Amber Yates Named 2025 Wilson Award Winner at Arkansas State University
Amber Yates accepted the Wilson Award from Perry Wilson at the 92nd Annual awards ceremony.
JONESBORO – Amber Yates of Salem was named the 2025 R.E. Lee Wilson Award winner at the Distinguished Service and Wilson Award dinner tonight at Cooper Alumni Center.
This is the 92nd year that the Wilson Award, Arkansas State University’s highest award to a graduating student, has been presented.
The award was presented to Yates by Perry Wilson, the award namesake’s great-great-grandson.
Yates, a communication studies major in the College of Liberal Arts and Communication, graduated from A-State in December.
"Winning the Wilson Award is really about my hometown and showing young people that no matter where you come from, no matter what your background is, you can create the world that you thrive in and you can find community and do big things,” said Yates.
She is one of six exceptional students chosen to be a Distinguished Service Award (DSA) winner. All six nominees for the Wilson Award were honored at the ceremony.
Other DSA honorees included Elizabeth England of Piedmont, Mo.; Rachel Mooneyham of Jonesboro; Sabrina Pierce of Maumelle; Braden M. Ross of Nashville, Ark.; and Jonathan Schaufler of Salem.
In her time at A-State, Yates wore many hats in addition to her studies which included resurrecting Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., an organization that had not been part of campus Greek life for 16 years.
“There is nothing more rewarding than being a resource to incoming students and being in a position to share the ins and outs of what A-State has to offer,” Yates added.
She volunteered as a coach at the Communication Center her junior year on campus and returned the following year as a mentor. She also served as a student ambassador with the Multicultural Center amongst other activities where she shared her time.
In addition to her volunteer activities, Yates was selected as the 2024 Homecoming queen alongside fellow DSA nominee Schaufler, who was king.
“Homecoming queen was definitely not something I saw myself doing in my collegiate career. I just decided to do it with my best friend, Jonathan,” she added.
She said her campus involvement has helped shape her into the person she needs to be to continue forward in her aspirations.
“I think the information that we learn on how the world works and how to interact with other people can really change the world. I think that starts with having conversations with people that think differently than us and creating community with those that you never thought would be in your circle,” Yates said.
She said the connections she has made on campus, through volunteering, being involved in student leadership, and through trusted advisers and professors, she has received a well-rounded education that has prepared her for the future.
“Believing in yourself and having confidence in yourself and what you want to do in this world is really important. Winning something as big as the Wilson Award would be a bright light for people back home. I think they would be so proud of me and I know that there are lot of students back home that look up to me and what I'm doing,” continued Yates in an interview prior to the ceremony.
She wants to encourage current and future students to reach outside of their comfort zones.
“Diversify your friend group, find community wherever you are, and open your horizons to new experiences. I really do think that creating community through kindness and friendship and unity is how we create a better world for everybody,” she added.
Her future plans include attending graduate school, potentially focusing on higher education.
To be eligible for the Wilson Award, students must graduate during the current academic year at the summer, fall or spring commencement ceremonies. Yates adviser was Matthew Robins, instructor in communication studies and director of the Communication Center. Her nominator for the award was Dr. Sarah Scott, associate professor of communication studies.
R.E. Lee Wilson, a Mississippi County planter and businessman, served on the institution’s Board of Trustees from 1917 until his death in 1933. The annual Wilson Award presentation began the following year, more than eight decades ago.
The names of the Wilson Award winners are permanently listed on a prominent display outside Centennial Hall of the Carl R. Reng Student Union. Previous Wilson Award recipients formed a Wilson Fellows Chapter of the A-State Alumni Association that has funded a scholarship program.
Wilson Award winners receive a post-graduate scholarship from the chapter to be used for additional education after graduation from A-State.
