The Elmer Nicholson Achievement Prize is presented to the student who has emerged from their total UVM experience with the promise of great expectations in their field of interest. The recipient of the 2025 Elmer Nicholson Achievement Prize is Elijah Tierney. 

Eli is a Wildlife Biology major with Animal Science and Studio Art minors. Creating and co-presenting a workshop at the 2025 Translating Identity Conference entitled Queer Ecology and Creative Culture is a key example of their experience and academic endeavors at UVM, educating attendees on queer ecology, an intersection of conservation, social justice, and art. 

Eli has been involved with the Beekeeping Club and UVM Prism Center. His work with the Prism Center has also extended into the Greater Burlington community and beyond. He found his voice as a leader through the Prism Center, facilitating attendance to Creating Change, a LGBTQ+ leadership conference, where overwhelming inspiration came from meeting others who were making impacts in their communities through leadership. 

One nominator wrote that “Eli’s involvement in social justice and advocacy work, environmental justice and education, art, community and volunteerism all coexist to create the well-rounded and powerful leader that he is.”

Eli describes his UVM experience as “A gathering of interdisciplinary skillsets I hope to use to create a better world through LGBTQ+ community outreach, wildlife conservation and creative endeavors.”