DePauw Stories

A pair of graduating seniors have added their names to a distinguished list of DePauw University students, representing the class of 2024 as the most recent recipients of the Walker Cup and Murad Medal. Both awards were handed out at the annual student awards convocation on April 29, in the Kresge Auditorium at the Green Center for the Performing Arts.

Walker Cup

In 1926, Guy Morrison Walker set out to start a new tradition at his alma mater. Having graduated from DePauw in 1890 before embarking on a successful career in business and finance, Walker envisioned an award that would annually recognize an exceptional graduating senior who had “lived up to the best of DePauw traditions, and done the most to advance the fame and interest of Old DePauw.” Now, nearly a century later, the Walker Cup remains a revered part of DePauw’s legacy.

Given to students who have been nominated by their senior class, this award is among the highest distinctions a DePauw student can receive. Not only have past Walker Cup recipients embodied the values and ideals of DePauw while on campus, but they have also gone on to extend their influence throughout the world as scholars, doctors, authors, U.S. representatives, state supreme court justices, corporate executives, and community servants.

The newest addition to that list of esteemed Walker Cup recipients is Aaron Trinidad, a communications major and religious studies minor from Chicago, Illinois.

During his time at DePauw, Trinidad has been a champion for both community and service. He has been heavily involved in mentorship, working with first-year students to help them adapt to their new environments and empowering his peers to do the same. In addition to co-founding House of Opulence, he has given his time and energy to numerous campus organizations, including leadership roles in the Multicultural Greek Council and Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino Fraternity, as well as internships with the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life and the Communications and Theatre Department. Trinidad is a Presidential Ambassador and a recipient of the Kate McQueen Student Activity Award for his commitment to economic, environmental, social and racial justice.

Trinidad’s future plans are to continue pouring his energy into future generations at DePauw while pursuing a career in marketing or advertising.

Joining Trinidad as finalists for the Walker Cup were Annalise Grammel, a biochemistry major, management fellow, and multi-sport athlete from Canal Winchester, Ohio; Vy Nguyen, an economics and psychology double-major from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Zaheen Rashed, a neuroscience and global health double-major from Indianapolis, Indiana.

Murad Medal

Dr. Ferid Murad was a 1958 DePauw graduate and the winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Medicine. His discoveries regarding the use of nitric oxide led to revolutionary changes in the field of cardiovascular medicine, the effects of which continue to influence the treatment of cancer, arthritis and other human diseases. He was a generous supporter of his alma mater and an active member of the scientific community up until his recent passing in September 2023.

Named in his honor, the Murad Medal recognizes an outstanding graduating senior who has attained the most significant achievements in scholarship or artistic mastery. Since its inception in 2014, the company of Murad Medal winners has included students excelling in everything from innovative scientific research to groundbreaking artistic performances, demonstrating expertise in a wide range of academic disciplines.

This year, the Murad Medal has been awarded to an honor scholar from Shaker Heights, Ohio, Maggie Perry.

Perry will be graduating from DePauw with a major in art history and a double-minor in Hispanic studies and museum studies. In addition to being awarded the Catherine E. Fruhan Art History Student Prize in both 2022 and 2023, Perry has accumulated extensive internship experience with the Brooklyn Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and Sarah Gormley Gallery in Columbus, Ohio. Her work draws on insights from her interdisciplinary background to explore accessible art engagement practices with a particular focus on disability justice, barriers to participation, and universal design. She is a member of Kappa Pi International Art Honor Society, worked as an Art Reviewer for A Midwestern Review, sat on the board of DePauw’s annual Art Walk, and served as Chapter President of the Indiana Epsilon chapter of Pi Beta Phi.

After graduation, Perry plans to continue her work to prepare for graduate studies in Arts Administration and Disability Studies.

Additional finalists for the Murad Medal included Animesh Dali, a biochemistry and cellular/molecular biology double-major and mathematics minor from Kathmandu, Nepal, and Benjamin Wilkerson, a double-major in computer science and mathematics and a physics minor from Greencastle, Indiana.