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Gold Axe Awards
Recognizing outstanding contributions to the NAU community
Each semester, Northern Arizona University recognizes seniors who have made outstanding contributions to the university and community. The award honors those who are committed to excelling in life outside of the classroom through leading student organizations, providing service to the community, involvement in their academic college, and more.
The seniors who are selected for their contributions will receive the prestigious Gold Axe Award. We acknowledge the incredible range of involvement and contributions from students to NAU and their community; however, only 1% of graduating seniors obtain this outstanding award. These awards will be presented at the Gold Axe Award Reception, co-sponsored by the Associated Students of NAU (ASNAU), the Community, Leadership, Alliances, and Belonging (CoLAB) Center, and the Office of Alumni Engagement. In addition to the Gold Axe Award, the NAU President will honor the top applicants with the President’s Prize.
The Gold Axe Awards application and recommendation forms for Spring 2027 will open on January 4th!!!
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Congratulations to the Fall 2026 Gold Axe Award Winners and their Educators of Influence
| First Name | Last Name | Academic College | Educator of Influence |
| Charmaine | Begay | Maria and Steve Sanghi College of Nursing | Garrett Mitchell |
| Lionel | Begay | College of Education | Darold Joseph |
| Nicole | Cronin | Maria and Steve Sanghi College of Nursing | Garrett Mitchell |
| Hayden | Crouch | College of Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences | Dale Cummings |
| Kimberly | Florentino | Maria and Steve Sanghi College of Nursing | Garrett Mitchell |
| Charlie | Giaquinto | The W.A. Franke College of Business | Michelle Gardner |
| Makena | Good | College of Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences | Melissa Schonauer |
| Starlet | Grijalva | College of Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences | Julia Atrian |
| Isabella | Guzman | College of Health and Human Services | Lindsey Hiebert |
| Emma | Hagen | College of Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences | Marc Tollis |
| Max | Harb | College of Social and Behavioral Sciences | Gretchen Gee |
| Jordan | Manthei | College of Social and Behavioral Sciences | Jermaine Robert Martinez |
| Emily | Mionske | College of Social and Behavioral Sciences | Courtney Carver |
| Caleb | Nkwenti | College of Social and Behavioral Sciences | Raumilya Smith |
| Azul | Perez Garcia | The W.A. Franke College of Business | Ann M Werboff |
| Bella | Rios | College of Social and Behavioral Sciences | Sonya Xiao |
| Andrina | Salcido | College of Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences | Naomi Lee |
| Alyssa | Temby | The W.A. Franke College of Business | Jeremy Brees |
| Codi | Thomas | College of Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences | Aaron Tabor |
| Violette | Valencia | College of Social and Behavioral Sciences | Jessie Finch |
| Hunter | Vallejos | Steve Sanghi College of Engineering | Rob Bruner |
| Ian | Willeke | Steve Sanghi College of Engineering | Rodolfo Echavarria |
| Samantha | Witterstauter | College of Health and Human Services | Priscilla R. Sanderson |
FLG Mountain Campus – Gold Axe Committee
| First Name | Last Name | Department |
| Emerald | Arnold | Office of Indigenous Student Success |
| Angelica | Brady | First Generation Program |
| Michelle | Gardner | CoLAB Center |
| Brenna | Johnston | NAU Athletics |
| Destinee | King | CoLAB Center |
| Erin | Konefal | Campus Recreation |
| Erin | Kruse | Center for Service & Volunteerism |
| Salvador | Lopez | CoLAB Center |
| Maria | Machelor | Center of International Education |
| Nancy | Navarro | Office of Inclusive Excellence and Access |
| Kirsten | Nolker | NAU Admissions |
| Mary | O’Driscoll | NAU Alumni Board |
| Sun | Ohumukini | Peer Jacks Mentoring |
| Grace | Palliser | CoLAB Center |
| Brandon | Piestewa | Office of Veteran and Military Affairs |
| Azah | Quach | CoLAB Center |
| Gregg | Schneider | Academic Success Centers |
| Jake | Shaw | Campus Living |
| Tricia | Sherrard | Career Development |
Statewide & Online – Gold Axe Committee
| First Name | Last Name | Department |
| Patty | Diaz | Business and Educational Partnerships |
| Bernadette | Gomez | Enrollment Management |
| Salvador | Lopez | CoLAB Center |
| Nancy | Navarro | Office of Inclusive Excellence and Access |
| Sun | Ohumukini | Peer Jacks Mentoring |
| Taylor | Sweson | NAU Athletics |
Selection Process
Upon submitting a Gold Axe Award application and an active faculty/staff recommendation form, we compile both documents and confirm the applicant’s NAU status, credit hours, and institutional conduct record.
