February 6, 2026

Celebrating the 2024–25 Undergraduate Medalists

From the thousands of undergraduate students at the University of Washington, three are selected each year for the prestigious President’s Medalist Award.

Kaytlin Rose Vanderhorst, Carilyn Brandt and Luna Crone-Barón are the medalists for 2024–25, selected by a committee for their high GPAs, rigor of classes and number of Honors courses.

Each of these passionate Huskies has carved out a path filled with curiosity and dedication for their chosen areas of study, ranging from drama and psychology to creative writing to education studies. Outside the classroom, these undergrads are actively engaged in the Husky Experience in a variety of ways, including volunteering at the UW Farm, presenting at national conferences, writing for the student newspaper and supporting LGBTQIA+ peers.

The three medalists will be recognized by University President Robert J. Jones and Provost Tricia Serio at a special reception, where each recipient will receive their medal in front of family, friends and mentors.

Read on to learn how these exceptional students embody the Husky Spirit.

 

Junior medalist: Kaytlin Rose Vanderhorst

Majors: Psychology; Education Studies: Wellness and Social Emotional Learning

Hometown: Bellingham, Washington

Kaytlin Rose Vanderhorst first became interested in psychology thanks to a middle school career quiz. The subject continued to intrigue her because she wanted to understand “why and how people behave, engage and exist in the ways we do.”

A UW class on wellness and resilience inspired her to pair psychology with a double major in education studies. It spoke to her own experiences seeing many of her high school peers struggle without the right mental health resources. Ultimately, Vanderhorst hopes to make changes so schools “can meet students where they are, rather than students conforming to the system.”

Although she’s found a supportive community in the Honors Program, being the first in her family to attend college has come with challenges, Vanderhorst says. “Every new college experience comes with the demand of navigating it myself or figuring out who I can turn to for help,” she says, adding that it’s also given her agency and resilience in unfamiliar situations.

Outside of class, Vanderhorst is an assistant resident director, a peer adviser for Undergraduate Academic Affairs and a proud Swiftie (a Taylor Swift fan). She also co-founded a new student club, Wellness and Resilience (WandR), where participants practice the social-emotional skills from their classes. And this month, she’ll present at the National Association of School Psychologists Annual Convention.

In the future, she hopes to become a Double Dawg by attending graduate school at the UW with the goal of becoming a school psychologist. She says receiving this award is validation of her hard work — and the feeling of being seen.

 

Sophomore medalist: Carilyn Brandt

Major: English: Creative Writing

Minor: Environmental Studies

Hometown: Seattle, Washington

A self-proclaimed “writer kid” with a love for the outdoors, Carilyn Brandt wanted to stick close to her beloved hometown for college. Despite many happy childhood memories of visiting the UW, she initially worried about being overwhelmed. Now she finds “the big campus and student body really inspiring.”

Majoring in English at the UW felt like the obvious choice for the book lover and writer. “Studying the humanities is so important for developing critical thinking, analysis and communication skills,” she says.

During her first year at the UW, Brandt joined the farm club Dirty Dozen — a second home on campus. “I’m inspired by the club’s mission to grow food in sustainable ways and build community through farming,” says Brandt, who is now a club officer. Her time at the farm also pushed her to take more courses in environmental studies, which eventually became her minor.

In 2024, she spent a month with a small group on Lopez Island in the San Juans learning about regenerative agriculture and sustainability. This immersive program inspired a poetry collection called “Inheritance,” where she explored themes of relationships with land. Brandt hopes to explore the connections between the written arts and environmental science and sees herself following in the footsteps of nature poets Ada Limón (a UW alumna and former U.S. poet laureate) and Mary Oliver. They remind her “of the power of art in crises that may at first appear separate from culture and storytelling,” she says.

Her ultimate dream is to work in environmental literature — and maybe have her own farm. “Farmers are so many things: academics, activists, natural historians, environmental scientists and supportive community members,” she says.

 

First-year medalist: Luna Crone-Barón

Majors: Drama: Performance; English

Hometown: Seattle, Washington

Luna Crone-Barón has always been a storyteller, spinning stories in her head and putting on puppet shows in her living room as a child. “Theater played a vital role in the formation and resilience of my identity,” she says. “It continues to inform the way I engage and try to make change in the world.”

At the UW, Crone-Barón decided to major in both drama and English. “In a world that often lacks empathy and critical thought, I believe in the power of storytelling to help bring about the positive change,” she says. Crone-Barón has discovered a community on campus through her theater and English classes and extracurricular activities like writing for the UW Daily student newspaper and working at the Q Center. Attending the UW has also made her feel more engaged with Seattle, her hometown.

For Crone-Barón, who is transgender, supporting her LGBTQ+ peers through the Q Center has been an especially fulfilling and meaningful experience. “I’m inspired by the ability to face such massive hatred with love and compassion,” she says about her queer peers and elders. “These are the values I hold close to my heart.” After graduation, she hopes to use her storytelling chops in acting, writing or journalism, and continue to be a changemaker, especially for the transgender community.

Being named a President’s Medalist is an honor that means much more than individual success for Crone-Barón. “Receiving this honor as a trans woman means that trans voices, stories and intellects are valued, uplifted and celebrated by the UW,” she says. “That brings me great pride and hope.”