{"id":76371,"date":"2025-11-14T14:00:51","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T21:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/?p=76371"},"modified":"2025-11-14T14:00:51","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T21:00:51","slug":"gold-axe-dec-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/gold-axe-dec-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"NAU honors President&#8217;s Prize, Gold Axe, Distinguished Senior winners"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">At a ceremony Thursday night, NAU leadership, led by President\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Jos\u00e9 Luis Cruz Rivera<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, honored the winners of the President\u2019s Prize,\u00a0Gold Axe\u00a0award\u00a0and\u00a0Distinguished\u00a0Seniors\u00a0of the Class of 2025.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-76379 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1902_ga_ds_group_20251113.jpg\" alt=\"Gold Axe winners and Distinguished Seniors give LJs\" width=\"268\" height=\"402\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/1902_ga_ds_group_20251113.jpg 667w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/1902_ga_ds_group_20251113-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 268px) 100vw, 268px\" \/>This year\u2019s class is composed of\u00a023\u00a0Gold Axe winners, including\u00a0two\u00a0President\u2019s Prize winners\u2014the highest honor awarded to undergraduate students. Additionally, 10 students were honored as Distinguished Seniors of their colleges.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u202f\u202f<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cAll of these students have shown incredible resilience and determination to arrive at this point in their academic and personal journeys,\u201d Cruz Rivera said. \u201cThey are exceptional role models, they have excelled in their\u00a0studies\u00a0and they are committed to serving others, using all they have learned to shape a brighter future.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The President\u2019s Prize winners are:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Ayejah\u00a0Rivera<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0is a\u00a0psychological sciences, sociology and Spanish\u00a0major who studied in Spain, Puerto Rico,\u00a0Ireland\u00a0and the Alps, which she said made her NAU experience unforgettable. She is a four-year member and now president of the Latine Student Union and played a critical role in putting on the inaugural Hispanic and Latine Cultural Night, which took place earlier this month.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Tracey Yazzie<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0is a nursing major; the first-generation\u00a0transfer\u00a0student also was named a\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/udall-scholarship-2024\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Udall Scholar<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and a Cobell Scholar and\u00a0is\u00a0part of the American Indian Program\u00a0cohort\u00a0in nursing.\u00a0In addition to those national scholarships, she did significant community service both mentoring and promoting\u00a0access to\u00a0healthcare on the Navajo Nation\u00a0and throughout northern Arizona.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-76380\" src=\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1893_distinguished_seniors_20251113.jpg\" alt=\"Distinguished Seniors\" width=\"303\" height=\"202\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/1893_distinguished_seniors_20251113.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/1893_distinguished_seniors_20251113-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/1893_distinguished_seniors_20251113-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 303px) 100vw, 303px\" \/>Gold Axe winners came from a pool of applicants selected by a campus committee. The program\u00a0is\u00a0led by the Office of Leadership &amp; Engagement and co-sponsored by NAU Alumni and ASNAU. Distinguished Seniors are selected by their colleges.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>See below for all the winners and the college&#8217;s standard bearers<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Gold Axe<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-76374\" src=\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-10.12.31\u202fAM.png\" alt=\"Collage of Gold Axe winner headshots\" width=\"734\" height=\"566\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-10.12.31\u202fAM.png 734w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-10.12.31\u202fAM-300x231.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 734px) 100vw, 734px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-76375\" src=\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-10.12.43\u202fAM.png\" alt=\"Collage of Gold Axe winner headshots\" width=\"725\" height=\"588\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-10.12.43\u202fAM.png 725w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-10.12.43\u202fAM-300x243.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 725px) 100vw, 725px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-76376\" src=\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-10.12.52\u202fAM.png\" alt=\"Collage of Gold Axe winner headshots\" width=\"721\" height=\"587\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-10.12.52\u202fAM.png 721w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-10.12.52\u202fAM-300x244.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 721px) 100vw, 721px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Distinguished Seniors<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-76377\" src=\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-10.13.10\u202fAM.png\" alt=\"Collage of Gold Axe winner headshots\" width=\"755\" height=\"594\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-10.13.10\u202fAM.png 755w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-10.13.10\u202fAM-300x236.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 755px) 100vw, 755px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-76378\" src=\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-10.13.18\u202fAM.png\" alt=\"Collage of Gold Axe winner headshots\" width=\"755\" height=\"280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-10.13.18\u202fAM.png 755w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-10.13.18\u202fAM-300x111.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 755px) 100vw, 755px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Standard bearers<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-76372\" src=\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-10.13.27\u202fAM.png\" alt=\"Collage of Gold Axe winner headshots\" width=\"733\" height=\"581\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-10.13.27\u202fAM.png 733w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-10.13.27\u202fAM-300x238.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 733px) 100vw, 733px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-76373\" src=\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-10.13.33\u202fAM.png\" alt=\"Collage of Gold Axe winner headshots\" width=\"726\" height=\"261\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-10.13.33\u202fAM.png 726w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-10.13.33\u202fAM-300x108.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 726px) 100vw, 726px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><a class=\"search-results-excerpt-link\" href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/gold-axe-dec-2025\/\">At a ceremony Thursday night, NAU leadership, led by President\u00a0Jos\u00e9 Luis Cruz Rivera, honored the winners of the President\u2019s Prize,\u00a0Gold Axe\u00a0award\u00a0and\u00a0Distinguished\u00a0Seniors\u00a0of the Class of 2025.\u00a0\u00a0 This year\u2019s class is composed of\u00a023\u00a0Gold Axe winners, including\u00a0two\u00a0President\u2019s Prize winners\u2014the highest honor awarded to undergraduate students. Additionally, 10 students were honored as Distinguished Seniors of their colleges.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u00a0 \u201cAll of&hellip;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":76384,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-community"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76371"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76371\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}