Next, the applications are divided amongst the selection committee, which is comprised of approximately 23 staff across the university. Due to the unique experiences of our STW/ONL students, we have identified staff who work at these campuses to evaluate these applications. They review the applications and recommendation forms fully. Each applicant is reviewed by 3 members of the committee, who score each applicant utilizing a rubric. The scores take into account the quantity and depth of experiences in the application. Scores are submitted, along with a top 5-10 ranking of who the committee member recommends to receive the award.
Finally, the selection committee meets to discuss all applicants and make final selections based on application, recommendation materials, and scores.
[Note: Given the committee members’ strong connection to students, we strive to minimize bias and conflict of interest.]
Graduating seniors obtaining their first bachelor’s degree at NAU are eligible to apply. Applicants are eligible if they submit a graduation application through LOUIE and are expecting to complete their academic program of study for the semester they apply to the Gold Axe Award. While there is no GPA requirement for this award, it may be a factor in the committee’s final decision. If a student is away from campus in their final semester (e.g., internships, student teaching, etc.), they have the option of applying EITHER during their final semester or the previous term (final semester on campus), but not both.
The application AND recommendation forms for Spring 2027 will open on Monday, January 4th! Both forms will close on Friday, February 12th, at 5:00 p.m. (AZ Time).
Late applications and recommendation forms WILL NOT be accepted or reviewed. NO EXCEPTIONS!
If a candidate’s application is missing a recommendation form, the application WILL NOT be considered/evaluated. NO EXCEPTIONS!
The selection committee will review all completed applications and recommendation forms, and will notify all applicants by early March 2027 whether they are chosen to receive the award. ALL DECISIONS ARE FINAL!
The Gold Axe celebrates seniors who have contributed significantly to life outside of the classroom. Your application reflects all of your accomplishments, contributions, and commitments. Please be detailed in representing your Lumberjack story.
The Gold Axe application is available online and meant to be completed in a single session. You will need to have the following prepared before submitting your application:
- Your basic information (major/college, campus, etc.)
- Clubs and/or organizations that you actively participated in while at NAU
- Scholarships, awards, and/or recognitions received while at NAU
- Involvement and activities within your major’s college/school
- Activities involving service to others, such as volunteer activities
- Involvement in other activities (including multicultural events, employment, etc.) both on and off campus
- Your answer to both of the following essay questions:
- Describe an accomplishment you have made at NAU that has impacted Lumberjacks.
- Describe how your involvement journey has contributed to who you are as a person today and/or your NAU college experience.
- Identify one active faculty/staff member who has had the most influence over your NAU experience, known as Educator of Influence.
NOTE: AI usage is not permitted for the completion of the Gold Axe application. Any hints of AI usage will disqualify the student/application. Also, NAU Marketing will use any information included in a candidate’s application for advertisement and script creation purposes if selected for this award.
In addition to your application, a Recommendation Form MUST be filled out by an active faculty/staff member of NAU. This is also due on Friday, February 12th, at 5:00 p.m. (AZ Time). It is the applicant’s responsibility to send/notify the active faculty/staff member of their choice about this form and inform them of the deadline. Please note that your recommender doesn’t need to be your appointed educator of influence.
Late applications and recommendation forms WILL NOT be accepted or reviewed. NO EXCEPTIONS!
If a candidate’s application is missing a recommendation form, the application WILL NOT be considered/evaluated. NO EXCEPTIONS
Once the application and recommendation form are submitted, no edits are allowed to be made by either the applicant or recommender.
Please contact GoldAxe@nau.edu with any questions.