Mercer Honors

Victoria Villani is a junior engineering honors students from Albany studying industrial engineering.

Tori spent two summers interning at Inline Plastics, where she worked on projects that improved efficiency and deepened her understanding of manufacturing processes. She also serves as Treasurer for Mercer’s Chi Omega chapter and is exploring sustainable energy through her research on hydrothermal liquefaction with Dr. Bauer.

Tori wants to pursue a career as an industrial engineer in manufacturing, where she hopes to drive innovation, improve efficiency, and lead teams that shape a more sustainable future.

Aylar Gayypova is a junior Stamps scholar from Dashoguz, Turkmenistan majoring in mechanical engineering and mathematics.

Last summer, she participated in astrophysics research at the University of Wisconsin with the IceCube Collaboration, supported by the NSF, where she worked with 12 years of cosmic-ray data from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and observed excesses and deficits in cosmic-ray particles caused mainly by motion-induced effects around the Sun (Compton-Getting Effect). As part of this research experience, she also visited Yerkes Observatory, which houses the world’s largest refracting telescope.

Through her experiences in tutoring, particle astrophysics, materials science, and higher-dimensional mathematics research, Aylar plans to change the world by encouraging the pursuit of knowledge and fostering its open sharing with the belief that the greatest value lies in open-mindedness and pure knowledge.

Benjamin Cohen is a junior honors student from Cu***ng majoring in political science and international affairs.

He participated in phone banking for the 2024 presidential election and continues to work in civic engagement as treasurer of Mercer Young Democrats. He is a Junior Senator in SGA, working to improve accessibility of campus resources for disabled students and partnering with Mercer Police to ensure the safety of all students.

Benjamin plans to work as a US diplomat, ensuring peace and security globally.

Jordan Hanham is a junior honors student from Johns Creek majoring in history and political science and minoring in psychology.

She has conducted research on the attitudes of jurors in trials involving defendants suffering from alcoholism. She president of the Pre-Law Society and Vice President of Chapter for Phi Mu. She plans to intern with law firm this summer.

Jordan intends to be an attorney who advocates for people facing criminal accusations.

Erin Meeks is a junior honors student from Waycross majoring in Spanish and minoring in chemistry and biology.

She serves as the External Vice President for MU Miracle, a language tutor in the Migrant Education Program, an intern for the Hispanic Health Fair, and a Peer Advisor. She is conducting a medical sociology research project under Dr. Laura Simon. Last year, she was awarded a Global Leader Scholarship to study abroad and participate in service learning in the Dominican Republic.

Erin plans to become a primary care physician in South Georgia, where she will use her Spanish education to break communication barriers and create better healthcare experiences for Hispanic patients and families.

Gracy Padgett is a junior honors student from Rome studying civil engineering.

She has conducted renewable energy research under Dr. Bauer and contributed to research on artificial neural networks for traffic optimization with Dr. Choi and Dr. Kim. For the past three years, she has served as an intern with EXP U.S. Services, focusing on traffic engineering. A major project she has supported in this role is the State Route 400 Express Lanes project.

Gracy plans to obtain her Professional Engineer (PE) license and continuing her career at EXP U.S. Services as a traffic engineer.

Jennyfer Kuegah is a junior honors student from Loganville majoring in law and public policy and minoring in criminal justice and military science.

She completed Basic Training during her freshman year and returned to Mercer University to continue her education while participating in the ROTC program. In addition to working with Mercer Athletics and the Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD) and serving on the Social Media Committee, she is committed to community service through various volunteer initiatives that support both the campus and local Macon community.

She plans to commission as a Second Lieutenant in Military Intelligence, where she hopes to serve on active duty and ultimately work at the Pentagon, using her leadership and analytical skills to drive meaningful change in national security and public service.

Carson Davis is a junior honors student from Louisville majoring in electrical engineering.

Carson participated in Mercer on Mission Vietnam last summer, where he worked with team members to fit amputees for prosthetics. He is conducting a biomechanical analysis of a front kick under Dr. McCreanor and Dr. Vo. He is also working with Dr. Vyas on harvesting energy from the magnetic fields of transmission and distribution lines to power sensor technology.

Carson plans to pursue a master’s degree in electrical engineering with the aim of ensuring safe and efficient delivery of electrical energy.

Matthew Campbell is a junior honors student from Armuchee majoring in neuroscience and minoring in chemistry and Spanish.

Matthew is researching lead contamination, which took him to Belize last summer to work with local schools, shops, the University of Belize, and federal officials. He serves in the Student Government Association as a Senator at Large and Organizational Affairs Chairman. He is a member of Lambda Chi Alpha and the Mercer Chess Club, and he is a Peer Advisor.

Matthew plans to attend medical school after graduation and remain in Georgia to practice emergency medicine in underserved and rural areas of the state.

Andrew McKee is a junior honors student from Peachtree City majoring in mechanical engineering and minoring in physics.

Andrew is working with Dr. McCreanor to design a more accessible frame for pediatric electric wheelchairs. He also interns at Pike Engineering, where he collaborates with engineers to design, engineer, and track major projects and power grid redesign projects, assisting in power distribution overhead-to-underground conversion in Alabama and Georgia.

Andrew plans to pursue a master’s degree in mechanical engineering through Mercer's 4+1 program and then join the workforce as a mechanical engineer.

Junaid Alam in a junior honors student from Bangladesh majoring in marketing and minoring in data science.

He studied abroad in Spain as a Global Leader Scholar and now works as a Growth Intern at Bloom, a Y Combinator–backed fintech startup. He was awarded third place in Mercer’s 2024 Next Big Idea Competition, highlighting his commitment to innovation and global engagement.

Junaid plans to use storytelling and technology-driven innovation to make financial literacy and opportunity more accessible for students worldwide.

Amann Patel is a junior honors student from Cartersville majoring in philosophy and minoring in chemistry.

He was awarded a Gilman Scholarship to participate in the Mercer on Mission to the Dominican Republic in 2025, where he was able to assist in the creation of a water storage tank to store and chlorinate around 12,000 gallons of water. The water is then delivered to approximately 357 households across two different communities in the El Cercado region, providing them with easy access to safe and clean drinking water.

Amann plans to become a family medicine physician providing empathetic medical treatment and care to those who are underserved and overlooked to create healthier, more equitable communities.