Awards of Distinction

Jake Jenson, of Hendersonville, is a senior political science-pre-professional legal studies major at App State. He will graduate from the university in May.

Jenson has been involved in the university's Student Government Association since his first year at App State. He has served in a variety of roles within the organization, including as the recruitment and retention officer, president of the Student Senate and chief of staff. Jenson was integral in resetting the Student Government Association in 2023, serving as the lead facilitator for the constitutional rewrite process.

In his leadership roles, Jenson has made it a priority to build relationships with students at the App State Hickory campus, and he has also advocated for the university at the statewide level through his involvement with the University of North Carolina Association of Student Governments.

Jenson's nominator shared, "Jake Jenson never served as a president or vice president, but we would not be where we are today in terms of effective student voice on this campus without him — period."

Among his many other accomplishments at App State, Jenson has made the Chancellor's List three times and the Dean's List four times.