This award recognizes an alumnus or alumna within 10 years of graduation who has excelled in his or her profession and has contributed to Arizona State University and/or the ASU Alumni Association and the community.

Audrey Ernst, a registered nurse and former ASU triathlete, is this year’s recipient of the 2025 Young Alumni Achievement Award.

• Graduated from Arizona State University in December 2022 with dual bachelor’s degrees in nursing and health care compliance and regulations.
• Earned multiple accolades as an ASU triathlete, including being named a 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year National Top 30 Finalist, an NCAA Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship Award Finalist, the Pac-12 NCAA Tom Hansen Medal Recipient and more.
• Currently works as a registered nurse in the surgical intermediate critical care unit at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona.

Audrey Ernst graduated from Arizona State University in December 2022 with dual bachelor’s degrees in nursing and health care compliance and regulations. Passionate about health care from a young age, she has made remarkable strides in her academic and professional pursuits. During her time at ASU, Audrey also distinguished herself as an outstanding student-athlete.

Currently, Audrey works as a registered nurse in the surgical intermediate critical care unit at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona. She was selected for the Mayo Clinic Residency Program, a specialized, year-long fellowship that focuses on developing critical judgment for acute illnesses, applying ethics in medicine, leading transformative nursing practices and utilizing evidence-based care.

In addition to her clinical work, Audrey has demonstrated leadership through her appointment in October 2023 as committee chair for Hospital Acquired Infection Prevention. In this role, she audits nursing documentation to track the correlation between hospital-acquired infection rates and hygiene practices. Audrey also mentors new graduate nurses in the Mayo Clinic Nurse Mentorship Program and serves as the unit lead for the ANCC Magnet Designation of Nursing Excellence Committee.

As a student-athlete, Audrey was a four-time NCAA Team Champion for ASU Triathlon, 2018 USA U23 National Champion and the 2019 NCAA National Champion Runner-Up. Additionally, Audrey represented team USA at the Junior Elite World Championships in 2016 and 2018, held in Cozumel, Mexico, and Gold Coast, Australia. In May 2022, Audrey served as the graduation speaker for ASU Athletics on behalf of the Student Athletics Advisory Committee.

Audrey’s background in health care compliance and regulations has deepened her understanding of the complex dynamics in health care and the importance of maintaining integrity within the system. With an eye on the future, Audrey is considering law school to explore health policy and law. She aims to learn the legal and justice systems in order to advocate for her patients and ensure that ethical and legal standards are upheld in the industry.