Each year, Omicron Delta Kappa recognizes six outstanding student leaders as National Leaders of the Year. The Society selects one student to receive the Gen. Russell E. Dougherty National Leader of the Year Award, which comes with a $4,000 prize. This honor is named in memory of Gen. Russell E. Dougherty (University of Louisville, 1947). Gen. Dougherty was a one-time staff member with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He also served in the U.S. Air Force as commander in chief of the Strategic Air Command and director of strategic target planning.
The Society also recognizes a student in each of the five pillars of campus life celebrated by O∆K: academics and research, athletics, service to campus and community, communications, and creative and performing arts. Each of these individuals receives a $1,000 award.
Click on each name below to open their profile.
Elyse Warren | Gen. Russell E. Dougherty National Leader of the Year
Elyse Warren
Millsaps College, 2024
Elyse Warren of Memphis, Tennessee, has been named the 2026 Gen. Russell E. Dougherty Omicron Delta Kappa National Leader of the Year. Warren is a 2024 initiate of the Millsaps College Circle and will graduate in May 2026 with dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Mathematics and Neuroscience, a minor in Chemistry and Psychology, and a 3.9 GPA.
Warren’s accomplishments include being a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship, serving as vice president and later president of the O∆K Circle, serving as Honors Council head chair, playing basketball for Millsaps College, and serving as president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She earned the title of SAA Defensive Player of the Year and was a finalist for the Jonstens Trophy.
Warren’s academic and research experience include the Ford Teaching Fellowship, three teaching assistant positions, four research projects, two conference presentations, two research talks, one publication, and numerous shadowing experiences in the medical field. She will attend the University of Tennessee Health Science Center for medical school this fall.
Sarp Sahin | National Leader of the Year - Academics and Research
Sarp Sahin
Washington and Lee University, 2025
Sarp Sahin of Plano, Texas, has been named the 2026 Omicron Delta Kappa National Leader of the Year for Academics and Research. Sahin is a 2025 initiate of the Washington and Lee Circle and will graduate in May 2026 with a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry, a minor in Data Science, and a 4.0 GPA. Sahin’s research focuses on bioinformatics and biomechanics, with a current focus of applying advanced computational methods to better understand neurological movement disorders. His accomplishments include four peer-reviewed publications, four oral presentations, and four poster presentations at national conferences.
He has worked as a research intern at the Washington University School of Medicine’s NeuroGenomics and Informatics Center since 2023, conducting research on Parkinson’s Disease, and has completed three additional research internships. As founder and president of the Washington and Lee chapter of Remote Area Medical, Sahin provided pre-health students on campus with accessible, hands-on clinical engagement opportunities to supplement their pre-health education. He led multiple service trips to assist in providing free medical, dental, and vision services worth over $500,000 to 2,000+ underserved residents.
Sahin is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, a Barry Goldwater Scholar, and a Washington and Lee University Johnson Scholar. He plans to attend the University of Cambridge to pursue a Master of Philosophy in Clinical Neurosciences.
Mareham Yacoub | National Leader of the Year - Service to Campus and Community
Mareham Yacoub
Johns Hopkins University, 2025
Mareham Yacoub of Hatfield, Pennsylvania, has been named the 2026 Omicron Delta Kappa National Leader of the Year for Service to Campus and Community. Yacoub is a 2025 initiate of the Johns Hopkins University O∆K Circle and will graduate in May 2026 with a Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering, with minors in Mathematics and Psychology, with a 3.93 GPA.
As a Hopkins Undergraduate Leader in Advising, Yacoub served on a student advisory board shaping institutional policies for undergraduate advising and success coaching. She also served on the FLI Student Advisory Board, as a drop-in tutoring support lead for the Learning Den Program, and co-president of The Women’s Network.
As a Hopkins Undergraduate Leader in Advising, Yacoub served on a student advisory board shaping institutional policies for undergraduate advising and success coaching. She also served on the FLI Student Advisory Board, as a drop-in tutoring support lead for the Learning Den Program, and co-president of The Women’s Network.
Elizabeth Kameen | National Leader of the Year - Communications
Elizabeth Kameen
Moravian University, 2024
Elizabeth Kameen of Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania, has been named the 2026 Omicron Delta Kappa National Leader of the Year for Communications. Kameen is a 2024 initiate of the Moravian University O∆K Circle and will graduate in May 2026 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Political Science and a 3.93 GPA.
Kameen is managing editor for the Moravian University newspaper, The Comenian, and works as a writing consultant offering peer support to student writers. She serves as secretary for the literary magazine and is a co-founder and director of social media for the Humanities Club. Kameen has won numerous prizes for her writing. She is currently awaiting notification from the Fulbright program.
Jonathan Bonamarte | National Leader of the Year - Creative and Performing Arts
Jonathan Bonamarte
Tennessee Technological University, 2025
Jonathan Bonamarte of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, has been named the 2026 Omicron Delta Kappa National Leader of the Year for Creative and Performing Arts. Bonamarte is a 2025 initiate of the Tennessee Technological University O∆K Circle and will graduate in May 2027 with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and Interior Design, and a minor in Music and Environmental Sustainability. He currently has a 3.7 GPA.
Bonamarte serves as president of the Tennessee Tech Society of Architecture and Interior Design and is a CAHE College Ambassador. He led efforts to rebrand and expand the Society of Architecture and Interior Design, aligning it more closely with industry standards. Bonamarte also co-leads the viola section in the Tennessee Tech Orchestra and works as a teaching assistant and lab technician for the Computer-Aided Design (CAD) lab.
Upon graduation, Bonamarte will continue his education at Tennessee Technological University pursuing a Master of Professional Studies in Project Management.
Olivia Danos | National Leader of the Year - Athletics
Olivia Danos
Millsaps College, 2025
Olivia Danos of Houston, Texas, has been named the 2026 Omicron Delta Kappa National Leader of the Year for Athletics. Danos is a 2025 initiate of the Millsaps College O∆K Circle and will graduate in May 2026 with a Bachelor of Science in Health and Exercise Science, a minor in Psychology, and a 3.63 GPA.
Danos was the senior team captain of the Millsaps College volleyball team and served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She served as secretary for the Millsaps College O∆K Circle, vice president and later president of Kappa Delta, in addition to roles for member retention and parents club liaison for the sorority.
Danos also worked as a physical therapy technician in the Millsaps Athletic Training Room and served as a Presidential Ambassador for the college. She is taking a gap year after graduation to work as a physical therapy technician while applying to physical therapy school.
