Congratulations to the nearly 100 Milwaukee School of Engineering students who were nominated for leadership awards this year. The following awards were announced at a Student Awards Celebration on May 6, 2025.  

Outstanding Student Award
Ben Paulson was chosen as the 2025 recipient of the Fred F. Loock Outstanding Student Award. This award is presented annually to the MSOE senior student, who, in the opinion of the faculty, most notably combines an excellent academic record and has at the same time demonstrated leadership and professional bearing in extracurricular or community service activities. It is the most prestigious student testimonial that MSOE bestows. Paulson will graduate on May 17, 2025 with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from MSOE.  

Paulson served as a leader across campus throughout his time at MSOE. He was the president of the AI Club and helped it grow to be the largest undergraduate AI student org in the United States with more than 500 members. As AI Club president, he also built partnerships with UW-Milwaukee and Marquette University, established Innovation Labs and developed Research Groups. Paulson also founded Late Night Launch Labs, which are opportunities to introduce students to the world of entrepreneurship and connects them to successful entrepreneurs and investors. He has been recognized for his achievements by receiving the Thomas W. Davis Student Leadership Award, earning a finalist spot at the Rosie Supercomputer Super Challenge for three years, and winning Best Paper at the MICS in 2022 and 2024. He served as a University Innovation Fellow, participated in the NSF I-Corps and was invited to the Exclusive Y Combinator AI Startup School in 2025. Outside of MSOE, he serves as a data science intern at Direct Supply where he supports the data science team to develop and deploy a variety of AI solutions, including Menu.ai, a patent-pending AI system achieving 95% accuracy in complex food unit conversions. Paulson is continuing his studies at MSOE to earn his Master of Science in Machine Learning. 

High Honor Awards

• Student Employee of the Year: Trinity Teixeira, biomedical engineering, Lerona, WV
• Female Senior Scholar Athlete: Gabrielle Haensgen, tennis, actuarial science, Germantown, Wis.
• Male Senior Scholar Athlete: Steven Arthur, soccer, electrical engineering, Sussex, Wis.
• Female Senior Athlete of the Year: Addison Spilman, soccer, nursing, Mundelein, Ill.
• Male Senior Athlete of the Year: Adam Shaw, track, actuarial science, Minooka, Ill.
• Daniel E. Sahs Memorial Award for Service: Benjamin (Ben) Lilienkamp, chemical and biomolecular engineering, Oconomowoc, Wis.
• Thomas W. Davis Student Leadership: Eduardo Ocampo, mechanical engineering, Glendale Heights, Ill.
• Louisa Essuman Award for Inclusion and Belonging: Sierra Andrews, computer science, Nekoosa, Wis.
• Aimei Nie Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Student Champion: Eduardo Ocampo, mechanical engineering, Glendale Heights, Ill.

Academic Awards

• Nursing Leadership Award: Tony Truong, nursing, Milwaukee, Wis.
• Vincent Canino Outstanding Biomedical Engineering Seniors: Julia Drewiske, biomedical engineering, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.; Zachary Goodman, biomedical engineering, Marshall, Wis.
• John D. Gassert Biomedical Engineering Senior Student Service Award: Emma Oster, biomedical engineering, Lockport, Ill.

Non-Academic Awards

• NACC FAR Award of Excellence (Fall Semester): Lukas Schwenke civil engineering, Milwaukee, Wis.; and Margaret Thillman, architectural engineering, Green Bay, Wis.
• NACC FAR Award of Excellence (Spring Semester): Donovan Carter, finance, Island Lake, Ill.
• Student Group of the Year: Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)

Faculty and Staff Awards

• Student Group Advisor of the Year: Edith Hernandez Caballero, coordinator of campus inclusion cohort programs, Student Affairs and Campus Inclusion, nominated by SHPE
• Student Advocate: Mark Griffin, maintenance technician, facilities 
• Diversity and Inclusion Advocate: Katie Toske, director of multicultural affairs and campus inclusion, Multicultural Affairs

Northwestern Mutual Outstanding Actuarial Science Students

Thanks to the generosity of the Northwestern Mutual Actuarial Foundation, actuarial science students were awarded $200 checks for passing at least one of their professional exams during the 2024-25 academic year.

• Stacey Cloute, actuarial science, De Pere, Wis.
• Dara Davis, actuarial science, Cedarburg, Wis.
• Andrew Justus, actuarial science, Greendale, Wis.
• Andrew Maas, actuarial science, Iron Ridge, Wis.
• Emilio Ulloa Payro, actuarial science, Morelia, Mexico
• Michael Phillips, actuarial science, Greenfield, Wis.
• Samantha Shaver, actuarial science, Rio Rancho, N.M.