The Hardin and Clark Scholars, the top academic honors at Midwestern State University, and other outstanding students were named during a virtual Honors Recognition Celebration April 12.

Autumn Fredline was named Hardin Scholar. Fredline is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in English, Sociology, and Political Science. The Hardin Scholar is the university’s highest award for academic excellence and was begun in 1962 by the Hardin Foundation. It is presented each spring to a student during his or her senior year and a $3,000 scholarship award is given with the honor.

Fredline is a member of Sigma Tau Delta, Voices editing team, and the Redwine Honors Program at MSU Texas. She has attended the National Model United Nations where she worked to develop position papers and secure delegation awards. Fredline is also a research assistant in Foreign Trade Consultancy, and she is a tutor and a writing center peer mentor for the department of Tutoring and Academic Support Programs.

She is the recipient of the Brian L. Lawrence Award for her submissions in MSU’s Voices literary magazine. She has also presented papers at the International Conference on Sociology and Media Studies in New York, the American Studies Association of Texas conference, Great Plains Honors Council conference, and the Southwest Popular/American Culture Association in New Mexico.

Finalists for the Hardin Scholar were Theresa “Teri” Higgins and Montes Martinez.

Brittany Roberts, who is pursuing a degree in sociology with a double minor in psychology and music, 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.

Roberts is a student senator of the Sociology Club and a member of the Black Student Union and the NAACP, and she is the Student Government Association chair of the Diversity and Inclusion committee. Most recently Roberts was elected as SGA Vice President for 2021-2022 academic year.

As a sociology major, she wants to collaborate with student organizations and resources like the MOSAIC Cross Cultural Center to create initiatives that aid students who are mothers on campus.

Outside of class, Roberts is a teaching artist with the Wichita Falls Alliance for Arts and Culture. She also is a singer and songwriter and performs locally.

Roberts has a long-term goal to earn her master’s degree in sociology and Ph.D. in social policy as she would like to become a professor and in part, use that education as a platform to help create policies that aid marginalized communities.

Finalists for the Clark Scholar were Bailey Brenek, Brooke Creacy, Peyton Lewis, Hunter Ordner, and Grayson Porter.

Leadership Awards

Leadership awards were presented to Man of the Year Andrew Wolf, Woman of the Year Amanda Threlkeld, Outstanding Graduate Man Mahesh Reddy Dondeti, Outstanding Graduate Woman Mika Morgan, Outstanding Senior Man DanLee Duncan, Outstanding Senior Woman Kishelle Licorish, Outstanding Junior Man Omar Combie, Outstanding Junior Woman Abigail Jones, Outstanding Sophomore Man Hunter Ordner, Outstanding Sophomore Woman Brooke Creacy, Outstanding Freshman Man Andres Revis, and Outstanding Freshman Woman Elizabeth Horn. 

The Viola Grady Leadership Award was presented to Crege La Ronde; the James L. Stewart Service Award was presented to the Sociology Club; and the Howard Farrell Community Excellence Award was presented to Deanna Duensing. 

Academic Awards

Academic awards presented to students in the Dillard College of Business Administration were Outstanding Accounting Student Syarra Tonge, Outstanding Economics Student Breidy Encarnacion Santiago, Outstanding Finance Student Katrina Matamoros, Outstanding General Business Student Richard Judy Jr., Outstanding Management Student Jemimah Walulya, Outstanding Management Information Systems Student Tariq Morvan, Outstanding Marketing Student Kerlisha Laurent, and Outstanding Graduate Student In Business Administration Mahesh Reddy Dondeti.

Students recognized from the Gordon T. and Ellen West College of Education were Outstanding Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences Student Samantha Wolf Baumgartner, Outstanding Bilingual Education Student Yazmin Escarcega Carranza, Outstanding Elementary Education Student Chelsey Lourias, Outstanding 4th Through 8th Grade Education Student Bethany Osborne, Outstanding Kinesiology Student Winston Mosse, Outstanding Secondary Education Student Danielle Hardin, Outstanding Special Education Student Braelyn Ringwald, Outstanding Sport and Leisure Studies Student Derrick Herrick, and Outstanding Graduate Student in Education Alysha Humpert.

Awards presented to students in the Lamar D. Fain College of Fine Arts were Outstanding Art Student Jaeda Flores, Outstanding Mass Communication Student Karrington Bradley, Outstanding Music Student Lillian Adams, and Outstanding Theatre Student Letha Heathe Anderson. The Vinson Award for Journalism was presented to Elizabeth Mahan.

Students recognized from the Robert D. & Carol Gunn College of Health Sciences & Human Services were Outstanding Athletic Training Student Lisa Garcia, Outstanding Criminal Justice Student Philip Clay, Outstanding Dental Hygiene Student Emily Sun, Outstanding Exercise Physiology Student Robert Russell, Outstanding Nursing Student Abaigeal Gore, Outstanding Radiologic Science Student Shali Hartman, Outstanding Respiratory Care Student Kelsey Shahan, Outstanding Social Work Student Azlynn Withrow, and Outstanding Graduate Student in Health Sciences and Human Services William Morgan.

Students recognized from the Prothro-Yeager College of Humanities & Social Sciences were Outstanding English Student Meredith Berend, Outstanding Student in a Foreign Language Thalia Doe, Outstanding History Student Nathan Endo, Outstanding Humanities Student Sara Conyers, Outstanding Global Studies Student Celestine Annan, Outstanding Political Science Student Shelbi Stogdill, Outstanding Psychology Student Siedah Charles, Outstanding Sociology Student Maggie Wyatt, and Outstanding Graduate Student in Humanities and Social Sciences Kory Williams. The Vinson Award in Creative Writing was presented to Meredith Berend.

Awards presented to students in the McCoy College of Science, Mathematics & Engineering were Outstanding Biology Student Tahlia Charles, Outstanding Chemistry Student Amy Arceneaux, Outstanding Computer Science Student Kevin Davis, Outstanding Environmental Science Student Khalilah Durand, Outstanding Geosciences Student Lauren Stancik, Outstanding Mathematics Student Chad Callender, Outstanding Mechanical Engineering Student Henry Steele, Outstanding Physics Student Kendra Jean Jacques and Outstanding Graduate Student in Science, Mathematics Marcelo Campolino.