2025 Emerging Hawklet Award

The Rockhurst High School National Alumni Association Executive Committee will honor Daniel C. Neugent ’22 as its 2025 Emerging Hawklet. Ellis will accept the award during the school’s Homecoming Mass on September 23, 2025. He will also be recognized at the Alumni Reunion Celebration on September 26, and at the Fr. Mario Puricelli, SJ, Alumni Spaghetti Dinner on November 6.

 

Despite still being a college student, Neugent has donated significant time, treasure, and talents to several companies and nonprofits since graduating from The Rock just three years ago.

He is a rising senior at the University of Kansas where he expects to earn a BS in Computer Science in the spring of 2026. While at KU, Neugent has led software development for charitable organizations including Step Forward and Kanbe's Markets. He has also provided work for Forvis, KU, Burns & McDonnell, Openlane US, and CIDDL all while balancing life as a college student. 

Neugent volunteers as a technical mentor for Rockhurst's Software Engineering - Cybersecurity Club. This past spring, he served as an in-person group mentor for team members who traveled to Lawrence for the KU Hackathon, a 36-hour coding marathon. The group, with Neugent's guidance, created their own AI Assistant integrated with Google Gemini.

 

“As just a college student, Dan has already made meaningful contributions across engineering, product development, and nonprofit tech — combining innovation with a clear commitment for excellence,” said Spencer H. Hardwick ’07, National Alumni Association President. “His early impact is a direct testament to using one’s gifts in service of others and signals a promising future rooted in purpose.”

 

The Emerging Hawklet Award was founded in 2023 and is designed to recognize those who have demonstrated strong adherence to the guiding principle, “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.”


Past honorees include:

2024 - Cornell P. Ellis '08
2023 - Maxfield Kaniger '09