PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (Oct. 28, 2026) – Prairie View A&M University Honors student Kailynn Weaver remembers it was almost 11 p.m. when she opened the email that would carry her from The Hill to Oslo, Norway, as a Nobel Peace Ambassador.
The PVAMU senior is one of 25 U.S. honors students selected for the Partners in Peace (PiP) project, a collaborative global initiative between the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) and the Nobel Peace Center (NPC) in Oslo.
“I felt extremely ecstatic and grateful when I received the acceptance letter,” she said, adding she celebrated with her sister when she found out. “It was hard to go to sleep with all of the excitement I felt.”
The program recognizes honors students “for their passion in personal leadership development for the purpose of civic engagement.”
Selected students are participating in a semester-long virtual course through Oslo New University College this fall, a new component of the Partners in Peace program.
Led by Honors College Dean Dr. Quincy C. Moore III, PVAMU is completing a PiP project that will be recognized on the Nobel Peace Center website in November.
Building on Investments
A senior majoring in biology with minors in chemistry and Spanish, Weaver serves as this year’s co-chair of the PVAMU Honors College. She is also the event coordinator for the Tri-Beta Biological Honors Society and is involved with the Ruth J. Simmons Center for Race and Justice, Purple Jackets, and Bakers for a Cause.
She first learned of the opportunity through an announcement Dr. Moore made on the Honors College message board.
“The prospect of bringing forth the initiatives of the Partners in Peace program to the local PVAMU campus and Waller County community interested me the most,” Weaver said. “I love to seek out opportunities to uplift and improve my community, and I find it so cool that a national entity like the NCHC wants to invest in, support, and encourage scholars to do exactly that.”
In a letter to PVAMU President Dr. Tomikia P. LeGrande congratulating Weaver and the University, NCHC President Dr. Daniel M. Roberts wrote that the Nobel Peace Ambassadors “will build on the investment made in them to invest in Prairie View A&M University.”
Think Globally, Act Locally
Weekly virtual sessions, under the mentorship of Dr. Henrik Syse, former vice chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee and professor at the Oslo college, focus on the work of Nobel Peace Laureates.
The course will include in-person sessions at the 2026 NCHC Conference in New Orleans, from November 12-14, culminating with celebrating the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize awards in Oslo, from December 7-12.
At the heart of the experience is a “think globally, act locally” project celebrating the work of the 2026 Nobel Peace Laureate. As Nobel Peace Ambassadors, participants pledge to lead the project on their campuses and in their communities — for Weaver, on Prairie View’s campus — beginning spring 2027.
“I hope to implement a project on Prairie View’s campus that will far exceed my time here as a student.”
That desire to create a lasting impact reflects what drew Weaver to the program in the first place.
“Without the courage and sacrifices made by those who promote the greater good, such as the Nobel Peace Laureates, I believe there wouldn’t be a society that stands today,” Weaver said. “Especially in the realm of academia, no one achieves greatness alone, and I think that is what makes academia a thriving sector.”
Extension of Calling
Weaver aspires to become a physician-scientist, and she sees the program as an extension of a calling that already shapes her undergraduate years — mentoring peers, serving her community, and pursuing biological research.
“When I am a physician-scientist, I will still have that same duty of service to all, especially the underserved; it’s just that I will have a few more degrees and professional licenses behind my name,” she said. “In my academic and professional journey thus far, I have learned that the greatest leaders are the ones most willing to serve.”
She credits PVAMU with stretching her sense of what she could do.
“I have had so many in the Prairie View network who have pushed me to take on roles and tasks I originally didn’t think I would have the capacity to achieve,” she said. “But in that pushing, I have developed so many skills that have increased my capacity for leadership, advocacy, and service.”
Weaver, who has traveled to Mexico and the Dominican Republic for leisure, said she is eager to go abroad this time for education and leadership — and to carry Prairie View A&M with her.
“I am humbled to be a part of a population of Panthers to carry the Royal Purple and Gold to new environments, and to show others the product of a PV education,” she said.
By Christine Won
-PVAMU-