University of Idaho Student Earns Top College Honor Inspired by Grandfather’s Path to U.S. Citizenship
MOSCOW, Idaho — A first-generation college student at the University of Idaho has earned the highest academic honor her college offers, driven by a childhood memory that set the course of her life: watching her grandfather become an American citizen.
Alexa Benitez, a graduating senior in the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences, is this year’s recipient of the Lindley Award — the college’s top annual honor recognizing excellence in scholarship and character. She will graduate in May 2026 with a double major in political science and psychology, and a minor in philosophy.
A Grandfather’s Pride, A Lifelong Dream
Benitez grew up in Blackfoot, Idaho, and was a small child when she witnessed an immigration attorney help her grandfather navigate the naturalization process after he moved to Idaho from across the southern border. That experience left a permanent mark.
“I was a little kid, and my grandfather always talked highly of lawyers like the one who helped him,” Benitez said. “He thought studying law was the highest educational achievement one could attain.”
By age five, Benitez was already telling her kindergarten class she planned to become a lawyer. That ambition never wavered. She has worked as a legal assistant with a Blackfoot law firm since she was 15, and her mother is a paralegal — giving her firsthand exposure to how legal professionals serve families in their most difficult moments.
Her grandfather passed away during her first semester at U of I, a loss that triggered a period of deep reflection. Rather than stepping away from her path, Benitez doubled down on the goals she and her grandfather had shared.
“When my grandfather died, I kind of went through an existential crisis, like what am I doing?” she said. “I wanted to make him proud and to achieve something he never had.” Neither of her grandparents had completed a high school education.
Benitez has recently applied to the University of Idaho College of Law, moving closer to fulfilling the dream she and her grandfather envisioned together. This summer, she plans to work at the Bonner County prosecutor’s office.
A 4.0 Student With a Full Resume
Benitez’s academic record is difficult to match. She maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average while taking on a remarkable list of extracurricular commitments — serving as an ASUI senator, director of student services at ASUI, two-year president of the PoliSci Society, and a member of the editorial board of the political science department’s undergraduate research journal.
She also served on the advisory board of U of I’s Center for Disability Access and Resources and was the fundraising chair for the Association of Latino Professionals of America, among other student organizations.
Her undergraduate research — an investigation into U.S. attitudes toward immigrants and immigration — was presented at the Office of Undergraduate Research Symposium and later published in the college’s Cook Undergraduate Research Journal.
Florian Justwan, associate professor of political science, spoke to Benitez’s depth as a student and scholar. “Alexa is an extremely driven, hard-working and motivated student,” Justwan said. “Beyond her performance in her regular semester classes, Alexa brings additional skills to the table that may not be immediately obvious from studying her resume.”
Benitez credits her time in student government and her professors with building her confidence as a researcher and leader. “I gained so much confidence from being in ASUI and through my professors in political science,” she said. “I didn’t think I was smart enough to do research, but they encouraged me.”
As a first-generation college student, Benitez had no family roadmap for navigating the enrollment process. She said University of Idaho recruiters guided her through every step, answering what she described as countless emails. “They made it so easy,” she said.
The Lindley Award carries a $1,000 monetary prize from a memorial fund established by Ernest K. Lindley, a distinguished U of I alumnus who created the award to honor his parents. His father, Ernest Hiram Lindley, served as president of the University of Idaho from 1917 to 1920. Recipients have their names engraved on a bronze bar added to the award plaque outside the dean’s office in the Administration Building.
The University of Idaho continues to draw students from across Idaho and beyond. For more on campus developments, including the university’s new meat innovation center, visit our coverage of U of I news.
What Comes Next
Alexa Benitez graduates in May 2026 and will spend the summer gaining prosecutorial experience at the Bonner County prosecutor’s office. She has applied to the University of Idaho College of Law, where she hopes to continue her education and ultimately pursue a legal career helping families — much as the attorney who guided her grandfather once helped hers. Her story reflects the enduring power of family, hard work, and the American ideal that education opens doors for those willing to pursue it.