Six Goshen College seniors honored with President’s Graduating Leader awards
Goshen College President Rebecca Stoltzfus recently honored six graduating seniors with the President’s Graduating Leader Award during a special banquet ceremony on Wednesday, April 11.
This year’s honorees include Mohammad Saif Ansari, an accounting major from Mussoorie, India; Naomi Lapp Klassen, a double major in criminal and restorative justice and history from Goshen; Kevin Liddell, a physics major form South Bend, Indiana; Tyson Miller, a journalism major from Syracuse, Indiana; Johanna Morford-Oberst, a public health major from Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Isaac Sawatzky, a graphic design major from Goshen.
“It is a thrill to celebrate these students,” President Stoltzfus said, “who exemplify what it means to be a Maple Leaf — engagement, passion, open-hearted learning and deep relationships. I am immensely proud of our awardees and the many mentors who encouraged and motivated them to this high level of accomplishment.”
This annual award is presented to outstanding seniors who demonstrate academic excellence and leadership inside and outside of the classroom. In addition, each student awardee chose an outstanding high school faculty or staff member and an outstanding Goshen College faculty member who supported their development to be recognized alongside the student. Students were selected through a competitive nomination process, including faculty and staff recommendations and student self-reflections. The awardees received a $500 award as part of the honor.
Mohammad Saif Ansari
Mentors: Dan Koop Liechty (GC), Andrew Hartzler (GC)
Mohammad Saif Ansari, a senior accounting major from Mussoorie, India, has demonstrated self-leadership, academic excellence and intentional engagement throughout his time at Goshen College. Ansari’s participation and leadership in the classroom has a marked effect on his classmates, and he often assists his peers in their learning. He has a drive to say “yes” to opportunities, which led him to complete an extremely competitive internship with the global accounting firm EY in Indianapolis, where he took initiative to build strong professional connections. Beyond academics, Ansari served as a leader in the International Student Club and worked for ITS on campus.
Ansari said, “I’m deeply honored to receive this award and would like to sincerely thank my friends, family and mentors for their support. This recognition is a reflection of the dedication and effort put in over the past four years, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see that hard work acknowledged. More than anything, this award serves as a reminder to keep pushing myself to work hard, striving for excellence and supporting others on their journeys as well.” Ansari will study for the CPA exam this summer and begin working at EY as an auditor in the fall.
Naomi Lapp Klassen
Mentors: Robert Brenneman (GC), Kathy Meyer Reimer (GC)
Naomi Lapp Klassen, a senior criminal and restorative justice and history double major from Goshen, has exemplified what it means to be a servant leader at Goshen College. Klassen has consistently demonstrated intellectual rigor, curiosity and respect in the classroom, where her thoughtful engagement and quiet leadership has elevated discussions and deepened learning for her peers. She brings a spirit of inquiry and compassion to her work, often taking quiet leadership roles that raise the quality of collaborative projects. Naomi’s commitment to global citizenship has taken her across the world through Study-Service Terms in India and Ecuador, and to New York City for Mennonite Central Committee peacebuilding seminars. This semester, she is interning with The Source, a local initiative supporting restorative justice for teens.
Calling the award a “welcome surprise,” Klassen said, “This recognition is special, in part, because it reminded me that professors pay attention and want to celebrate their students’ accomplishments. I’m honored to be recognized and am very aware of so many seniors across campus who would be equally deserving of an award like this. I’m really lucky to belong to such a talented and engaged GC class and was grateful to be celebrated alongside my peers!” Klassen is still weighing options for her next year, as she plans to take a gap year while deciding on graduate school attendance — either in law or sociology.
Kevin Liddell
Mentors: Rustin Nyce (GC), Kristen Haubold
Kevin Liddell, a senior physics major from South Bend, Indiana, has demonstrated thoughtful leadership, inclusivity and a commitment to passionate learning throughout his time at Goshen College. In the classroom, Kevin is known for his enthusiastic participation and his ability to draw others into engaging conversations and collaborative work, encouraging quieter voices to be heard and valued. As a member of the cross-country team, Liddell brings that same spirit of support to athletics: uplifting teammates and helping build a welcoming, inclusive team culture. He is also a student leader of the student affinity group One Circle, where he has contributed meaningfully to advocacy efforts for Indigenous communities.
