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Madara Mason is the director of the Honors College. Madara is an Honors graduate herself, and is an experienced educator and innovator, with over 20 years of experience at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ managing teams and teaching undergraduate and graduate courses for multiple departments. Known for her service-driven leadership, she has played a pivotal role in advancing innovation, most recently spearheading the Making is Learning Lab. Her dedication to community-based problem-solving, rooted in hands-on, transdisciplinary methods, ensures that our classrooms and labs are spaces where creative and critical thinking thrives.

Madara's academic and professional background ranges from literature to the visual arts to instructional design. Her transdisciplinary approach to understanding the world is something she tries to weave into the fabric of the Honors College each day. 

Sophia May was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, and recently moved to ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ for her next big adventure. She received her BA from the University of Utah in Human Development and Family Studies, and her MA from Utah State University in Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences.

Sophia previously served as a Program Coordinator for Student Involvement & Leadership at Utah State University where she had the privilege to work closely with student government officers. There she discovered her passion for helping students achieve their personal, professional and academic goals. She is thrilled to join the Honors College staff as their Student Success Coordinator where she has no doubt she will continue to make amazing connections with the incredible students at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ.

In her spare time Sophia enjoys hiking, camping, karaoke, and spending quality time with her partner and their three cats.

Kaitlynne Rice is excited to join ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ as the new Climate Scholars Program Coordinator. Growing up as a Fairbanks local, Kaitlynne graduated from the University of ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Fairbanks with a BA in Rural Development and a minor in Paralegal Studies in 2024. Her previous roles highlight her enthusiasm for community development and youth engagement.

Kaitlynne has worked as a Program Development Consultant in Kiana, AK, and as a program coordinator for the Bethel, AK 4-H program, where she had the opportunity to create youth development camps and after-school programs. Additionally, she has served as a legislative aide for the Community and Regional Affairs Committee in the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ State Senate. These diverse experiences have fueled her passion for developing impactful opportunities for communities and students of all ages, a passion she is eager to bring to her new role as the Climate Scholars Program Coordinator at her alma mater, ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ. 

Outside of her professional endeavors, Kaitlynne is an active member of the Fairbanks community. She coaches wrestling at Hutchison High School and serves on the Board of Directors of the Friends of ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ 4-H organization, supporting the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ State 4-H program. Kaitlynne also loves to travel and explore new parts of ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ, enriching her connection to the state's diverse landscapes and communities.

Isla is so excited to call Fairbanks her newest home! She grew up in Wyoming, where her love for nature, adventure, and snow began. After high school, she spent two years attending Carleton College in Minnesota before transferring to the University of Wyoming where she received a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology with Honors. She then spent two incredible years in Appalachian Ohio working in public health and working as a Community Health Worker in villages and unincorporated communities throughout Southeast Ohio. 

In her free time, Isla enjoys picking up hobbies for a year and then forgetting they exist. The ones that have stuck, though, are singing, playing soccer, walking (pretty much to and from anywhere - sub-zero temps permitting), and watching movies. Curiosity is at the center of everything Isla does, she’s always learning something new about botany, neuroscience, philosophy, history… you name it!

Throughout her life, Isla has been drawn to understanding people’s lived experience and working to meet people where they are. Isla believes that community-driven problem-solving is the key to sustainable solutions. Isla hopes to bring what she’s come to understand through working with people from all walks of life: That when you believe in your own gifts and pursue growth, it doesn’t just transform your own life, but also lifts up those you love and strengthens your community. Isla is excited to help folks get started on their college path and connect with the resources that can help them pursue what matters to them.

Soka (So-kuh) Vanegas was born and raised in Massachusetts and has spent much of her life in Colombia. She is a transfer student from Colorado College. There, she conducted research on the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñn Arctic and decided she should take it to the next level and move to ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ. At ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ she studies Biological Sciences with a concentration in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Soka is especially passionate about climate change in the Arctic and its role in Pollination Biology. In her free time Soka enjoys rock climbing, backpacking, skiing, and spending time with her dog, Lucia.

Dr. Katie Villano Spellman was born and raised in ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ. She has dedicated her career to the interface of social justice and science and has found the overlap for her passion in both areas through climate change education and research. Katie received her bachelor's in Biology from Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA. She worked in homeless services and co-founded a street newspaper with members of the homeless community in Tacoma, Washington before returning home to Fairbanks to pursue a Masters and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ. In between the two graduate degrees, she worked as the ecological education program director at the Center for ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñn Coastal Studies, in Homer, ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ. Her research is split evenly between plant ecology and education research, with public engagement in and access to the scientific process as a unifying theme in both areas.
Her ecological research focuses on how a warming climate influences boreal and tundra plant communities through non-native species introductions, changes in phenology, and wildfire. Her education research investigates the effectiveness of different climate change learning strategies and science engagement models.
She collaborates regularly with students, teachers, and community members across ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ (currently in more than 35 communities) and in 122 countries around the globe to address climate change issues and increase access to science at local and global scales.

John is an artist, art educator, and interdisciplinary researcher focused on the integration of art and science as well as the broader role aesthetics play in people’s relationships to the environment. John’s own artwork explores themes of human-nature relationships and transformation across time, and he draws inspiration from multiple disciplines including philosophy, natural sciences and anthropology. He has also helped to develop academic interdisciplinary programs at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ with emphasis on climate change, health sciences, and global thinking.