Colleges and universities have released the following information about area students.
Academic honors
Jessica D. Brewer of Arlington has been named to the spring dean’s list at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. To qualify for the dean’s list, a student must have earned a minimum 3.5 grade point average out of a possible 4.0 while attempting at least 12 credit hours of coursework. Dean’s list is the highest academic recognition given by the school at the end of each semester.
The University of Tennessee at Martin has released the list of local students named to the spring 2017 chancellor’s honor rolls. Each eligible student must take at least 12 hours of credit (pass-fail courses are not included) and achieve a 3.2 (B) grade point average based on a 4.0 scale. Students can make the list with honors (3.2–3.49 GPA), high honors (3.5–3.79 GPA) or highest honors (3.8–4.0 GPA). Bartlett students include Caleb H. Bell, high honors; Melody K. Black, high honors; Tavarious M. Cleaves, honors; Violet A. Durden, high honors; Samantha B. Gehring, honors; Abigayle R. Lovell, high honors; Brookelyn E. Massey, high honors; Sarah E. Max, high honors; Tiara S. Morgan, highest honors; Samantha M. Porter, highest honors; John M. Taylor, highest honors; and Christine E. Van de Vuurst, high honors. Arlington students include Julia C. Borrego, Honors; Jacquelyn D. Hader, highest honors; Connor R. Henson, honors; and Meera K. Patel, highest honors. Lakeland students include Katelyn R. Colvin, honors; Alec K. Cooper, honors; Drew B. Thomas, highest honors; and Mckell E. Wilbanks, high honors.
Four Bartlett students have been named to the spring 2017 dean’s list at Union University in Jackson, Tenn.: Brooklyn Alexandra Croom, Brooke N. Newton, Anna Grace White and Danielle Desiray Wilkinson. The dean’s list includes full-time students who achieve a 3.5 grade point average on a four-point scale.
The following area students recently received awards from the University of Tennessee at Martin: Tavarious Cleaves of Bartlett, the Outstanding Hospitality and Food Service Management Student Award; Emily Guenther of Bartlett, the Outstanding Veterinary Health Technology Student Award; and Chelsea Thomson of Lakeland, the Outstanding Agricultural Business Student Award.
Three Bartlett students have been named to the spring 2017 president’s list at Union University in Jackson, Tenn: Kanadrian A. Milton, Hannah Mae Smith and Anna Catherine Venckus. The president’s list includes full-time students who achieve a 4.0 grade point average on a four-point scale.
Shantane Diamond of Bartlett was recently initiated into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society. Diamond is pursuing a degree in nursing at Tennessee State University. Phi Kappa Phi membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.
Who’s Who honors
Jodie Webb of Arlington was among the 37 students from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark., who will be included in an upcoming edition of Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.
The students were chosen by OBU’s faculty, staff and the 2017 senior class based on their academic performance, leadership in extracurricular activities, community service and potential for success.
Webb, 22, is an elementary education major and a graduate of Macon Road Baptist School. She has been named to Ouachita’s dean’s list and was named a Blue Ribbon Finisher and Ben Elrod Scholar through OBU’s Carl Goodson Honors Program.
Webb is a member of the OBU Student Life Committee, Student Senate, Mat Maids and Kappa Delta Phi honor society for education. She has served Panhellenic Council as president, Tri Chi women’s social club as Tiger Tunes director and Eta Alpha Omega men’s social club as sweetheart. She also has worked as a resident assistant.
Webb plans to pursue a career in teaching and writing children’s books to “inspire every child I come in contact with to be the very best they can be,” she said.
Regional honors
Jessica Brewer of Arlington, a history major, was a member of the mock trial team from Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. The team earned regional honors at the American Mock Trial Association Regionals competition at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Ky., and qualified for the national Opening Round Championship Series. This is the first time Samford has qualified for the opening rounds since 2010 and only the second time since the team’s inception. Brewer also was named an Outstanding Witness in Louisville.
To qualify for the national opening rounds, Samford’s team competed against teams from Lee University, Vanderbilt University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The students presented both the plaintiff and defense sides of an age discrimination case.
