Top Ten Freshmen

About the Top Ten Freshmen Award

Ten freshmen are selected each year from an Alumni Association panel for their exceptional achievement in academics and community engagement. The University of Tulsa will honor its 2024-25 Top Ten Freshmen during Homecoming week. Application dates for this award will be announced in Spring 2025 for 2025-26 honorees. 

The 24-25 Top Ten Freshmen are: Audrey Barto of Edmond, OK; Jenna Chan of Oklahoma City, OK; Abigail Chow of Tulsa, OK; Jadyn Fording of Tuscaloosa, AL; Magnolia Garbarino of Pawling, NY; Kai Jameson of Tulsa, OK; Sarvesh Ramakrishnan of Edmond, OK; Zachary Taylor of Longmont, CO; Cooper Terrill of St. Louis, MO; Jennifer Vo of Broken Arrow, OK.

Audrey Barto is a speech-language pathology major from Edmond, OK. She is involved as the SSC Secretary in the Student Government Association, Social Functions Director, and COB Director in Chi Omega, University Ambassadors, Leadership TU, and Intramural Sports. She also volunteers in the Tulsa community as a Tulsa K-Life Leader.

“Helping to run TU Up-Close was one of my favorite memories from Freshman year because I was able to make a first impression on incoming students. I got to show students what a benevolent campus we have, and share my story of how every member of the TU community looks out for one another and strives to see each other succeed. Being involved has given me many outlets to spread kindness and goodwill throughout our campus!”

Jenna Chan is a biology (pre-medical) major from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She is involved in the Asian-American Student Association, the Women of Color Collective at TU, Leadership TU and Delta Delta Delta. She is also a NICU Cuddle Care volunteer and a Big Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma.
“Taking the initiative to join AASA has been one of the best decisions since attending TU because it not only gave me leadership experience in a university environment, but because I was able to connect with TU’s student body while upholding my Asian heritage.”

Abigail Chow is a Finance and Accounting major from Tulsa, Oklahoma. She is involved in many organizations at TU, including the TU Student Finance Association, StarTUp, Future Alumni Council, University Ambassadors, the Asian-American Student Association, Kappa Alpha Theta, Leadership TU, and Women in Business.

“It has been an incredible privilege to learn and serve in the community of scholars and leaders that makes up the TU family. Thanks to their adoption of and investment in me, I look forward to enriching their commitment to helping each member of our family accomplish their goals and become their best.”

Jadyn Fording is a music major from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. They are the co-founder and Vice President of the TU Theatre Union, a member of the Music Student Advisory Board as the Representative for Piano Students, play piano in the TU Jazz Combo and TU Jazz Big Band, and live at Montereau Retirement Community as a part of the TU-Montereau Music Student Immersion Program, where they provide musical services to the residents.

“Because of the hard work I and many others put into this club, theatre once again has a home at TU. Our club currently has 119 registered members, and we are continuing to grow each day. Our next goal is to stage a Greek tragedy or comedy every Fall semester for the incoming freshman Honors class, and to stage a full-length musical by Spring 2026!

Magnolia Garbarino is a biology major from Pawling, New York. She is the president of the TU Students for Sustainability Club and a member of the TU Every Campus a Refuge and the TU Concert Chorale.

“Perhaps the most direct way I have facilitated community development on campus is by serving as a peer mentor. During the training period last spring and this fall, I met and learned from some of the kindest and most accomplished people on this campus. And in August, I had the soul-fulfilling opportunity to lead a group of first-year students through their first week at TU.”

Kai Jameson is a mechanical engineering and applied math major from Rockwall, Texas. He is involved in Kappa Alpha, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, a TU Peer Mentor, and TU’s Best Buddies club president.

“Being someone who switched schools every two years as a kid, it was very important for me to make others feel welcome in a new and often intimidating environment. I remember telling my own peer mentor during my orientation that I knew this is what I wanted to do next year. [TU Peer Mentors] is a program entirely built upon cultivating the well-being of the university community. I was placed in a position where I could share my passion with so many new students hungry for success.”

Sarvesh Ramakrishnan is an Entrepreneurship in Medicine major from Edmond, Oklahoma. He is the DEI Chair for Pi Kappa Alpha, the marketing coordinator for the South Asian Student Association, and the executive treasurer for Global Medical Brigades. He is a JOLT Fellow and a student advocate who represented TU at the United Nations. He is also involved in Best Buddies TU and the Student Government Association.

“When I first came to the University of Tulsa, I was ambitious and focused on achieving my personal goals, particularly my dream of attending medical school. I was determined to excel academically and set myself up for success. However, my time at TU slowly shifted my perspective. The university and its community challenged me to look beyond just personal achievement and focus on something deeper: making a meaningful impact in the field of medicine.”

Zachary Taylor is a cyber security and management major from Longmont, Colorado. He is a Peer Mentor, a member of the TU Future Alumni Council, a University Ambassador, and involved in the U.S. Engineering Research and Development Center. He is also Vice President of TU Club Soccer, Vice President of the TU Pickleball Club, Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity Scholarship Chair, and Vice President of Membership Education.

“Through my roles across campus, I get to share the love I have for this university and its community to prospective students making one of the most influential decisions of their lives. I maintain the unique opportunity to foster a community that I am proud of and create memories for me and my peers to look back on in the best light possible. It is by my passion for this school and activities that I love that I left my stamp on TU in my first year.”

Cooper Terrill is a Computer Science and Mathematics major from St. Louis, Missouri. He is the secretary and co-founder of the Software Engineering Club and was a lead Java Bootcamp Instructor at TU.

“I took up the mantle of running TU’s annual Java Bootcamp—a free summer program offered to incoming computer science students to accelerate their progress through their degrees. This meant building an entire curriculum from scratch, lecturing three times a week, holding office hours twice a week, and constantly being on call—all while working full-time as a TURC student. Though it was hard work, with my team’s constant support, we were able to make a big impact on the incoming class and I couldn’t be happier with the result.”

Jennifer Vo, a Pre-Med student double majoring in Biology and Psychology from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, is involved in several extracurricular activities, including Kappa Delta, the Vietnamese Student Association, University Ambassadors, and Leadership TU. She works at the Akhtar Virology lab and volunteers with Ascension St. John Medical Center.

“What truly exemplifies the value of TU is that students of all cultures united to ensure that the Lunar New Year event would be an authentic celebration of Asian history. Our dedication was recognized as LNY was one of the largest events at TU, winning the Student Government Association’s Event of the Year award, and one of the only LNY experiences in Tulsa.”