Five finalists selected for Threlkeld Prize for Excellence
PUEBLO, Colo. — Five Colorado State University Pueblo students have been named finalists for the Threlkeld Prize for Excellence, one of the university’s most prestigious student honors.
Selected from a pool of candidates nominated by faculty and staff across multiple departments, this year’s finalists are Derrick Downs, Samantha Norris, Sarah Peterson, Evan Smith, and Taylor Singleton.
Established in 1990 in memory of respected faculty member and community leader Budge Threlkeld, the award recognizes a graduating senior who has completed at least four full-time semesters at CSU Pueblo, maintained a grade point average of 3.7 or higher, and demonstrated service to both the university and the community.
The recipient will be announced during the Student Involvement and Leadership Awards ceremony on Thursday, April 9, at the Occhiato Student Center Ballroom. The award winner will also be recognized during spring commencement on Saturday, May 16, at the ThunderBowl, where they will be presented with the first diploma of the ceremony, along with a monetary award.
Downs will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in construction management, a minor in leadership studies, and certificates in construction project management, construction safety law and management, construction procurement, estimating and planning construction costs, and foundations of business. A U.S. Army combat veteran, Downs serves as a peer support specialist and veteran mentor. He was selected as the 2026 Boettcher Colorado Leadership Alliance Student Leader of the Year and has accepted a position as a project engineer with SEMA Construction.
Norris will graduate with bachelor’s degrees in criminology and sociology and a minor in honors. She is nationally certified through the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigation as a medicolegal death investigator. As part of her senior honors project, she created and launched a Death Education for Colorado website to educate the public about death, dying and the death industry. Norris has been accepted into the forensic science graduate program at the University of Florida and aspires to work for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation or the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Peterson will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and is a certified nursing assistant. She holds certifications in basic life support, advanced CPI with skills, trauma-informed care, ACA swift water rescue and wilderness first aid. Peterson serves as an undergraduate teaching assistant and supplemental instructor in the School of Nursing, leads biweekly study sessions and works at UCHealth as an advanced care partner.
Singleton will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. She recently passed the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, serves as treasurer of the American Society of Civil Engineers student chapter, and works in a transportation materials laboratory with the Colorado Department of Transportation. Singleton is also the owner and operator of Cactus Creek Silver, a western jewelry business.
Smith will graduate with a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in economics, with a concentration in finance and a minor in leadership studies. A four-year member of the men’s golf team, Smith is active in the President’s Leadership Program and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. He has completed internships with El Pomar Foundation and Express Employment Professionals and plans to pursue a career as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force.