“I am very honored to have received this award,” Liddell said. “Being recognized as a leader within my community brings me great humility and motivation to continue doing my best. I am also very honored to be awarded alongside my classmates as I believe they all deserve it as well.” After graduating, Liddell plans to continue physics research, with the goal of going to graduate school and eventually serving as a physics professor.
Tyson Miller
Mentors: Jason Samuel (GC), Brody Thomas
Tyson Miller, a senior journalism major from Syracuse, Indiana, has made history as only the third student to simultaneously serve as both executive editor of The Record and student station manager of 91.1 The Globe (WGCS). Miller embodies service and involvement, both on campus and in the broader Goshen community. He serves as a sound engineer locally, spoke in the C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest, works with the campus events team to lead student staff in performance productions, served as a board member for Pinchpenny Press, and supports The Window, a local food pantry, by creating a video PSA for their annual fundraiser. While staying busy, Miller supports those around him through team-oriented leadership.
“The part that feels the best about this award,” Miller said, “is knowing that my department and professors felt strongly enough to go through this process. That means so much more to me than the plaque or anything else.” His plans for the future are fluid, but he wants to continue writing.
Johanna Morford-Oberst
Mentors: Brianne Brenneman (GC), Keith Graber Miller (GC)
Johanna Morford-Oberst, a senior public health major from Albuquerque, New Mexico, is a driven and detail-oriented student, known for going beyond expectations in her coursework. Morford-Oberst is consistently asking thoughtful questions, submitting projects early and helping classmates better understand complex material. Her passion for global engagement has led her to study in Indonesia and prepare for a cross-cultural course in London this May Term. Her leadership is visible in quiet but powerful ways, especially through her internship with Child and Parent Services (CAPS), where she worked to support families and prevent child abuse in the local community. Her professionalism, organization and deep empathy set her apart as both a scholar and a changemaker.
“I honestly felt shocked about receiving the award,” Morford-Oberst said, “because my idea of leadership did not fit the way I thought people saw me on campus. I had to reframe my idea of leadership, from explicit leadership roles to other aspects of character that contribute to building community in a meaningful way. I have learned so much and soaked up so much from the people I look up to, and getting recognized for this award feels good because it means that I have made an impression and am giving back to a community that gave me so much.” After graduation, Morford-Oberst plans to attend graduate school and pursue a Master of Public Health.
Isaac Sawatzky
Mentors: Sara Method (GC), Jordan Kauffman (GC), Michael Wohlford
Isaac Sawatzky, a senior graphic design major from Goshen, blends creative excellence with community-centered leadership throughout his college experience. As a designer, Sawatzky has left a bold mark — redesigning the social media presence of Goshen College’s men’s basketball team, laying out pages for The Record and earning national recognition for a promotional poster created for The Globe. He brings this same drive to his work in the community, coaching middle school and high school basketball for Goshen Community Schools and leading a branding campaign for Goshen High School athletics. During his internship with the local firm LightBox, Isaac contributed to the Be Present attendance campaign for The Source, designed materials for the Tolson Center, and helped create signage for GC’s own campus. Sawatzky’s thoughtful, people-first approach to design extends globally; while on SST in Ecuador, he connected deeply with his host family through shared routines and the common language of athletics. With a creative energy that refuses to settle, Isaac continues to push boundaries — as his LinkedIn bio says, he is “always learning, always creating.”
Sawatzky said, “My high school mentor, Michael Wohlford, talks about being an everyday person. I was never going into an event trying to be a leader — I was just trying to be an everyday person and live every day with energy. It’s easy to live every day with energy and compassion and love when you’re surrounded by a great community.” Sawatzky will spend the summer working at Camp Friedenswald in what he described as a “reset” before post-graduate life. After that, he will continue coaching at Goshen High School over the next year while building his design portfolio.