College corner: Locals earn academic honors, graduate
May 13—Universities and colleges have announced the names of those graduating and earning academic honors. Below is a list of recently submitted notifications regarding students from Jacksonville and the surrounding area.
Kilgore College
Kilgore College hosted three commencements Friday to honor its spring graduates. The processions included 463 graduates with 512 degrees and certificates awarded. The graduation ceremonies were conducted in the Dodson Auditorium on the Kilgore College campus.
Area residents who were among the graduates included Emma Grace Nunn, of Bullard; Tabatha Craker, of Frankston; Taylor Michelle Whitaker, of Jacksonville; William Atkinson, of Troup; and Danielle Lara Nelson, also of Troup.
Graduation ceremonies were live-streamed and can still be viewed by selecting the Live tab on the Kilgore College YouTube page, located at youtube.com/kilgorecollege1935.
Samford University
Parker Smith, of Bullard, was among the 1,931 students named to Samford University's Dean's List for the spring 2024 semester. 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. The Dean's List is the highest academic recognition given by the school at the end of each semester.
Tyler Junior College
During Spring 2024 commencement ceremonies on Friday, Tyler Junior College celebrated 1,182 May graduates who earned more than 1,400 degrees and certificates. TJC President Dr. Juan E. Mejia conferred the degrees on the graduates during four ceremonies in Wagstaff Gymnasium on the TJC Central Campus.
Area students graduating Tyler Junior College, listed by hometown, included:
Bullard: Jaycee Baird, Melissa Bearden, Bailey Benson, Jace Benson, Beaux Christian, Ryan Cole, Emily Davis, Aiva De Leon, Elijah De Leon, Randi Fugate, Mitchell Gilbert, Mia Gillispie, Natali Griffin, Berlyn Grossman, Mariett Herrera, Stephanie Herring, Cooper Hill, Elijah Krieg, Owen Lara-Basave, Chandler McLeod, Jacob Moore, Grayson Murry, Garrison Nichols, Faris Patterson, Audrey Rhyne, Kennedy Rose, Oakley Serrano, Bailey Sessions, Bailey Smith, Colin Smith, Jeremy Stafford, Korie Stegall, Kaylee Thomas, Taylor Thompson, Karla Villa and Karly Woodard
Frankston: Caroline Billingsley, CyLena Granger, Kristin Hoffman, Kaitlyn Matthews and Mason Zivney
Jacksonville: Ray Alvarado, Lauren Anderson, Zalatiel Antonio, Nuvia Bergara, Leonel Botello, Dariana Botello Vazquez, Stephanie Bravo, Shelbi Burton, Juliza Cabrera, Karina Calvillo, Jose Candelario, Carter Clinton, Alexia Davis, Dalila Diaz, Roberto Dominguez, Emma Dorman, Luis Garcia, Haley Gates, Haley George, Lizbeth Gonzalez, Rosalba Huerta, Kadashia Kincade, Miranda Knibbe, Amanda Kupke, Eileen Laredo, Juan Lopez Del Rio, Lindsey Lumley, Javier Marroquin, Alexis McGowan, Karla Morales, Felicia Odom, Braylon Parish, Ashley Pearl, Lyndsai Peck, Angel Perez, Jonathan Perez, Kevin Remigio, Virginia Rodriguez, Julissa Rubio, Vanessa Sanchez, Kimberly Siongco, Maria Tavera, Angel Torres, Leslie Torres, Rosalio Trujillo, Veronica Trujillo, Claudia Valencia, Nariah Whitaker, Ashlyn Wilburn, Ashlyn Wilburn, Savannah Williams and Kara Wofford
Maydelle: Andre Sattler
Reklaw: Derrick Kennedy and Chelsea Winters
Rusk: Jordyn Babyak, Emma Bayless, Elisha Blankinship, Caitlynn Burrows, Joann Crockett, William Dotson, Collin Lofton, Christien Perez, Esther Reifel, Katie Ross, Lexie Stanley, Carson Wallace, Barbara Waller and Rachel Walley
Troup: Emily Chadwick, Bracey Cover, Shanna Fleming, Blake Frazier, Corlie Hardy, Logan Hoots, Jamya Jefferson, Brianna Lynn, Gwendetric Montgomery, Stacy Montgomery, Travis Pannell, Dalton Prather, Jessica Wells, Jayla Wroten, Matthew York and Freddie Zavala
Union University
Three hundred sixty-seven students have been named to the Union University Dean's List for the spring 2024 semester. The Dean's List includes full-time students who achieve a 3.5 grade point average on a four-point scale.
Robert Field, of Jacksonville, was among those achieving the honor.
