Valparaiso University women’s golf senior Payton Hodson (Middleton, Wis. / Middleton) was recognized as part of the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Spotlight for her excellence in the classroom and involvement in the campus community.

Hodson, who owns a 3.98 cumulative grade point average with a double major in psychology and Spanish with a minor in humanities, has earned dean’s list honors in every semester of college. A Christ College Scholar, Hodson earned a 2021-22 “Top of the Class” Award, which is presented annually to Valpo student-athletes who are graduating seniors with a 3.9 or better cumulative grade point average. She earned Valparaiso University Presidential Academic Honors in May 2020, May 2021 and May 2022.

She received the Rudolph C. Waldschmidt Outstanding Student in Psychology Award (November 2021), was a “Best Poem in Spanish” finalist (April 2020), Foreign Languages & Literatures Outstanding Freshman Spanish Student (May 2019) and NCAA Public Recognition Award for outstanding academic performance (May 2019).

Hodson has completed several extensive undergraduate interdisciplinary research papers and projects: APA 2022 National Convention, Division 26 (History of Psychology), Poster Presentation: “Viktor Frankl and Karl Jaspers: Parallels and Collisions in Existentialist Psychology” (August 2022), “Psychological and Spiritual Considerations in Interdisciplinary Hospice Care” (2021), “Los recuerdos: las llaves al entendimiento y el mejoramiento” (2021), “Social Media: Disrupting our ability to be a Cosmopolitan, Consequential effects on our mental health and psychological well-being” (2020). She delivered an oral presentation at SOURCE 2021 (Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression) and did so again in 2022. She also completed “Broader Cultural Narrative is Detrimental for Gender-Based Suicide Rates, the Gender Paradox Phenomenon in Suicide in the United States” (2019).

Hodson had two Spanish poems published in Letras. Revista de estudiantes (12) (2020, 2022). She studied abroad in Costa Rica for six weeks (May - June 2021), where she served as a Spanish and Psychology Intern at Hogar de la Esperanza (Spanish-speaking HIV residents with drug and alcohol addictions and a variety of mental health issues), took a Spanish class at Universidad Veritas and lived with a native Costa Rican host family.

She also holds the following professional Memberships and Leadership Positions: The Phi Beta Kappa Society, Eta of Indiana Chapter (2021 – Present), Sigma Delta Pi National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society (2021 – Present), Valparaiso University Psychology Club Member (2021 – Present), Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology, Secretary (2020 – Present), Valparaiso University Honor Council Investigator (2020 – Present) and Trained Facilitator for Civic Reflection Discussions (2020 – Present).

An MVC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award and MVC Honor Roll honoree, Hodson has accepted a position in the 2022 Class of the Orr Fellowship and to work for CREA LLC, which will be for two years in Indianapolis after graduation. She leads the team in scoring average this season at 80.87. She stroked a season-low 74 (+3) in the first round of the Benbow Invite on March 7 and ranks in the top 10 in program history in career scoring average.