What is Honors College Assembly?
Honors College Assembly serves as the student representation of the Honors College student body. We seek to build the Honors College community and build relationships among our programs in two ways.
The first branch of HCA is comprised of four thematic groups that each organize four events throughout the academic year. These committees are: Student Life and Outreach; Research and Scholarship; Cultural Engagement; and Service and Civic Engagement. Each committee is led by a director and staffed by four to six committee members from across the Honors College community.
The second branch of HCA is the Advisory Board. This group of students serves as a liaison between the Honors College administration, HCA leadership and the various Honors College programs. Leadership from each Honors or Honors-affiliated program appoint two students to the Advisory Board, which meets once a month with the Dean of the Honors College and once a month with other members of HCA.
Other opportunities HCA provides to the Honors College student body are:
- Honors College block seating in the student section of Bryant-Denny Stadium
- Tailgates throughout the football season
- Donuts with the Deans
- Homecoming Week festivities
Keep up with us in the Honors College newsletter and on the Honors College Instagram, @honorscollegeua.
Interested in getting involved? Freshman, sophomores and juniors are welcome to apply when applications open in the late fall semester. Terms for committee members run from January to December.
Contact Us
If you have ideas for HCA events or questions about HCA, please stop by the HCA office on the second floor of Honors Hall or email honorscollegeassembly@ua.edu.
HCA Leadership
Elena Kuehner
President
Elena Kuehner is a senior from Nebraska majoring in chemistry with minors in biology and liberal arts through the Blount Scholars Program. On campus, she serves as the president of the Gamma Sigma Epsilon chemistry honors society and enjoys volunteering in the community. She conducts undergraduate research in the Papish Group within the chemistry department, where she focuses on synthesizing light-activated ruthenium complexes for anticancer applications. She also completed a summer research internship studying immunology, further expanding her interests at the interface of chemistry, biology and medicine. After graduation, Elena hopes to pursue an MD-PhD program with the goal of becoming a physician-scientist specializing in oncology. She is incredibly passionate about both science and service and is eager to apply these interests to positively impact those around her. As president of HCA, Elena is committed to fostering connections and creating meaningful opportunities for the Honors College community.
Madison Knoerr
Vice President
Madison is a rising sophomore from Columbia, South Carolina double majoring in Marketing and Finance. She is serving as the Honors College Assembly Vice President for the 2025-2026 school year. Madison has a passion for Public Speaking and community service. Currently, she is working on starting her own nonprofit: Project Gray Initiative to raise awareness and support for Brain Cancer. This past summer, Madison worked for the Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives. She also enjoys shopping, fishing, watching sports and reading.
Jack Armstrong
Secretary
Jack Armstrong is a rising senior and the Honors College Assembly secretary for the 2025-2026 school year. He is from Olive Branch, Mississippi, and Jack is an English major in the University Honors Program. On campus, he also serves as secretary for Sigma Tau Delta, prose liaison for the Red Rook Press, and UHP representative for the Honors Advisory Board. In August, Jack began his tenure as the second executive editor of Space: A Student Journal for Public Audiences, a campus-run journal seeking undergraduate nonfiction essays. After completing his undergraduate degree, Jack hopes to get his master’s in American studies. He loves reading about American subcultures and can usually be found buried in a book.
Gracie Moody
Treasurer
Gracie Moody is a sophomore from Cullman, Alabama majoring in Public Relations and Marine Biology with a minor in Political Science. Within the Honors College, Gracie is a mentor for the Honors Connections Living Learning Community (LLC), helping plan events for the LLC students as well as guiding them through their Honors Year One class. On campus, she is involved with the University’s Advertising Team and Capstone Agency as a strategist, a member of the Shelby Institute for Policy and Leadership, and a Resident Advisor for Ridgecrest South. Last year, Gracie was a member of the Research and Scholarship committee of Honors College Assembly, but she is incredibly excited for this year as treasurer. In the future, she plans to work within the field of science communications, helping bridge the gap between scientists and the public. This could take the form of scientific research and presentation, teaching or even educational outreach for a science museum or aquarium. In her free time, Gracie enjoys running, embroidering, baking and skateboarding.
Hailey Crowe
Chair of the Advisory Board
Hailey is a junior from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, studying Public Health on the Pre-Physician Assistant track. She has been a member of the Honors College Assembly for two years and is eager to step into the role of Chairperson for the Honors College Advisory Board. On campus, Hailey is also the Vice President of Internal Communication for Beat Auburn Beat Hunger as well as a Project Health intern. She is also very excited to be an Honors Year One Mentor for Fall 2025. In her free time, she enjoys running, hiking, road trips and watching the Detroit Lions.
