is for the Eldean Pierce Graduate Fellowship. The national society of Phi Kappa Phi sponsors a graduate fellowship competition among seniors who have been accepted for graduate or professional study in the following year. The chapter selects a winner who then goes on to compete for national awards. Our chapter winner receives a plaque and a check for $1,500.

2025-2026

Outstanding First-Year Student

Sahana Suresh
Sahana is currently earning her bachelor of science degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology and a bachelor of arts degree in Spanish and Hispanic Studies. She is a Brinkley Lane Scholar in the ECU Honors College and is working with Dr. Lauren Sastre with the Farm2Clinic FreshStart program as a health navigator. That is, she coaches persons with cardiometabolic conditions regarding healthy lifestyle adjustments. Moreover, she also volunteers at ECU Health Medical Center by working with Spanish-speaking patients, providing clear communication and emotional support, and she assists in safely transporting patients between hospital departments.

Outstanding Senior

Trisha Rangaraju
Trisha is in the Bachelor of Science Public Health, pre medicine track program in the College of Health and Human Performance. She is a Brinkley Lane Scholar and in the Honors College. She also has received the ECU IMBA program scholarship for an immersive one-year Master of Business Administration program. She also serves as President of the undergraduate MedPals for the Brody School of medicine, which focuses on mentoring and tutoring -12 students; assists with community health seminars in partnership with Brody RISE, ECU Honors College, Eastern Area Health Education Center (AHEC), and has been recognized for creating excellence in the east by the Pitt Board of Education. She also works to help provide medical support on mobile healthcare units, and works at Orthopaedics East as an MRI Tech Assistant. She is committed to improving community health and make a difference in the lives of others.

Eldean Pierce Graduate Fellowship Winner

Katie Council
Katie is a Brinkley-Lane Scholar and is in the Honors College. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration in December and is now earning a Master of Science in Accounting. She has been active with experiential learning opportunities in eastern North Carolina concerning law and accounting. While at ECU, Katie served as Student Body Vice President for the Student Government Association and applied some of what she had learned as she developed and implemented initiatives in alignment with the Walker council platform, which includes assessment of experiential learning, return on investment, and availability and accessibility. In keeping with her interest in serving the public, Katie spent the summer after her first year at ECU as the Beaufort County Economic Development intern through the SECU Public Fellows internship program.

2024-2025

Outstanding First-Year Student

Chris Kalapurackal
Chris is a Brinkley-Lane Scholar at East Carolina University, where he is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Engineering with concentrations in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, along with minors in Mathematics and Composite Natural Science and a certificate in Entrepreneurship. Maintaining a 4.0 GPA, Chris demonstrates academic excellence while giving back to the ECU community through leadership and active involvement in organizations such as The Helping Hand Project, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Indian Students Organization. His research contributions span energy storage, LiDAR systems, and underwater acoustic sensing. Professionally, Chris serves as a mathematics tutor and research assistant while also working as a deli bakery sales associate at Food Lion.

Outstanding Senior

Maranda Byrd
Maranda is an undergraduate senior student studying engineering with a concentration in biomedical engineering and a minor in math and composite science. She is a member of the Honors College as a Chancellors Fellow, a member of the national biomedical honors society, Alpha Eta Mu Beta and a member of the national engineering society, Tau Beta Pi. She has worked as an engineering intern at Blue Ridge Power and Cape Fear Valley Medical Center and was a member of the Acoustic and Vibrations Undergraduate research lab, where she did a summer at ECU’s Costal Campus in the Outer Banks. Maranda has formed many connections on campus through volunteer activities, such as Pirate’s Aboard and student panels as well as on-campus jobs, including being a media coordinator for the department of engineering where she co-founded the department of engineering’s Instagram. Maranda has passed her Fundamentals of Engineering exam, FE, in the Other Disciplines area and will be an Engineer in Training, EIT, after graduation. She plans on working towards becoming a Professional Engineer, PE, in the state of North Carolina while working as a Construction Engineer at Marsh Engineering Services in Stedman, North Carolina. She owes her success to God and her support system of family, friends, professors, mentors, former and current bosses, and peers.

Eldean Pierce Graduate Fellowship Winner

Owen Farrar
Owen will graduate this May with a major in Psychology and a minor in Sociology. He is actively involved in various organizations on campus, including serving as the Student Vice President for the East Carolina University chapter of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Honors College Ambassadors, this year’s Vice Chair of the Elections Commission in Student Government Association, and just finished up his 1 year internship at the REAL Crisis Center working on the phones for the suicide hotline. Through his work in these organizations, Owen has maintained a 4.0 GPA and has been enrolled as a Chancellor’s Fellow in the Honors College. Beyond his academic and extracurricular pursuits, Owen has been involved in various clubs such as the Psychology Club, Sociology Club, and the Human Action Book Club. He was also recognized as the recipient of the Outstanding Level 2004 in Hispanic Studies due to his rigor in learning Spanish. Owen plans to earn his Master’s degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and become a therapist in private practice.