UC Blue Ash recognizes students for academic achievement and leadership
Several UC Blue Ash student ambassadors and members of the Student Life & Success team are joined by the Bearcat mascot during the reception.
The University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College recently hosted a special event that recognized students for exceptional achievements during the 2024-25 academic year. The honorees included academic award winners, student engagement award winners, Latin Honors graduates and the 2025 UC Blue Ash College Honor Student of the Year.
The UC Blue Ash College Celebrating the Best event was held on April 30 at the Cooper Creek Event Center in Blue Ash. The event featured a program, reception, selfie stations and a photo station as students received their award certificates and honor cords (for Latin Honors graduates). The UC Bearcat was also celebrated with an honorary Celebrating the Best certificate recognizing his excellence as a mascot. He was dressed appropriately for the occasion in his red and black tuxedo.
Each of the 15 Honor Student of the Year (HSOY) nominees were recognized during the program before Mackenzie Sauer, the 2025 HSOY, was announced and invited to the stage to deliver her speech. Sauer, who is from Colerain, Ohio, graduated this spring from the UC Blue Ash nursing program and will begin her career as a nurse next month at Christ Hospital.
Sauer is also continuing her education toward a Bachelor of Science in Nursing through the UC College of Nursing. Sauer was recognized for her excellence in the classroom, as well as her professionalism in clinical settings and her leadership in the nursing program. She served as president of the college’s Student Nurse Association and was the Peer Assisted Study Session leader for the program’s first-year students.
The Bearcat was recognized for being a 'Most Exceptional Mascot' with his official CTB certificate presented by UC Blue Ash Dean Robin Lightner.
Below is the full list of the UC Blue Ash 2025 Honor Student of the Year nominees, along with their academic program.
- Grace Christenson – Exercise Science
- Zoey Cornelison – Communication
- Vi Dao – Exploratory Studies
- Carter Frey – History
- Kaylee Hair – Radiation Science
- Manar Hamed – Chemistry
- Siobain Knox – Biology
- Elle Koontz – Veterinary Technology
- Vincent Le – Engineering
- Andrew Nixon – Psychology
- Mackenzie Sauer – Nursing
- Ben Stewart – Information Technology
- Kelli Walker – Business Administration
- Kayla Webster – Dental Hygiene
- Gavin Wisdom – Liberal Arts
- Colleen Woeste – Applied Graphic Communication
Jessica Vidourek also spoke at Celebrating the Best as a representative of the Student Engagement Award recipients. Vidourek served as UC Blue Ash student government secretary and then president, student orientation leader, student orientation coordinator and student ambassador. She moves into her next role as student ambassador intern at UC Blue Ash this fall even though she has transitioned to the UC Uptown campus to complete her bachelor’s degree in communication and organizational leadership.
Jessica Vidourek spoke about how she went from being a shy, quiet student to a campus leader by getting involved.
More than 70 UC Blue Ash students received an academic award for excellence in their academic program, while several more were recognized for participating in the UC Blue Ash Honors program. Students were also honored for their service to the college and their leadership on campus. This group included student ambassadors, student government officers, students who completed an internship or co-op and those who served in a leadership role in student organizations on campus.
A total of 128 UC Blue Ash students were celebrated for graduating with Latin Honors (cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude), indicating that they maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.6 or higher out of a 4.0 scale. All of the honorees for the Celebrating the Best event are featured on a dedicated page on the college website.
UC Blue Ash serves over 5,000 students through more than 50 academic programs. Each year, an average of 700 UC Blue Ash students transition to the UC Uptown campus to complete their bachelor’s degree or attend graduate school. Statistics show they are well prepared for this next step: they have a combined GPA of 3.2 in their first year after making the transition.
Featured photo: Mackenzie Sauer shared her inspiring story of overcoming early struggles academically to be named the 2025 UC Blue Ash Honor Student of the Year. All photos/UC Blue Ash.
About UC Blue Ash College
UC Blue Ash College is a regional college within the University of Cincinnati. It offers one of the best values in higher education with access to a nationally recognized UC education in more than 50 degree and certificate programs, as well as tuition that is about half of most colleges and universities. The college is located on a scenic 135-acre wooded campus in the heart of Blue Ash, Ohio. To learn more, call 513-558-9495, visit us online, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
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