Mothers and Dads Club 2025 Award Winners

Awards season is here, and Meadows students are doing it right.

Every year since 1961, the Mothers and Dads Club selects two exceptional seniors to receive the Outstanding Senior Woman and Outstanding Senior Gentleman Award. These prestigious nominations are provided by the Deans of the five undergraduate degree-granting schools at SMU.

Associate Dean for Students in Meadows School of the Arts, Gretchen Smith, requests that each school nominate two men and two women who personify the Mothers and Dads Club’s ideal outstanding senior.

Upon reviewing 20 nominations, a panel comprising Club Board members and/or local alumni from the club interviews these students, along with assessing their time at SMU. While all nominees are recognized at the awards ceremony and gifted, the two winners are awarded by SMU’s President and get an additional gift for their accomplishment.

The two exemplary students are chosen based on their excellence in academics, leadership, community service, campus involvement, and exhibiting a strong personal character.

Award Winners

The 2025 winners for the Outstanding Senior Woman and Outstanding Senior Gentleman Award were awarded to Chloe Young (Dance, CCPA ’25) and Kirk Ogunrinde (Journalism, Computer Science ’25). Chloe Young is graduating with a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and a B.A. in Public Relations & Strategic Communication, and Kirk Ogunrinde is graduating with a B.A. in Journalism and a B.S. Computer Science.

Associate Dean Gretchen Smith revealed her decision in selecting Young and Ogunrinde for one of the four students she submitted to the committee. “Chloe and Kirk were stand-out students, multi-faceted, creative, and academic achievers with a strong commitment to and interaction within their communities. “

Along with being honored at the Mothers and Dads Club award ceremony, Young and Ogunrinde were recognized at SMU’s Honors Convocation the following afternoon.

Young expressed her gratitude for the honor, saying, “I can say with certainty that without CCPA pushing me to grow and the faculty supporting me every step of the way, I would not have reached this point today. The rapport CCPA fosters between students and faculty is unique from any other program on this campus. I know I am leaving SMU with not only a stronger network but also more meaningful connections that will last for years to come.”

Ogunrinde was recognized as the first Black man to ever receive the Outstanding Senior Gentleman Award. He responded to this sentiment by thanking SMU Mothers and Dads Club for “their warmth and embrace through the process, as well as SMU Meadows and the SMU Journalism Department for their mentorship, guidance, and community. SMU has felt like a real home to me during my four years here, and I look forward to seeing the amazing things students will continue to achieve here with the support of the faculty and staff.”

A huge win for Meadows—Congrats, Chloe and Kirk!