ALMA — Alma College seniors Megan Neeley of West Bloomfield; Charlotte Howald of Freeland; and Toby Layson of Washington Township are the 2025 nominees for the Barlow Trophy, Alma’s most prestigious award for a graduating senior.

Established in 1949 by Dr. Joel Barlow, a 1929 honors graduate of Alma College, the award recognizes academic achievement for students in the top 10 percent of their class as well as contributions to campus and community.

The Barlow winner, determined by a vote of Alma’s Student Congress and faculty, will be announced at a special event honoring academic accomplishments on Thursday, April 3, at the Wright Leppien Opera House in downtown Alma. Read more about each nominee:

Megan Neeley

Megan Neeley has pursued a wide range of diverse interests while excelling in academics, shows leadership through her involvement in student organizations and actively participates in spiritual life and athletics activities on campus. A professional accounting major, she plans to take the certified public accountant (CPA) exam upon her graduation and pursue a career in the field of public accounting.

Neeley is a winner of the 2021-22 President’s Cup, a Presidential Scholar and a member of both Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Alpha Theta. Among her extracurricular involvements are the Almanian student newspaper, where she serves as editor in chief, the Student Advancement Association, where she serves as president, and Alpha Xi Delta, where she previously served as campus relations director, campus events director and recruitment data director.

Neeley is a four-year varsity athlete on the women’s swimming and diving team and won the 2024 Todd A. Harburn Award recipient for academic and athletic excellence. She is a member of the Interfaith Chapel House and attended the 2025 Montreat College Conference, which involved interfaith discussions, workshops, and keynote presentations with the mission of creating more accepting college campuses.

A member of the Alma College faculty who recommended Neeley for the award wrote, “I believe that Megan’s strong academic abilities and dedication to her education, peers, campus activities, athletics, and writing make her an excellent candidate for the Barlow Trophy. Her commitment to her education, her leadership and her strong work ethic will serve her well in the future, and I have no doubt that she will be very successful.”

Charlotte Howald

Charlotte Howald has dedicated her time and energy to bettering the Alma College community by volunteering at locations throughout Gratiot and Midland counties, involving herself in extracurricular activities, working at on-campus jobs and excelling in academics. A double-major in environmental studies and biology, upon graduation she plans to pursue a career as a naturalist, teaching members of the public about nature and the environment.

Among Howald’s extracurricular involvements on campus are Leaders for Environmental Awareness and Sustainability (LEAPS), where she has served as president for the past two years and hosted more than 40 campus-wide events to educate her fellow students about the environment and sustainable living practices. A former transfer student, she has worked in multiple roles within the Alma College Transfer Assistance Program (TAP), including as a senior TAP mentor.

Howald has volunteered at a number of local community organizations; including the Gratiot County Community Garden, Forest Hill Nature Area and The Bridge Food Center. She has presented research at the CORE Summer Student Symposium twice and at Alma College’s Honors Day event once; she has also assisted with a hydrological assessment of the Upper Saginaw River Drainage Basin with the Healthy Pine River group.

A member of the Alma College faculty who recommended Howald for the award wrote, “Charlotte is a hardworking, reliable, and mature campus leader. She is passionate about helping the environment, progressing science, and helping other students.”

Toby Layson

Toby Layson has devoted his time at Alma College to serving the greater campus community while excelling academically and working to benefit people in developing countries. A double-major in political science and philosophy, upon his graduation from Alma College, he plans to attend law school at either the University of Michigan Law School or Michigan State University College of Law.

Among Layson’s extracurricular involvements on campus are Student Congress president, where he worked with school administrators to help students better understand the impact of institutional challenges on the student experience. Layson also served as student representative to the college Board of Trustees and as a member of the Presidential Search Committee. He is a member of the college Model UN team and was a part of groups that won “Outstanding Delegation” awards in 2023 and 2024.

In 2023, as part of the Posey Global Leadership Fellows program, Layson completed an internship in Tanzania, pursuing the study of human rights law. While in Tanzania, he explored the intersection of ethics and law with attorneys and interviewed women’s groups about legal protections surrounding human rights issues. In 2024, Layson led the “Doing Democracy” summer seminar, in an effort to help students find common ground on controversial political issues.

A member of the Alma College faculty who recommended Layson for the award wrote, “Toby has become a transformative leader on Alma’s campus, utilizing his intellect, passion, and commitment to service to effect meaningful change, oftentimes in the face of significant institutional challenges. He embodies those attributes most valued by Joel Barlow, including … the leadership skills necessary to promote a more just, equitable and compassionate society.”