PUEBLO, Colo. – Six finalists have been selected for the Threlkeld Prize for Excellence, an annual award recognizing outstanding graduating seniors at Colorado State University Pueblo. Candidates were nominated by faculty and staff across multiple departments.
The finalists for the 2025 Threlkeld Prize for Excellence are Mason Evans, Madison Kitchen-Lira, Garrett Lerch, Whitney Monter, Amanda Stalder, and Heather Ward.
Established in 1990 in memory of respected faculty member and community leader Budge Threlkeld, the award honors a graduating senior who has completed at least four semesters at CSU Pueblo, maintained a grade point average of 3.7 or higher, and demonstrated significant service to the university and the community.
The winner will be announced during the Student Involvement and Leadership Awards ceremony on Wednesday, April 9, at the Occhiato Student Center Ballroom. The recipient will be recognized at CSU Pueblo’s spring commencement ceremony and will receive the first diploma, along with a monetary award, on Saturday, May 17, at the ThunderBowl.
2025 Threlkeld Prize for Excellence Finalists
Mason Evans will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in health sciences. Evans is currently completing a district wellness internship with Pueblo District 60 nutrition services and serves as a youth advisor for the Colorado School of Public Health and a young advocate with Young Invincibles. Evans has also completed a communications and marketing internship with the Society for Public Health Education and served as a Senate District 3 representative for the Colorado Youth Advisory Council. Evans plans to pursue a career in public health and social justice.
Madison Kitchen-Lira will graduate with Bachelor of Science degrees in sociology and criminology and a minor in women’s studies. She has held several roles at CSU Pueblo, including editor-in-chief of The Today, student advisor for The Real Storytelling Project, and research assistant for Shelter Animal Outcomes & the COVID-19 Pandemic and Black Lives Matter Protest and Police Reform. Kitchen-Lira has also volunteered as a hotline and on-call advocate for Juniper Southern Colorado. After graduation, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in sociology.
Garrett Lerch will graduate with a Bachelor of Social Work and minors in psychology and leadership studies. His leadership roles at CSU Pueblo include vice president of Associated Students’ Government, president of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) campus chapter, NAMI next gen student leader, senator for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and elevated peer mentor. He also served as a student representative for the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce, the Colorado Department of Higher Education student leaders group, Student Fee Governing Board, Student Organization Funding Committee and the Student Advisory Council. Lerch completed a 10-month health solutions internship in May 2024 and plans to continue his education at CSU Pueblo to earn a master’s in social work.
Whitney Monter graduated in fall 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in early childhood education and a minor in education. She was treasurer and a founding member of CSU Pueblo’s first Kappa Delta Pi chapter and completed her student teaching at Cedar Ridge Elementary as a kindergarten teacher. Monter has dedicated more than 200 hours to community service and is the owner/operator of Whit’s Bits Bakery. She currently works as a substitute teacher with District 70 elementary schools and as an early childhood education teacher at Wiggles N’ Wonder Playschool.
Amanda Stalder will graduate with a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science in biology, with an emphasis in cellular molecular biology. She has been an undergraduate and graduate researcher for the biology department, a Science Olympiad assistant, and a biology laboratory teaching assistant. Stalder is involved in the American Physician Scientist Association, TriBeta Biological Honor Society (vice president), and the Medical Science Society. Her volunteer work includes serving in the inpatient rehabilitation and emergency departments at UCHealth, as well as hospice care with Compassus and fundraising with Saint Joseph Catholic Church. She has been accepted into the University of Kansas School of Medicine and will begin her studies in fall 2025.
Heather Ward will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in English and minors in honors, leadership studies, and education. She has completed student teaching and fieldwork at multiple schools, including Central High School, East High School, Centennial High School, and Heaton Middle School. She has served as a teaching assistant for the President’s Leadership Program, a supplemental instructor for Linguistics for Educators, and a senator for Associated Students’ Government. Ward is also involved in NAMI, the English Club (vice president), Sigma Tau Delta Honor Society, the Pueblo Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council, Circle K International, Philanthropic Educational Organization and Pack Serves, Earns and Learns. After earning her teaching licensure, she plans to pursue a career as an English teacher.