Study abroad in Italy
Camryn Pitts of Bartlett departed May 10 for a three-month semester studying at Harding University in Florence, Italy. As part of the Harding University-Florence curriculum, Pitts, a drama and speech education major, is spending the semester immersed in Italian culture.
Pitts and other students will have the opportunity to visit locations such as Pisa, Rome, Pompeii, Sicily and other historically significant areas. The group lives together in a 16th-century villa much like a typical Italian family, cultivating new relationships with fellow students.
Students in the program have a full course load available to them taught by visiting Harding professors. The professors also travel with the students. The classes encourage exploration and interaction among the people of Italy. Harding University is a private Christian university in Searcy, Ark.
Study abroad in Europe
Ellie Arnett, a kinesiology and health licensure major from Lakeland, is among the Harding University students who depart May 25 for a four-week Bison Athletes in Training study-abroad program. Students will travel to locations in Italy, Greece and Germany and will take at least six credit hours of Bison Athletes in Training was created for student athletes who could not take advantage of other University study-abroad programs during the school year due to training and practice schedules. Class and travel schedules allow time for workouts at a local gym and field. Harding University is a private Christian university in Searcy, Ark.
Graduations
Portia Dezerae McManis of Arlington graduated with a bachelor of business administration degree on May 5 at Shorter University in Rome, Ga.
The following local students graduated from Harding University in Searcy, Ark., on May 6: Meghan Ramsey of Bartlett, magna cum laude, master of science degree in speech-language pathology and leadership and ministry; Charles Bennett of Bartlett, bachelor of arts in general studies; Cameron Avery of Arlington, cum laude with a bachelor of business administration degree in marketing; Hannah Wagner of Lakeland, summa cum laude with a master of business administration degree in management and business ethics; Andrew Sossaman of Lakeland, master of arts in teaching degree in secondary education.
The following area students graduated from Bethel University during the spring commencement exercises on May 6 at the school’s main campus in McKenzie, Tenn.: Alex Cordell Hurst of Bartlett, bachelor of science degree with honors; Colleen Griffin Hodge of Bartlett, master of business administration degree; Joshua Alexander of Bartlett, bachelor of science degree; Loistean Barnes of Bartlett, bachelor of science degree; Ebony Marie Higgenbottom of Bartlett, bachelor of science degree; Ryan Thomas McCrory of Bartlett, bachelor of arts degree: Penny Sprigs-Smith of Bartlett, bachelor of science with honors.
Lita M. Tatum of Bartlett graduated from Park University in Parkville, Mo., on May 13 with a master of business administration degree.
Bailey James of Bartlett graduated from Campbellsville University in Campbellsville, Ky., in the May 12-13 ceremonies. James graduated with a bachelor of arts degree with a graphic design emphasis.
John Tucker of Arlington graduated from Berry College in Rome, Ga., with a bachelor of arts degree in economics and Spanish.
Aleayah Ashanti Allen of Bartlett graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelor of science degree during the May 12-13 spring commencement exercises.
Michael Favorite of Bartlett graduated from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., with a bachelor of arts degree in elementary education. He was part of the largest graduating class in the college’s 159-year history. In addition to a diploma, each of the 440 graduates received a Fatima medal blessed by Pope Francis. The medals recognized the 100th anniversary of the first appearance by the Virgin Mary to the shepherd children at Fatima, Portugal, on May 13, 1917.
The following Bartlett students graduated from Union University in Jackson, Tenn., on May 20: Matt Wade Battistelli, bachelor of arts degree with a major of teaching English as a second language and a minor in Spanish; Toni Labeth Davis, master of social work degree; Sajata Janell Henderson, bachelor of science in organizational leadership with a minor in organizational management; Lydia Ruth Kaercher, bachelor of science in nursing degree; Kanadrian A. Milton, bachelor of science degree in organizational leadership with a specialization in project management; Anna Grace White, bachelor of science degree with a major in family studies and a minor in sociology; Danielle Desiray Wilkinson, bachelor of science degree in sport management with a specialization in marketing; and Tawanda White Williams, master of social work degree.
