Lashmit-Peña, Collins honored as 2025-26 Miss Lipscomb and Bachelor of Ugliness

Office of Public Relations & Communications  |  11/17/2025

A longstanding tradition at Lipscomb University is for two seniors to be recognized who best exemplify the university’s values and principles. Miss Lipscomb and the Bachelor of Ugliness honors are awarded to students who are nominated by faculty, staff and administrators and chosen by the student body.

This year, Amada Lashmit-Peña was named Miss Lipscomb alongside fellow senior Lucas Collins, who was elected Bachelor of Ugliness for the 2025-26 academic year. They were officially recognized during Bisons Weekend chapel on Nov. 15. 

For Maryville, Tennessee, native Lashmit-Peña, being named Miss Lipscomb is both humbling and deeply meaningful.

“Being named Miss Lipscomb is an incredible honor and privilege,” Lashmit-Peña said. “To me, it means that I made the most of my Lipscomb experience and embraced the opportunities that the Lord set before me. I am deeply grateful for the investment so many people on this campus have made in my life: my friends, my supervisors, my professors and my mentors. There are so many seniors on this campus who embody the Christian values and mission of Lipscomb, and I am honored to know and be surrounded by them.”

A math education major from Maryville, Tennessee, Lashmit-Peña came to Lipscomb drawn by the university’s Christ-centered mission and its holistic approach to student growth. “As an education major, I wanted to learn not only how to teach, but also how to see others as image-bearers of God and guide them toward their God-given calling,” she said. “From my first visit to campus, I recognized that Lipscomb embodied these values, and I knew I wanted to learn from professors who prioritized this approach to teaching.”

During her time at Lipscomb, Lashmit-Peña has immersed herself in campus life and leadership. She has served as a tour guide in the Office of Admissions, a Young Life leader at a local school, and represented her peers as a freshman representative for the Honors College. In addition she served for three years as a member of the Quest Team, serving leading as Quest Team Director one year.

“Through the people it brought into my life and the unexpected opportunities it provided, this university has formed me into someone my younger self would be proud of,” Lashmit-Peña reflected. “College can be a difficult time, and Lipscomb has shown me the transformative impact of keeping God at the center of everything.”

After graduation, she plans to begin her career as a classroom teacher before pursuing a master’s degree in educational leadership and policy. “Lipscomb has taught me to align my life with God’s plan and purpose,” she said. “Whatever comes next, I want to live out that calling faithfully.”

For Collins, a pastoral leadership major with an emphasis in theology and ministry from Spring Hill, Tennessee, the title of Bachelor of Ugliness is an honor that points to something greater than himself.

“I am extremely honored,” Collins said. “I have loved my time at Lipscomb and the communities I am a part of and get to serve so much. To be recognized by them means the world to me. When I got to Lipscomb, I never would have imagined serving this campus in the ways that I do, and to win this award is simply a testament to the transformational power of a life lived in pursuit of Jesus.”

Collins was drawn to Lipscomb after seeing how his sister, a 2020 graduate and Residence Hall Director of Bison Hall, thrived at the university. “From my first meeting with the faculty in the College of Bible & Ministry, it was clear to me that they would shape me not just academically, but spiritually and personally,” he said. “That has been true and then some. I am forever grateful for the mentorship, community and love of the College of Bible & Ministry.”

Throughout his college years, Collins has been very active in campus life. He has served as a resident assistant (RA) in High Rise for three years, including two years as head RA, and is the intern for the College of Bible & Ministry. He also leads the Vine @ Nine weekly Bible study, is a beau for Delta Omega, and has been active in Gamma Xi and Lipscomb’s Gospel Choir.

“I have met my best friends at Lipscomb … people who have been with me since QuestWeek and have seen me through the hardest and best years of my life so far,” he reflected. “More than anyone else in my life, the people I met at Lipscomb have taught me what it means to be truly devoted to one another in love, to be with people and to cheer them on through it all.”

Collins said his faith has been profoundly shaped during his time at Lipscomb. “The Lord has met me in ways I never would have imagined four years ago,” he said. “During my first year at Lipscomb, I met so many people who showed me what it looks like to live a life in full surrender to the Lord. I have gotten to do life with those people over the years, and for the first time in my life, I have a community of people around me who are pushing me towards Jesus.”

After graduation, Collins plans to pursue a Master of Divinity at Lipscomb while serving in ministry. He expressed gratitude for his family and especially for his sister, Autumn Montgomery, who serves as residence hall director for Bison Hall. “Getting to do life with her this close over these last four years has been the greatest blessing I didn’t know I needed,” Collins said. “She’s shown me what it looks like to live as an authentic and humble leader. Everything I’ve learned, I learned by standing on her shoulders.”