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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville continued its annual honors recruitment tradition this February, welcoming high-achieving students to campus for Honors Scholarship Day before traveling to high schools across the region to personally surprise select incoming students with the Meridian Scholarship, the University’s most prestigious award.

Honors Scholarship Day took place Friday, Feb. 16, and invited local area honors students and their families to participate in collaborative challenges, faculty-guided sessions and peer engagement designed to introduce the intellectual curiosity, creativity and community that define the John Martinson Honors Program.

“Honors created a space where who we are matters just as much as what we study, pushing us to step outside our comfort zones and build real, meaningful friendships,” said Student Trustee Moayad Abuzaneh. “SIUE helped prepare me not just for a career, but for leadership in my own life and community.”

“There’s a reason the University invests in these scholarships,” said Provost Denise Cobb, PhD. “Bringing incredibly highly motivated, high-potential students to SIUE makes a difference.”

Chancellor James T. Minor, PhD, reinforced the University’s commitment and participated in breakout teamwork sessions with the students, guided by faculty mentors. The teamwork developed creative pitches on forthcoming inventions that impact the college experience, supporting the design framework for honors thinking and pedagogy.

"The John Martinson Honors Program cultivates the transformative power of mindful conversation, seeking to harness those experiences to develop careful attention to the past and a critical eye to the present,” said Eric Ruckh, PhD, director or the John Martinson Honors Program. “We aspire to help train people to invent the future. One of the aspects of Honors Scholars Day that is special is that we don't just talk about this mode of teaching and learning, we provide potential students the opportunity to experience it."

SIUE leaders continued the University’s tradition of investing in student excellence on Monday, Feb. 9, when enrollment and admissions teams traveled to local high schools to personally deliver Meridian Scholarship announcements to this year’s recipients.
The visits, led by Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management Andy Benoit, EdD, and admissions staff, unfolded with ceremonial checks, red carpets, SIUE gear and emotional celebrations as students learned they had received a four-year, full-ride scholarship valued at approximately $100,000.

“The Meridian Scholarship represents far more than financial support — it is a bold statement of who we are at SIUE and what we believe about higher education,” said Benoit. “It affirms our unwavering commitment to access, opportunity and student success. By investing in Meridian Scholars, we are investing in leaders, innovators and difference-makers who will shape our region and beyond.”

The Meridian Scholarship covers four years of tuition, fees, housing and meal plan and includes participation in the John Martinson Honors Program. It is awarded annually to exemplary incoming students who demonstrate academic achievement, leadership and promise.

Many recipients, stunned by the announcement, called family members to share the news. Some wiped away tears as classmates and teachers cheered.

At Edwardsville High School, senior Malak Amer held back tears as SIUE leaders surprised her and her classmate Kaiden with ceremonial check presentations. Malak plans to study mechanical engineering, while Kaiden intends to pursue dentistry, continuing his family legacy at the SIU School of Dental Medicine.

At SIUE East St. Louis Charter High School, recipient Anthony Ayers was greeted by classmates, mentors and staff waving pom-poms as he walked a red carpet to accept the honor. Before speaking with his mother by phone, Ayers addressed peers through a borrowed staff member’s bullhorn.

“I believe in all of you,” he told the crowd. “You all have what it takes to be great!”

The 2026 Meridian cohort reflects both regional roots and global reach. While most scholars hail from local high schools across Illinois and Missouri, other awardees will travel longer journeys to SIUE, including two students from Nepal and Ghana.

A total of 21 Meridian Scholarships were awarded.

Meridian Scholars participate in the John Martinson Honors Program, and together the two play a significant role in attracting high-achieving students to SIUE during a period of continued institutional growth. The University recorded its third consecutive term of enrollment increases this spring, rising 6.5% to reach its highest spring enrollment since 2022, with first-year retention climbing to 89%.
For Benoit, the scholarship visits themselves carry lasting meaning.

“These moments remind students that they belong here before they ever step onto campus,” said Benoit. “That message can shape an entire college journey.”

2026 Meridian Scholarship Recipients

• Malak Amer
• Anthony Ayers
• Drake Barmann
• Eleanor Bowen
• Brandon Cook
• Molly Cooper
• Gracie Gentry
• Sophia Hallenberg
• Caleb Fisher
• Emma Johnson
• Elliott Kocher
• Istuti Khadka
• Da’Sani Lewis
• Tracy Machuki
• Kaiden Nelson
• Keily Nolan
• Isis Patton
• Richmond Nkrumah Peprah
• Nathaniel Ringle
• Ellie Surges
• Trista Yancy

PHOTO: Photo collage includes Honors Scholarship Day and Meridian Scholarship Presentations, photos by Hunter Fridley and Howard Ash.