President's Medal

Each year the UW Bothell President’s Medalist is selected from among graduating undergraduate students with the most distinguished academic record. The medal is presented during the Commencement ceremony in June. 

Eligibility

Eligible students are those who have taken 90 upper-level credits overall of which at least 70 graded credits must be taken at UW Bothell for all programs with the exception of BSN students, who must earn a minimum of 43 graded credits. 

Additionally, the students are selected from those that have a GPA in the top 2.0% of the graduating class in their program. Subsequent to the initial screening using the numerical criteria above, for the remaining finalist pool, additional dimensions of academic achievement are considered such as courses taken at UW Bothell, honors and awards, research and publications, as well as future plans. 

Students must have either graduated in autumn quarter or have applied to graduate with a departmental advisor for winter, spring, or summer quarters during the current academic year. 

Candidate notification and submission process 

Students who meet the eligibility requirements will receive an email from the Ceremonies and Honors Advisory Committee. The email will ask them to confirm their interest in being considered for the award and their intention to attend the Commencement ceremony.

Students who express interest and confirm planned attendance must submit the following:

  1. Résumé
  2. Narrative (maximum two pages, double-spaced)
    The narrative should address:
    • Scholarship or academic awards received
    • Other academic activities (examples: study abroad, undergraduate research, internships, service learning, publications, presentations or participation in professional organizations)
    • Application of knowledge to current or future activities.
  3. Letter of Recommendation
    • One letter from a faculty member supporting the student’s nomination. The faculty member must submit the letter directly to the Office of the Chancellor.

Review committee

The Ceremonies and Honors Advisory Committee, appointed by the chancellor, reviews all materials using a rubric and recommends three finalists. The chancellor selects one recipient and notifies the student.

Past recipients 

2025: Emerald Chuesh
2024: Maksim Poklonskii
2023: Hithem Ghadamsi 
2022: Youssef Beltagy 
2021: Jordan T. Woltjer 
2020: Casey Cummins 
2019: Kaheerman “Sabira” Saibire 
2018: Paul Hage 
2017: Lingling Yuan 
2016: Justin Thompson 
2015: Alexander Gaston
2014: Kevin Call
2013: Eleanor Marsh
2012: Christopher Duong
2011: Heather Hughes Griffin
2010: Donna Oved