AUM honors top students as 2024-2025 Chancellor’s Scholars

Overcoming the challenges of growing up in isolated, rural Bullock County and navigating college life after the loss of his father inspired Nathan Jordan to excel as an Auburn University at Montgomery student.

On Friday, April 25, AUM honored Jordan as one of five Chancellor’s Scholars for the 2024-2025 academic year during the university’s Honors Day celebration. The highest honor bestowed by the university is awarded to one outstanding student from each of AUM’s colleges, with the recipients revealed at the event.

AUM’s 2024-2025 Chancellor’s Scholars are Jordan (College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences), Alan Gamper (College of Business), Whitley Watwood (College of Education), Alejandra Palacios-Castaneda (College of Nursing & Health Sciences), and Aditya Singh (College of Sciences).

During the ceremony, Jordan was also named “Outstanding Student” in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration. He graduated summa cum laude in Fall 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and will begin his doctoral studies in political science at the University of Georgia on a full scholarship in Fall 2025.

“I come from a poor, rural background, so attending AUM has shown me the immense value of a college education,” said Jordan, whose sister is an AUM graduate from the College of Education. “Our father, who passed away in 2019, homeschooled us both and instilled in us the value of education.”

For Jordan, the Chancellor’s Scholar honor serves as a reminder that, regardless of one’s background, dedication and a strong work ethic can lead to success.

“I want anyone, no matter their background, to act with empathy, a conscience, and justice toward one another,” said Jordan, who earned a spot on the Dean’s List from Fall 2020 to Fall 2024 and completed courses across every discipline in his college. “I believe that’s the true path to building a better society.”

Several scholars expressed surprise and gratitude for receiving the university’s top student honor in addition to other awards from their colleges.

Watwood, a soccer player and special education major, was named both a “Top Graduating Senior” Scholar-Athlete and the College of Education’s “Outstanding Student.”

“It was very surprising to be named a Chancellor’s Scholar,” said Watwood, who will graduate in May. “It’s truly an honor to not only represent special education but the entire College of Education.”

A student at AUM since 2020, Palacios-Castaneda was excited to share the news with her family in attendance at the ceremony. She was also named “Outstanding Student” in the College of Nursing & Health Sciences’ Department of Medical and Clinical Laboratory Sciences. A biology graduate from her time as a student in Mexico, she plans to complete her studies at AUM this summer.

“I wasn’t expecting to be recognized, but I’m excited that my family, who has been supporting me through everything, can now see how hard I’ve been working,” she said.

AUM also honored and recognized over 200 distinguished undergraduate students from all disciplines across the university’s six colleges, University Honors Program, and the Phi Kappa Phi and Omicron Delta Kappa honor societies during the event.

Photo caption: From left to right, AUM Chancellor Carl Stockton, Aditya Singh, Alan Gamper, Nathan Jordan, Alejandra Palacios-Castaneda, Whitley Watwood, and Provost Mrinal Varma.