Buffalo, NY - When Kian Porhomayon ’25 first stepped into Honors Orientation as a freshman at Canisius University, he couldn't imagine himself speaking in front of a panel of students. The self-described shy biology major thought to himself, "I could never be a student like that."
Four years later, Porhomayon has done those panels "so many times" he's lost count. His transformation from anxious observer to confident leader earned him the Robert J. Butler Award for Leadership at Canisius' recent Academic Excellence Awards Ceremony.
The award recognizes students who demonstrate exceptional leadership in the All-College Honors Program, and Porhomayon embodies that spirit through his role as mentorship director of the Honors Student Association, a position he pursued because of the impact the mentorship program had on his own college experience.
"As a commuter, it was hard to mingle, honestly," Porhomayon recalls. "The Honors mentorship program really helped me click with the school, and I was very fortunate to have great mentors who guided me on how to navigate college and opportunities to meet people."
Porhomayon’s leadership philosophy emerged from those early experiences. "A leader is like a platform where members can voice opinions and ideas while the leader moderates them. Every idea is worth hearing out to me, as I believe there is a lot to learn in this world."
This collaborative approach extended beyond campus. Porhomayon created a nutrition education project focusing on sugar in common foods and drinks, specifically designed to be culturally considerate of the East Side of Buffalo community. His work addressing food apartheid opened his eyes to systemic barriers limiting access to healthy food.
"We can advocate for healthy eating all we want, but true change won't happen without addressing the systemic places that limit access to healthy food," he reflects. "The opportunities have taught me how to be a great listener, a lifelong learner, and an advocate."
Porhomayon also conducted research examining academic motivation in college students from different racial and ethnic backgrounds after COVID-19, working under the mentorship of Dr. Sarah Blakely-McClure for two academic years. The project grew from a simple question posed in a psychology class into a comprehensive study on stereotype stress and its impact on academic performance.
Beyond research and mentorship, Porhomayon served as treasurer of Griffins Giving Back and led successful campus-wide food drives, demonstrating his commitment to service alongside academic excellence.
The leadership development he experienced at Canisius has now opened the door to his next chapter: attending the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo this fall.
As he prepares for this next step, Porhomayon credits Canisius with transforming not just his confidence but his entire worldview.
"Canisius has taught me how to be a person for and with others and to carry that with me as a leader," he says. "I will always carry the skills that Canisius has developed for me throughout medical school to be the humanistic doctor I always imagined."
Canisius was founded in 1870 in Buffalo, NY, and is one of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. Consistently ranked among the top institutions in the Northeast, Canisius offers undergraduate, graduate and pre-professional programs distinguished by close student-faculty collaboration, mentoring and an emphasis on ethical, purpose-driven leadership.
