The Hardin and Clark Scholars, the top academic honors at Midwestern State University, and other outstanding students were named at the annual Honors Recognition Banquet April 20 in D.L. Ligon Coliseum.

Alexandra Nelson was named Hardin Scholar. Nelson is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in geosciences in the environmental science track. The Hardin Scholar 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.

Nelson is a member of the Geoscience Club, Sigma Gamma Epsilon and serves as the president of the Environmental Student Organization, an organization of which she is also a founding vice president. In her research activities through the university's Enhancing Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (EURECA) program, Nelson studied the potential impact of rainwater collection on the MSU Texas campus and worked with professors in engineering, fine arts, and biology under the mentorship of Dr. Rebecca Dodge. Her findings were directly implemented on campus, including in the construction of Legacy Hall.

In her internship with the City of Wichita Falls, Nelson organizes and facilitates volunteer operations for the Lake Wichita Revitalization Committee. Additionally, she is engaging in a study of watershed restoration and improvement, an effort in which she employs satellite imagery to design improved land cover for the Holliday Creek basin upstream of the lake. Nelson is currently employed as a student laboratory and program assistant in the Department of Geosciences, where is working to assess on-campus wells in the Seymour Aquifer. Her volunteer activities have included work with Teens Make a Difference, First Step, Inc., and Pinwheels for Patsy's House.

Brendan Lawrence Wynne, who is pursuing a degree in mass communication, 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.

Wynne is an active member in the MSU community through participation with The Wichitan (student newspaper), editor of the Wai-Kun (yearbook), MSU Model United Nations Delegation, and the Student Government Association. He is currently a member of the American Advertising Federation. Last year, Wynne was named Outstanding Freshman Man, and earned a 2017 Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA) award for investigative journalism. In TIPA competition this year, Wynne earned a first-place award for ad design tactic. Also, he and Model UN team member Dakota Tolleson received an Outstanding Position Paper Award at this year's competition in New York City. Wynne is active as a volunteer and participant with the Autism Speaks Walk and the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. He is a voting member of the Board of Directors for the Royal Theater in Archer City, Texas, and has volunteered with the Humane Society and Beto O'Rourke Senatorial Campaign.

Leadership Awards

Leadership awards were presented to Man of the Year Brendan Lawrence Wynne, Woman of the Year Veronica Naomi Balderas, Outstanding Graduate Man Matthew G. Schenk, Outstanding Graduate Woman Melissa Jean Laussmann, Outstanding Senior Man Luka Ture Gebel, Outstanding Senior Woman Hanna Gebel, Outstanding Junior Man Joshua J. Buchel, Outstanding Junior Woman Federica Bove, Outstanding Sophomore Man Andrew William Wolf, Outstanding Sophomore Woman Shelbi Lee Stogdill, Outstanding Freshman Man Christopher Arren Ward, and Outstanding Freshman Woman Amanda Renee Threlkeld.

The Viola Grady Leadership Award was presented to Herbert McCullough IV; the James L. Stewart Service Award was presented to Sigma Lambda Alpha Sorority, Inc; and the Howard Farrell Community Excellence Award was presented to Mitchel Preston Kipp.

Academic Awards

Academic awards presented to students in the Dillard College of Business Administration were Outstanding Accounting Student Veronica Naomi Balderas, Outstanding Economics Student Luka Ture Gebel, Outstanding Finance Student Nemanja Krtolica, Outstanding General Business Student Brandon Derek Dines, Outstanding Management Student Alicia Lynn Carter, Outstanding Management Information Systems Student Robert Jakob McCarty, Outstanding Marketing Student Kiley Jo Beaver, and Outstanding Graduate Student In Business Administration Michelle Ijeoma Anyadioha.

Students recognized from the Gordon T. and Ellen West College of Education were Outstanding BAAS Student Emilia Maria Kuczynska, Outstanding Elementary Education Student Jennie Lacampuenga Wigen, Outstanding Kinesiology Student Tyler John Anderle, Outstanding Secondary Education Student Chad P. Marqui, Outstanding Special Education Student Connie Noelle Ginnings, Outstanding Sport and Leisure Studies Student Markell Markavius Braxton-Johnson, and Outstanding Graduate Student in Education Kristen Alexandra Aduddell.

Awards presented to students in the Lamar D. Fain College of Fine Arts were Outstanding Art Student Kevin George Appiah-Kubi, Outstanding Mass Communication Student Kara Ann McIntyre, Outstanding Music Student Nahye Byun, and Outstanding Theatre Student Shannon Edward Howerton Jr.The Vinson Award for Journalism was presented to Chloe Phillips.

Students recognized from the Robert D. & Carol Gunn College of Health Sciences and Human Services were Outstanding Athletic Training Student Jiankun Kang, Outstanding Criminal Justice Student Ashley Amanda Hayes, Outstanding Dental Hygiene Student Kathryn Minglinn Miser, Outstanding Exercise Physiology Student Melisa Ann Doo, Outstanding Nursing Student Claudette Muma Ngum, Outstanding Radiologic Science Student Samantha Ann Mitchell, Outstanding Respiratory Care Student Melanie Chang Walker, Outstanding Social Work Student Delize Paul, and Outstanding Graduate Student in Health Sciences and Human Services Laura June Estrada.

Students recognized from the Prothro-Yeager College of Humanities and Social Sciences were Outstanding English Student Whitney Brooke Atkinson, Outstanding Student in World Languages and Culture Taylor Anne Warren, Outstanding History Student Benjamin Brian Chance, Outstanding Student in Humanities Yolanda Ja-ne'e Perfecta Torres, Outstanding Global Studies Student Natalie Zamora Garcia, Outstanding Political Science Student Luke Gregory Allen, Outstanding Psychology Student Catherine Grace Stepniak, Outstanding Sociology Student Elyssa Dorathea Henderson, and Outstanding Graduate Student in Humanities and Social Sciences Whitney Brooke Atkinson. The Vinson Award In Creative Writing was presented to Jennifer Dawn Sidlauskas.

Awards presented to students in the College of Science and Mathematics were Outstanding Biology Student Carson Parker Barnard, Outstanding Chemistry Student Thomas Michael Lesperance, Outstanding Computer Science Student Anthony Chisom Enem, Outstanding Environmental Science Student Alexandra Louise Nelson, Outstanding Geosciences Student Kurlon Sanelle George, Outstanding Mathematics Student Sachithra Ishani Weerasooriya, Outstanding Mechanical Engineering Student Kevin M. Tracy, Outstanding Physics Student Sachithra Ishani Weerasooriya, and Outstanding Graduate Student in Science and Mathematics Hannah Marie Richards.