At the end of the academic year, each college at The University of Tulsa selects one student to serve as honor marshal and lead the procession of graduates into the commencement ceremonies. Honor marshals are chosen by the dean in recognition of the student’s exceptional academic achievements. This year, Kendall College of Arts & Sciences chose political science and psychology double major Kadee Jo Ransom (B.A. ’26) of Wakita to carry the gonfalon.
An involved member of the UTulsa community, Ransom served as a peer mentor for incoming first-year students in addition to her time with the Student Government Association. She was elected SGA president in 2025 and has worked to connect students with the university’s administration. “This was a year with many moving parts,” said Ransom. “But getting to represent the student body was a dream come true.”
Her passion for government went beyond the UTulsa campus. In 2025, Ransom was selected for the Student Voting Honor Roll by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge for her exemplary leadership in advancing nonpartisan student civic engagement.
She became involved with UTulsa’s Office of Civic Engagement, where she devoted hundreds of hours to promoting student voter participation. Ransom’s efforts earned her a feature in Forbes magazine, which showcased young leaders from universities like Yale and Carnegie Mellon who were also selected for the 2025 Student Voting Honor Roll.
Ransom’s political science education came full circle during a Kendall College trip to Washington, D.C., in January 2025. The trip, supported by a generous gift from the estate of award-winning journalist Jenk Jones, offered students the opportunity to tour historical sites and Smithsonian institutions, including the American History Museum’s exhibit on voter turnout. “Seeing it felt very reassuring that the work we do on a campus in Oklahoma has a broader impact on the world,” she said.
Ultimately, Ransom credited the guidance of mentors like Director of Student Activities Peter Nguyen in her efforts to improve student experiences. “I would never have been able to make it through the past four years without Peter’s support,” she said. “He always worked to provide a safe space for me to explore new ideas or projects.”
Meanwhile, the support offered by Kendall College allowed her to explore her double major, leading to the realization that education is more than just reading a book or attending a course lecture. Ransom will continue pursuing her psychology education in the fall at the University of Arkansas, where she will begin her master’s work in counseling. Until then, she is living out her passion for serving others as a camp counselor for individuals with special needs.
For future UTulsa students, Ransom encourages them to embody the phrase her orientation leaders passed on to her: “Comfort zone plus one.”
“No one is asking you to come to college and become a brand-new person,” she explained. “But we do ask that you try one thing each day that inches you out of that comfort zone. After four years, you’ll look back and be grateful that you did and find it hard to recognize yourself.”