Franklin College senior Julius Choga has been named Indiana’s College Work-Based Learner of the Year by the Institute for Workforce Excellence, a nonprofit subsidiary of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. The award was presented at the organization’s Impact Awards luncheon in Noblesville on Thursday, February 12, in recognition of Choga’s outstanding contributions during his internship with the Indianapolis Airport Authority.

The College Work-Based Learner of the Year award recognizes college students across Indiana who make a clear, measurable impact during their work-based learning experiences. Choga, an international student from Harare, Zimbabwe, is studying software engineering and is technically classified as a junior, though he has enough credits to be considered a senior and is on track to graduate in December 2026.

Choga completed his internship with the Indianapolis Airport Authority’s information technology and cybersecurity team in the summer of 2025. He was tasked with designing a database to store and track the pertinent information needed to manage physical keys across the airport’s extensive maintenance system — a longstanding operational challenge that had made it difficult to know which keys existed, who held them, and when they had been issued.

Not only did Choga build the database solution, but he also created an interface that made the system accessible to staff across departments and trained employees on how to use it. His work improved efficiency by an estimated 90 percent, streamlining the existing key-tracking process. Airport supervisors were so impressed that they submitted his name for consideration for the Work-Based Learner of the Year award.

“To be recognized for this award means a lot to me because it reflects the real impact of the work I was able to do,” said Choga. “Being trusted to design and implement a system that was to be used at the airport was an incredible opportunity. I’m thankful for the guidance I received from my managers and colleagues during my internship and excited to keep building solutions that make a difference. I am also thankful to my professors at Franklin College for providing me with the knowledge to be able to tackle this task.”

“Julius is a bright, hardworking and determined student who actively seeks out opportunities to learn and enhance his skills,” said Kerry Smith, Ph.D., professor of computing science. “Julius has obtained numerous internships where his contributions are highly appreciated and valued. I have no doubt that he will continue to be successful wherever his path takes him. It will be a joy to follow his accomplishments in the future.”

Choga is an active member of the Franklin College community, serving as an Adobe Student Ambassador, vice president of the Math and Computing Club, an IT specialist student worker in the College’s Office of Information Technology Services, a member of the Student Foundation, a member of the Digital Fluency Team and a member of the College’s esports team.

For a complete list of 2026 Impact Award winners visit bit.ly/IndyChamberImpactAwards.

For more information, contact the Franklin College Office of Communications at (317) 738-8185.

(Photo provided by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce)