Ten UW-River Falls students were awarded the Chancellor’s Award for Students during a banquet and ceremony on campus Wednesday. Front row (l to r): Chancellor Maria Gallo, Kendra Jentz, SirrNay Ku, Veronica Klenke, Lauren Schmelzer, and Kalli Kubly. Back row: Mayala Keita, Mark Buchmann, Sam Peters, Chloe Heifner, and Lexi Janzer.

Ten UW-River Falls students honored with Chancellor’s Award

Honor given for academic excellence, service to campus and community

River Falls, Wis. – Ten University of Wisconsin-River Falls students on Wednesday received the Chancellor’s Award for Students, the highest non-academic honor they can receive at the university. 

The Chancellor’s Award recognizes students who have shown distinguished leadership and service on campus and in the community. 

“The students receiving this award are dedicated to excelling not only in the classroom, but to making a positive impact in other ways on our campus and in our surrounding community,” Chancellor Maria Gallo said. “These students exemplify the kinds of committed, high-level learning that occurs at UW-River Falls. I am excited to see the great ways these students will make our world a better place in the future.”

This year’s Chancellor’s Award recipients:

• Mark Buchmann, a junior from Chippewa Falls majoring in music education, is president of several campus organizations, including the chapter of the National Association for Music Education Collegiate, the Commissioned Composer Project, and Boomwhacker Ensemble, which he founded. He is an advocate for making spaces more accessible for people with physical disabilities.
• Chloe Heifner, a senior from Hudson majoring in physics and physics education, has conducted numerous research projects on her work with cosmic rays. She is the first UWRF student to have co-authored a significant research paper with Physics Professor Seruj Seunarine. She has presented her research at such events as the International Cosmic Ray Conference in Japan.
• Lexi Janzer, a senior from Mayville majoring in journalism and criminology, has been a standout print journalist at the UWRF student newspaper, The Student Voice, and is currently the newspaper’s assistant editor. She has produced award-winning journalism in both print and audio. She also has taken leadership roles with organizations on campus and in the surrounding community. 
• Kendra Jentz, a senior from Bloomington majoring in agriculture marketing communications, has served as the leader of numerous UWRF student organizations. She was elected by her peers as president of the Chancellor’s Student Ambassadors. A strong advocate for agriculture, she has led multiple student groups in that area, including serving as president of Collegiate Farm Bureau.
• Mayala Keita, a senior from Coon Rapids, Minn., majoring in food science and technology, has played a prominent role in numerous UWRF student organizations, among them the Black Student Union and the Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Office. She is a strong advocate for identity-based students and others. She also represents UWRF students as a member of the Student Government Association.
• Veronica Klenke, a senior from Bloomer majoring in social work, has been in the Honors Program, the McNair Scholars Program and has taken part in undergraduate research projects. She is also an advocate for positive change for her peers. Klenke has served on the Student Government Association and has been a peer mentor in the Disability Resource Center.
• SirrNay Ku, a senior from Burlington majoring in horticulture, uses her history and previous education with floral arrangements to provide learning opportunities for her peers and others in the community. She is president of the Asian American Student Association and is an involved member of numerous organizations designed to help first-year students succeed. 
• Kalli Kubly, a senior from Columbus majoring in accounting and criminology, has served in numerous leadership roles, including serving as president of the Student Government Association. She has been a resident assistant, worked for two years as a finance intern in the Student Involvement Office, and was selected as an intern with the Federal Bureau of Investigations. 
• Samuel Peters, a senior from St. Paul, Minn., majoring in broad field social studies, has been a leader of the UWRF track and field and cross country teams, having been captain of both since 2022. He is a leader in the Admissions Office and with other university programs that help incoming students successfully adapt to college life. 
• Lauren Schmelzer, a senior from St. Louis Park, Minn., majoring in environmental science, has been highly involved in numerous sustainability-related efforts at UWRF through the Sustainability Office. She helped develop a bee habitat and pollinator-friendly environment on campus and served as vice president and social media coordinator of the Environmental Sustainability Club and Bee Club.

The awards were presented during a reception in the Riverview Ballroom in the University Center. Students are nominated by a faculty member, staff member, or student peer. Student recipients have completed undergraduate research and demonstrated undergraduate research, inclusivity and service to the community and university. First awarded in 1980, the award has been presented to 327 outstanding students.