Texas A&M Graduate and Professional School Announces 2023 Montgomery Award Winners

The awards recognize selfless service to the graduate and professional community. 

COLLEGE STATION - The Texas A&M Graduate and Professional School congratulates Michelle Jonika and Rohan Singh Wilkho, Montgomery Award winners for 2023. Montgomery Awards are presented to graduate or professional students who, through demonstrated leadership in recognized graduate student groups or service organizations, make major contributions toward creating academic and professional opportunities and enhancing quality of life for their fellow graduate and professional students, while also excelling as scholars. 

Montgomery Awards are funded by endowed gifts from the Jeff ‘41 and Leonora Montgomery family. The Graduate and Professional School solicits nominations for the awards from the campus community and selects awardees from the nomination pool. Each awardee receives a commemorative plaque and $1,000.

"These are truly remarkable students," said Dr. Fuhui Tong, Interim Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School. "Not only are they outstanding academics; they are also using their talents to help those around them be successful. In doing so, they exemplify the Aggie core values of excellence, leadership and selfless service. We are grateful to the Montgomery family for their generous support in giving Michelle Jonika and Rohan Wilkho the recognition they so richly deserve." 

Michelle Marie Jonika

Michelle Jonika is a doctoral candidate in the Genetics and Genomics Interdisciplinary Program and the Department of Biology. Her research employs computational and machine learning methods to explore the evolution of genome structure and sex chromosomes. She is widely recognized for her expertise in her field, having published 11 peer-reviewed papers and six popular science articles and given 14 invited talks. Throughout her program, Michelle has demonstrated outstanding leadership and service by holding various leadership positions in the Genetics Graduate Student Association, including her most recent role as President. Michelle is deeply committed to advancing science outreach and has been actively involved in various initiatives, such as Women in Science and Engineering, as well as College of Science outreach programs. She has also organized several successful local genetics and genomics conferences and facilitated numerous coding workshops. 
 

Rohan Singh Wilkho

Civil and Environmental Engineering Doctoral Program
College of Engineering 

Rohan Singh Wilkho is a doctoral student in the Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CVEN). He is also concurrently pursuing a master's in computer science and a graduate certificate in geographic information sciences (GIS). His research integrates artificial intelligence and geospatial analysis to develop ready-to-use tools that can assist emergency planners and practitioners in improving the flash flood resilience of their communities. In addition, Rohan is a passionate advocate for graduate and professional students. He belongs to several student organizations that aim to improve the graduate and professional student experience. He serves as the Speaker and Executive Vice President of the Texas A&M Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG), the President of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Graduate Student Association (CEEGSA), and the CVEN representative for the Graduate Engineering Student Advisory Committee (GESAC).


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Media contact: Rob Dixon - rdixon@tamu.edu