Hardin, Clark Scholars Named at Honors Banquet
The Hardin and Clark Scholars, the top academic honors at Midwestern State University, and other outstanding students were named April 26 at the Honors Recognition Banquet held in D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
Samantha Jean Nichols, an art major with a minor in biology, was named Hardin Scholar. This is the university's highest award for academic excellence and was begun in 1961 by the Hardin Foundation. It is presented each spring to a student during his or her senior year and a $2,500 scholarship award is given with the honor.
Nichols, a 2010 Wichita Falls High School graduate, is a member of the MSU Honors Society, Golden Key International Honour Society, Mortar Board National Honor Society, Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society, and Kappa Pi International Honor Art Fraternity. She is president and editor of the MSU chapter of Kappa Pi, vice president for the MSU Chapter of the Golden Key Society, the alumni relations coordinator for the MSU Mortar Board Chapter, and a Mustangs Rally host. Nichols was named the Metals Award Recipient in 2012 and Excellence in Art Award Winner in 2011 at the MSU Student Art Show.
Nichols is an assistant coach for power lifting for the Area 9 Special Olympics and was a member of the TEAM USA for the first Youth World Championships in 2009. She is a member of Our Lady Queen of Peace, where she serves as a RICA sponsor, a lector, and an altar server.
Amy E. Brister was named Clark Scholar. The Clark award was established in 1976 to honor E.B. Clark, a former chairman of the Board of Trustees of the MSU Foundation, and carries with it a $1,500 scholarship award. It is presented each spring to a student in his or her junior year.
Brister is a double major in political science and history and is a member of the MSU Honors Program, the marching band, and the University Wind Ensemble. Brister's community service includes being a junior board member of the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra and the Wichita Falls Youth Symphony Orchestra, and volunteer work with Hospice of Wichita Falls and Friends of the Library. She is a member of the MSU Catholic Campus Center and Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church, where she sings in the choir.
After graduating from Midwestern State, Brister plans on attending graduate or law school. Her future goal is to become a lawyer or work in foreign policy.
Leadership Awards
Leadership awards were presented to Man of the Year Isaac John Davis, Woman of the Year Victoria Joy Johnson, Outstanding Graduate Man Christopher Thomas Keating, Outstanding Graduate Woman Kanaka Durga Kotamarthy, Outstanding Senior Man Marc Christoph Wirp, Outstanding Senior Woman Kistel Annoly Hazel, Outstanding Junior Man Jamelle Jaymes McCabe, Outstanding Junior Woman Sara Suzanne Cuba, Outstanding Sophomore Man Kosygin Anthanasius Frederick, Outstanding Sophomore Woman Algerr J.L. Remy, Outstanding Freshman Man Aaron Clifton McKinzie, and Outstanding Freshman Woman Jennifer Michelle Sissel.
The Viola Grady Leadership Award was presented to Nicole Lee Matthews, and the James L. Stewart Service Award was presented to the Catholic Campus Ministry.
Academic Awards
Academic awards presented to students in the Dillard College of Business Administration were Outstanding Accounting Student Kimberly Diane Conville, Outstanding Economics Student Marc Christoph Wirp, Outstanding Finance Student Jaimie Samuel, Outstanding General Business Student Ryan John Klein, Outstanding Management Student Thalia Shernelle Thomas, Outstanding Management Information Systems Student Tamara Lewis, Outstanding Marketing Student Stormy Jonnette Brewer, and Outstanding Graduate Student in Business Administration Christopher Thomas Keating.
Students recognized from the Gordon T. and Ellen West College of Education were Outstanding Elementary Education Student Laurann Denise Whisnand, Outstanding Kinesiology Student Billy Lee Arbogast, and Outstanding Graduate Student in Education Melanie Irene Kowalick.
Awards presented to students in the Lamar D. Fain College of Fine Arts were Outstanding Art Student Samantha Jean Nichols, Outstanding Mass Communication Student Regan Alessandria Benabides, Outstanding Music Student Maria Angelica Souliotis, and Outstanding Theatre Student Kelcie Marie Bush. The Vinson Award in Journalism was presented to Ruth Fitzgerald Black.
Students recognized from the College of Health Sciences and Human Services were Outstanding Athletic Training Student Jeremiah Thompson Berryhill, Outstanding Criminal Justice Student Bailey Alyce Hess, Outstanding Dental Hygiene Student Kristen Ann Boxell, Outstanding Exercise Physiology Student Kelly Dawn Meers, Outstanding Nursing Student Vanessa Elise Caudill, Outstanding Radiologic Science Student Heather D. Johnson, Outstanding Respiratory Care Student Stephen Michael Lancaster, Outstanding Social Work Student Hilda Anne James-Lyons, and Outstanding Graduate Student in Health Sciences and Human Services Andrew John Lindsey.
Students recognized from the Prothro-Yeager College of Humanities and Social Sciences were Outstanding BAAS Student Tony Heath Richardson, Outstanding English Student Sarah Sylvia Muschiol, Outstanding Student in a Foreign Language Ave Natalia Altius, Outstanding History Student Cheyenne Nicole Cannedy, Outstanding Student in Humanities Kathryn Marie Johnston, Outstanding International Studies Student Rebekah E. Gresham, Outstanding Political Science Student Mark Olguin, Outstanding Psychology Student Sarah Elisabeth Lindeman, Outstanding Sociology Student Amy Christine Diehl, and Outstanding Graduate Student in Humanities and Social Sciences Joseph Charles Gomba. The Vinson Award in Creative Writing was presented to Samuel Ray Underwood.
Awards presented to students in the College of Science and Mathematics were Outstanding Biology Student Bryce Jacob Henderson, Outstanding Chemistry Student Linh My Vo, Outstanding Clinical Laboratory Science Student Vanessa Renea Pittner, Outstanding Computer Science Student William Chase Sawyer, Outstanding Environmental Science Student Wenisha Eyel Ancia Gabriel, Outstanding Geosciences Student Claire Marie Routledge, Outstanding Mathematics Student Joshua Jared Yosten, Outstanding Mechanical Engineering Student Justin David Harasimo, Outstanding Physics Student Kagan Hall Love, and Outstanding Graduate Student in Science and Mathematics Kimberly Gail Beck.