Student Awards in Criminology
On this page, we celebrate the accomplishments of our illustrious students! We are extremely proud of them. Check back here for announcements regarding our annual award presentations or any other kinds of awards that may be bestowed upon our students.
April 28th, 2023: K-State Criminology and Sociology Present Awards to Outstanding Undergraduate and Graduate Students
The program is pleased to announce the undergraduate and graduate awardees for the 2023 Sociology Awards. We congratulate the award recipients, and all students nominated this year. The Awards Committee is hosting an awards event at K-State (Manhattan campus) on April 28th, attending faculty will present the award certificates to the 2023 recipients.
Hill Memorial Award
Ultimately aiming to encourage promising juniors and seniors to continue onto graduate school in sociology or a related field, the $500 award recognizes the outstanding academic achievements of one student in the program. This year, Colleen Fulton is the recipient of the award.
My name is Colleen Fulton, and I am a junior studying sociology, psychology, and global food systems leadership. I am from Loup City, Nebraska, and graduated from Loup City High School. At K-State, I’m involved in Student Alumni Board, Blue Key Senior Honorary, Snyder Leadership Legacy Fellows, Alpha Delta Pi, Student Foundation, Connected ‘Cats, and Dr. Saucier’s Social Psychology Research Laboratory. My honors include the Neal Atkinson Service Scholarship, Janet Sprang Ayres and Jack Ayres Student Alumni Board Leadership Scholarship, Theodore Bielfeldt Memorial Scholarship, K-State Alumni Association Legacy Scholarship, Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund Scholarship, Arlene Clark Scholarship, Knights of Columbus Council Scholarship, Sunflower State Award, and Mortar Board's Outstanding Student Scholarship.
Long Memorial Scholarship
To acknowledge exceptional sophomores, juniors, and seniors in the program, a $300 scholarship is awarded to one student. Elena Stoll is the recipient of this year’s scholarship.
Elena Stoll is from Burdett, KS and Bad Marienberg, Germany. She is majoring in Sociology CAFE option, French, and Global Food Systems Leadership. She has worked all four years of her undergraduate degree at the K-State greenhouses and hopes to continue to combine her love and curiosity for sociology and agriculture. After graduating, she plans to work on small-scale agriculture operations in the United States and Europe and see where that takes her!
Regnier Scholarship
To recognize the merits of juniors and seniors demonstrating a commitment to studying sociology, one $1,000 scholarship is awarded to support the needs of remarkable students. Jimena Davila-Vasquez is the 2023 recipient.
I was raised in Kansas City, Missouri and I chose to go to K-State for the opportunity to be exposed to a different environment than I am used to. I am double majoring in both Sociology and Communication Studies as well as learning two languages: German and Chinese. I hope with the knowledge and experience I gain here at K-State I will work in my dream job at the FBI.
Dakin Memorial Scholarship
To acknowledge the merits of students in the program, two $500 scholarships are awarded to support the needs of exceptional students. The scholarship recipients this year are Madison Dean and Brianna Maldonado.
Madison Dean is a freshman undergraduate student majoring in Criminology (Pre-Med) with a minor in French and is a proud member of the Pride of Wildcat Land. She accepts the Dakin Memorial Scholarship with the utmost honor and appreciates the opportunity to be recognized by the faculty in the Sociology program. She hopes to continue to make her department proud in the coming years.
I am Brianna Maldonado, a freshman at Kansas State University. I grew up in Belleville, Kansas and graduated high school from Republic County Jr./Sr. High School. My major is currently Sociology with the Criminology option but will be changing to Criminology when Kansas State offers the new major starting next semester! My plan after college is to become a field agent in the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. I am currently involved in the Criminology club and I work at the Kansas State University Police Department as a dispatcher. I have absolutely loved all of the sociology and criminology classes I have taken so far and can’t wait to take many more here at K-State! Just a few fun facts about me is I have a German Shepherd that lives with my grandma named Kash who is my best friend, and I love snowboarding! I am so thankful for this opportunity and can’t wait to continue my education here at K-State. Go Cats!
Graduate Research Award
To celebrate the research achievements of graduate students during the 2022-23 academic year, a $500 award is given to one student. This year, Trina Knight is the recipient. One accomplishment worth noting here is lead author of an article recently published in the journal, Victims & Offenders: “We Declared a Consumer Revolt, So They Declared a Cultural War”: The Development of Shared Narratives among Supporters of the #Gamergate Campaign,” coauthored with Kevin F. Steinmetz, Jordana Navarro, and Shelly Clevenger.
Trina Knight is a 4th year doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work at Kansas State University. She has had the pleasure of being an instructor of record for several sociology and criminology courses during her time at K-State. Trina's research interests lie broadly within the intersections of crime, religion, conspiracy, and technology. She has conducted research regarding religious expression in everyday life, cybersecurity, and cyberharassment. Her dissertation research explores the influence of participation in conspiracy-based communities on acceptance of violent ideologies. Trina is also currently employed as the Sexual and Relationship Violence Prevention Specialist at K-State.
Graduate Teaching Award
To honor graduate students demonstrating exemplary teaching during the 2022-23 academic year, a $500 is given to one student. Dylan Sears is the recipient this year.
Dylan Sears is a first-year Ph.D. student in the department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work at Kansas State University. He received his master’s degree in sociology from Kansas State University in summer of 2022. He has taught Youth and Crime and Intro to Sociology, in both of which he places emphasis on exploring inequality and the role of race, class, and culture in the social world. His master’s thesis examined the relationship between white vigilante actors and police using Kyle Rittenhouse and the Kenosha, Wisconsin shooting in August of 2020 as a case study. His research interests include culture, vigilante actors, and white supremacy. Presently, he is working on two publications with the guidance of his major professor, Dr. Travis Linnemann and is preparing for his first preliminary exam over criminology in August.