The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees will recognize five recipients of its annual Student Achievement Awards for their contributions to the quality of life at NMU. Read brief summaries of the recipients below, with links to their extended feature stories. 

Amanda “Mandy” Bonesteel first enrolled at Northern Michigan University following her 1999 high school graduation, but paused her education to marry, raise a family and hold various jobs. Two decades later, while working as a wildland firefighter, she decided to return to campus to complete a degree. Her persistence paid off. Bonesteel earned a bachelor's in sociology in December and will receive the Outstanding Nontraditional Student award from the NMU Board of Trustees before May commencement. She is now a graduate student in Northern's MPA program.

Bailey Gomes of Swartz Creek, Mich., will receive an Outstanding Graduating Senior Award from the Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees. Gomes graduates May 6 with a bachelor's degree in forensic biochemistry and a minor in human biology. She has been a member of NMU's Honors Program and served as editor-in-chief of the honor student journal, Conspectus Borealis.

Northern Michigan University student Kayla Stevens of Howard City, Mich., has been selected as the Outstanding Student of Any Class Standing for her significant contributions to the NMU community as part of the Board of Trustees' student achievement awards program. 

Catherine Peterson of Bloomington, Ind., has received an Outstanding Global Campus Student Award from the Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees. She is an online graduate student who will earn a master's degree in educational administration/supervision at NMU's May 6 commencement.