{"689173":{"#nid":"689173","#data":{"type":"news","title":"JMHP Announces 2026 Award Winners","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe John H. Martinson Honors Program is proud to announce the recipients of their 2025 - 2026 awards.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EOutstanding Student Award (first-year start)- Esha Venkat\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EOutstanding Student Award (transfer start)- Jessica DaSilva Bonet\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EEmerging Leader Award- Chloe Phan\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMentor of the Year Award- J\u0027Avani Stinson\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EProgress and Service Award- Jalana Smith\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EInnovation in Honors Award- Aarush Lanjharia\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EDistinguished Alumni Award- Jing Li (ISYE, \u002710)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECatalyst for Change Award- Housing and Residence Life Occupancy and Resident Experience team\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese students, alum, and campus partners represent the best of what makes the John H. Martinson Honors Program (JMHP) a dynamic community on Georgia Tech\u0027s campus. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOutstanding Student Award winner \u003Cstrong\u003EEsha Venkat \u003C\/strong\u003Eis graduating with a major in Public Policy and a Minor in Global Development. \u0026nbsp;She\u2019s a recipient of over 70 awards\u2014including from Points of Light, United Nations, and the World Bank\u2014and currently runs a global non-profit with over 9,000 volunteers. \u0026nbsp;Esha is pursuing an M.S. at Georgia Tech where she will conduct research on youth-founded nonprofits, building a career at the intersection of policy, nonprofit governance, and civic engagement initiatives. \u0026nbsp;Outstanding Student Award winner \u003Cstrong\u003EJessica DaSilva Bonet \u003C\/strong\u003Ejoined the JMHP as a transfer student and will graduate with a major in Civil Engineering. \u0026nbsp;She was a member of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund Scholars Program, served as Vice President of Chi Epsilon Civil Engineering Honor Society, and has been a leader in DanceTech. \u0026nbsp;After graduation, she will be working as a civil engineer in the land development sector, with a long-term goal of becoming an entrepreneur and establishing her own firm. \u0026nbsp;Both received their awards not only for their involvement and contributions to the JMHP, but for exemplifying excellence in academic achievement, leadership, creative endeavors, curiosity, and community building.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENew student awards introduced this year include Emerging Leader, Mentor of the Year, Progress and Service, and Innovation in Honors. Emerging Leader Award recipient \u003Cstrong\u003EChloe Phan\u003C\/strong\u003E was recognized for her work on the Honors Leadership Council as well as her attention to all of \u0022the small moments that turned unfamiliar faces into close connections, like late-night study groups, spontaneous socials, and planning [her] first Field Day.\u0022 \u0026nbsp;Mentor of the Year \u003Cstrong\u003EJ\u0027Avani Stinson\u003C\/strong\u003E, who also serves as a JMHP Help Desk student assistant, has built a strong foundation for the students who will join the program after him. \u0026nbsp;He reflected that, \u0022as the Honors Program enters its 20-year anniversary, my only hope is that the program continues its upward trajectory. Since my first-year retreat, the program has done nothing but expand its events, resources, and general support for students. As a program, the John H. Martinson Honors Program is on the right track, and needs only to stay the course!\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe motto of Georgia Tech is \u0022Progress and Service,\u0022 so it is no surprise that Progress and Service Award winner \u003Cstrong\u003EJalana Smith\u003C\/strong\u003E represents the best of Georgia Tech. \u0026nbsp;Her work with JMHP staff has helped to elevate the program through creative storytelling and marketing to make it \u0022bigger, brighter, and better for the next generation of JMHP students while staying true to its amazing mission of fostering creativity, curiosity, and connection!\u0022 \u0026nbsp;Creativity and curiosity fuel Innovation in Honors Award winner \u003Cstrong\u003EAarush Lanjharia\u003C\/strong\u003E, recognized for developing the burgeoning JMHP makerspace. What started with one (old!) 3D printer is becoming a small hub for student creativity that he is looking forward to watching grow, even after he\u0027s moved on. \u0026nbsp;\u0022I hope to stay connected to the program well beyond my graduation to watch it shape future leaders. I am proud for playing a small role in shaping what JMHP will one day become.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt was not just students who were recognized for their outstanding contributions, but an alumna and campus partner as well. \u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EJing Li\u003C\/strong\u003E (ISYE \u002710) was part of the inaugural class of the newly launched Honors Program in 2006. \u0026nbsp;What she experienced in the Honors Program has formed part of the foundation of her current work in product design.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u0022The interdisciplinary nature of Honors Program classes have had the biggest impact on my professional career. In an HP bio-inspired design class, I learned that the architecture and design of technology systems can mimic patterns found in nature, such as neural networks. This led me to undergraduate research at the Design Intelligence Lab at Georgia Tech and taught me how to think differently about human-computer interactions. Fast forward to today, and I now approach AI product design with an interdisciplinary mindset that allows me to bring the best of different worlds together.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYou can read more about Jing Li in our \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/honorsprogram.gatech.edu\/whats-happening\/see-all-news\/inaugural-honors-program-cohort-member-looks-back-her-experience\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Efeature story\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ELast but certainly not least, the JMHP could not thrive without the support of a wide variety of campus partners. \u0026nbsp;As a program with a living learning community component, Housing and Residence Life--particularly the \u003Cstrong\u003EOccupancy and Resident Experience team led by Alison Southern\u003C\/strong\u003E--is a crucial partner. \u0026nbsp;Members of the team include Associate Director Alison Southern, Assistant Director Jennifer Grover, Senior Program and Operations Manager Nina Gregory, Senior Project Support Specialist Tionna Johnson, Senior Occupancy Assignment Specialist LaToya Bostick, Training Specialist Mauricio Pizzaro, Student Support Coordinator II Cindy Kropf, and Student Support Specialist Jessamyn Lockett. \u0026nbsp;Handling the housing application process, dorm assignments, move out, and everything in between, this team probably fields more emails from JMHP staff than any other unit on campus!\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECongratulations and thank you to all of these amazing award winners. \u0026nbsp;You are what make the JMHP a thriving community for faculty, staff, and students alike!\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EStudents, alums, and campus partners are celebrated with awards from the John H. Martinson Honors Program.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Students, alums, and campus partners are celebrated with awards from the John H. Martinson Honors Program."}],"uid":"27332","created_gmt":"2026-03-25 01:13:23","changed_gmt":"2026-03-25 02:13:55","author":"Amy D\u0027Unger","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-03-24T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-03-24T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679730":{"id":"679730","type":"image","title":"JMHP-2026-Awards-Winners.png","body":null,"created":"1774401215","gmt_created":"2026-03-25 01:13:35","changed":"1774401215","gmt_changed":"2026-03-25 01:13:35","alt":"Photos of the 2026 John H. Martinson Honors Program award winners.","file":{"fid":"263925","name":"JMHP-2026-Awards-Winners.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/24\/JMHP-2026-Awards-Winners.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/24\/JMHP-2026-Awards-Winners.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1834092,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/03\/24\/JMHP-2026-Awards-Winners.png?itok=A19UZ4Mk"}}},"media_ids":["679730"],"groups":[{"id":"72437","name":"John H. Martinson Honors Program"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}