Fox, Fowler named Monmouth College's top seniors; Gore, Andal earn awards for freshmen

Honored students are from, respectively, Villa Park, Chatham, New Jersey, Crystal Lake

Monmouth, Ill. (05/16/2023) — Four students have received the top awards of the 2022-23 academic year at Monmouth College.

The Tau Pi chapter of Mortar Board - a national honor society that recognizes college seniors for scholarship, leadership and service - named Kaitlyn Fox of Villa Park, Illinois, the Senior Woman of the Year and Kailyn Gore of Marlton, New Jersey, the Freshman Woman of the Year.

"Katilyn Fox is the best of Monmouth College," wrote her nominator. "As a student, Kaitlyn is exceptional. She is incredibly bright, scoring in the 98th percentile of psychological knowledge of psychology majors across the nation."

Within her academic department, Fox has worked as a teaching assistant, and she's also served as a first-year mentor, a teacher's assistant at a local elementary school, a lifeguard and a member of the College's COVID testing center staff. She has held leadership roles in three honor societies (Blue Key, Mortar Board and Psi Chi, the international psychology honor society).

An active member of her women's fraternity, Pi Beta Phi, Fox served as the delegate for the National Panhellenic Conference, as vice president of community relations and as the chair of Greek Week. She's done all of those activities while also being a four-year member of the Fighting Scots swim team and maintaining a nearly perfect 4.0 GPA. Up next for Fox is a graduate program in occupational therapy.

Gore was called "an outstanding student who demonstrates excellent critical thinking, communication and organization skills. She is a leader in the classroom and brings out the best in her peers."

Outside of class, Gore is heavily involved in a host of leadership positions, both on and off campus. Her on-campus activities include Scots Student Senate, her sorority and the lacrosse team. She is also the founder and CEO of a nonprofit organization designed to promote civic education legislation. Among other governmental roles, she's worked for New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim.

The Monmouth chapter of Blue Key Honor Society - a national organization recognizing upperclassmen for outstanding character and ability and for distinction in service, leadership and scholarship - named Todd Fowler of Chatham, Illinois, the Senior Man of the Year and Michael Andal of Crystal Lake, Illinois, the Freshman Man of the Year.

Fowler transferred to Monmouth in 2021 to study classics and play baseball, and he's done an exceptional job of both, not only in terms of his performance, but also his perseverance. He has been an excellent student, maintaining a 3.8 GPA. As well, he was a critical figure in 2021's multi-award-winning Classics Day and in helping Monmouth to host the national Eta Sigma Phi meeting earlier this year.

"His coordination of Roman military exercises at both events was particularly exemplary," wrote his nominator. "He did his own research, mastered his material, recruited assistants for both events, and demonstrated his material like a seasoned teacher."

On the diamond, an injury cost Fowler most of his junior season, but after extensive rehabilitation, he posted an OPS (combined on-base percentage and slugging percentage) of .840 this spring while starting roughly two-thirds of the Scots' games.

Andal's nominators called him the type of student "who exemplifies the Monmouth College experience" through his engaged learning, curious nature and active campus involvement.

"He wants to take full advantage of his time at Monmouth College," wrote one nominator. "He takes initiative unlike any first-year student I've ever encountered, meeting with professors who are teaching a class he is considering taking or are doing research he finds compelling, reaching out to students who may be interested in the same research areas, doing an independent study, and considering how he can be involved in the larger Monmouth community."

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