Taubman College Commencement Ceremony Recognizes Student and Faculty Excellence
Taubman College conferred degrees on more than 250 graduate and undergraduate students over the weekend of May 2nd, 2025, and presented awards for excellence to students and faculty. The event took place at University of Michigan’s Hill Auditorium.
This year, Taubman College welcomed the first graduating cohort of students in the Urban Technology Program and awarded the first-ever UT Award for Academic Excellence. Graduating students join the college’s global alumni network, which is more than 10,000 strong.
Here’s a list of the awards:
Doctoral Studies
- Doctoral Student Award in Urban Planning: Taru
- Distinguished Dissertation Award in Urban Planning: Taru
Master of Urban and Regional Planning (M.U.R.P.)
- Service to Taubman College and the Urban and Regional Planning Program: Sukhmony Brar
- Eric Dueweke Service to the Community Award: jøn kent
- Academic Achievement Award: Audrey Dombro
- American Planning Association Award Outstanding Student Award: Lawson Schultz
Master of Urban Design (M.U.D.)
- M.U.D. Award: Ehsan Alam
Master of Architecture (M.Arch)
- AIA Medal for Academic Excellence: Rachel Kuepers
- Alpha Rho Chi Bronze Medal: Tala Dababna
- ARCC King Student Medal: Brianna Kucharski
- Architecture Program Distinction Award: Martin Rodriguez
M.Arch Thesis Awards
- Burton L. Kampner Memorial Award for Best Thesis Project: Jonathan Bam Davis
- Generational Voice Award: Shannon Sumner
- Award for Environmental Impact: Shane Herb, Megan Kortenhof, and John Spraberry
- Award for Theory/History/Framing: Martin Rodriguez
- Award for Materials/Tectonic/Modeling: Jisashu Sun
- Award for Representation/New Media: Martin Rodriguez
Bachelor of Science in Architecture
- Architecture Program Distinction Award: Ayesha Jeddy and Elana Ho
- Wallenberg Studio Awards: Ranya Liu and Ella Pelican (First Place); Malak Atwi (Second Place); Elana Ho (Third Place)
Bachelor of Science in Urban Technology
- Urban Technology Award for Academic Excellence: Enzo Mignano
Faculty Awards
- Salzer Award for Teaching Excellence (M.U.R.P.): Xiaofan Liang
- Salzer Award for Teaching Excellence (M.Arch): Olaia Chivite-Amigo
- Salzer Award for Teaching Excellence (Undergraduate Architecture): Melissa Harris
- Salzer Award for Teaching Excellence (Urban Technology): Matthew Wizinsky
Photos from the event can be found at Taubman College’s Flickr Page.
