The John H. Martinson Honors Program is proud to announce the recipients of their 2025 - 2026 awards.

• Outstanding Student Award (first-year start)- Esha Venkat
• Outstanding Student Award (transfer start)- Jessica DaSilva Bonet
• Emerging Leader Award- Chloe Phan
• Mentor of the Year Award- J'Avani Stinson
• Progress and Service Award- Jalana Smith
• Innovation in Honors Award- Aarush Lanjharia
• Distinguished Alumni Award- Jing Li (ISYE, '10)
• Catalyst for Change Award- Housing and Residence Life Occupancy and Resident Experience team

These students, alum, and campus partners represent the best of what makes the John H. Martinson Honors Program (JMHP) a dynamic community on Georgia Tech's campus.  

Outstanding Student Award winner Esha Venkat is graduating with a major in Public Policy and a Minor in Global Development.  She’s a recipient of over 70 awards—including from Points of Light, United Nations, and the World Bank—and currently runs a global non-profit with over 9,000 volunteers.  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.  Outstanding Student Award winner Jessica DaSilva Bonet joined the JMHP as a transfer student and will graduate with a major in Civil Engineering.  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.  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.  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.

New student awards introduced this year include Emerging Leader, Mentor of the Year, Progress and Service, and Innovation in Honors. Emerging Leader Award recipient Chloe Phan was recognized for her work on the Honors Leadership Council as well as her attention to all of "the small moments that turned unfamiliar faces into close connections, like late-night study groups, spontaneous socials, and planning [her] first Field Day."  Mentor of the Year J'Avani Stinson, 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.  He reflected that, "as 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!"

The motto of Georgia Tech is "Progress and Service," so it is no surprise that Progress and Service Award winner Jalana Smith represents the best of Georgia Tech.  Her work with JMHP staff has helped to elevate the program through creative storytelling and marketing to make it "bigger, brighter, and better for the next generation of JMHP students while staying true to its amazing mission of fostering creativity, curiosity, and connection!"  Creativity and curiosity fuel Innovation in Honors Award winner Aarush Lanjharia, 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's moved on.  "I 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."

It was not just students who were recognized for their outstanding contributions, but an alumna and campus partner as well.  Jing Li (ISYE '10) was part of the inaugural class of the newly launched Honors Program in 2006.  What she experienced in the Honors Program has formed part of the foundation of her current work in product design.

"The 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."

You can read more about Jing Li in our feature story.

Last but certainly not least, the JMHP could not thrive without the support of a wide variety of campus partners.  As a program with a living learning community component, Housing and Residence Life--particularly the Occupancy and Resident Experience team led by Alison Southern--is a crucial partner.  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.  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!

Congratulations and thank you to all of these amazing award winners.  You are what make the JMHP a thriving community for faculty, staff, and students alike!