OBU to Honor 136 Graduates During Winter Commencement Dec. 15

December 13, 2017

Oklahoma Baptist University will confer degrees upon 80 undergraduate and 56 graduate students during Winter Commencement, Friday, Dec. 15. The ceremony will take place in Raley Chapel’s Potter Auditorium at 2 p.m. Dr. Anthony Jordan, executive director-treasurer of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, will deliver the address.

The students will perform their ceremonial final walk across campus as OBU students before filing into Raley Chapel. The students, in academic regalia, will proceed from the Geiger Center to the chapel, passing through rows of OBU faculty members before reaching the chapel’s east steps.

OBU President Dr. David W. Whitlock will preside over the ceremonies and deliver the charge to the graduates. The program will include a presentation of the graduating class by Savannah Payne, vice president of the OBU Student Government Association, and Dr. Stan Norman, provost and executive vice president for campus life.

A live stream of Winter Commencement will be available to watch, beginning at 2 p.m. The link will be available at www.okbu.edu.

Junior Class Marshals will escort the graduating class to their seats in Raley Chapel. The top-ranking junior men and women, based on overall grade-point average, will serve as marshals. This group includes Hannah Axton, Jonathan Ball, Ashley Berkey, Payton Clark, Rebecca Cobb, Bethany Cole, Katherine Cole, Lauren Dean, Kristin Dodd, Madison Granger, Adriana Holder, Kristin Holle, Olivia Jones, Emily Jost, Andrew Joyce, Megan Kirkendall, Moriah Lamb, Sarah Lee, Kali Lowery, Mitchell Manlapig, Mikaleh Offerman, Kathryn Overton, Oliver Payne, Isabella Scarinzi, Emily Sechrist, Juliana Sinclair, Carolyn Sosinski, Jonathon Stewart, Libby Unruh, Marta Villa and Haylee Zimmerman.

Candidates for bachelor’s degrees from OBU’s Paul Dickinson College of Business, with academic majors and hometowns, include Thomas Ackerknecht, international business, Santiago, Chile; Conner Burnett, management, Midwest City, Oklahoma; Zachary Clark, professional accountancy: interdisciplinary, Oklahoma City; Grant Ericsson, international business, Salina, Kansas; Tyler Fuller, computer information systems, Oklahoma City; Brandon Garret, management, Edmond, Oklahoma; Ryan Gay, computer science: interdisciplinary: graphic design, Shawnee; Alison Mauch, finance, Carrollton, Texas; Richard Palmer IV, computer information systems, Oklahoma City; Colin Spencer, international business, Yukon, Oklahoma; Alexa Tininenko, finance, Bentonville, Arkansas; and Tucker Yarbrough, management, Blanchard, Oklahoma.

From the Warren M. Angell College of Fine Arts, candidates for bachelor’s degrees include Lainie Barnes, communication studies, Newalla, Oklahoma; Abigail Bennet, communication studies, Milford, Kansas; Jason Burger, digital media arts, Aurora, Colorado; Andrew Cox, digital media arts, Stillwater, Oklahoma; Lisa Drew, digital media arts, Harrah, Oklahoma; Allison Haines, theatre, Shawnee; Logan Hays, communication studies, Tecumseh, Oklahoma; Lydia Kellar, musical arts, Hot Springs, Arkansas; Robyn Kuylen, communication studies, Dangriga, Belize; Angel O’Brien, graphic design, Denison, Texas; Haley Pearson, communication studies, Pocasset, Oklahoma; Nicole Smith, news and information, Pond Creek, Oklahoma; Alyssa Sperrazza, interdisciplinary: news and information/cross-cultural ministry/political science, Edmond; Julie Studstill, theatre, Arlington, Texas; Matthew Westfall, church music, Tulsa, Oklahoma; Eric Yoder, music education: vocal certification, P-12, Inola, Oklahoma; and Hunter Zuel, digital media arts, Tulsa.

Candidates for bachelor’s degrees from OBU’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences include Kathleen Baumel, psychology, Moore, Oklahoma; Kayla Boaz, anthropology, Hurst, Oklahoma; Nicolas Brun, exercise and sports science: personal training/strength and conditioning, Cercie, France; Sarah Combes, creative writing, Elmore City, Oklahoma; Ashley Cousatte, psychology: pre-counseling, Miami, Oklahoma; McKenzie Crawford, elementary education and special education, Edmond; Erik Derrow, interdisciplinary: kinesiology and leisure science/education, Houston, Texas; Audrey Ellis, interdisciplinary: psychology/religion/history, Wagoner, Oklahoma; Madeleine Foote, exercise and sports science: pre-allied health and rehabilitation services, Shawnee; Sarah Forbes, early childhood education, Edmond; Vivianne Garcia, exercise and sports science: pre-allied health and rehabilitation services, Oklahoma City; Breann Greenshaw, elementary education, McAlester, Oklahoma; Madyson Hillis, exercise and sports science: exercise physiology and wellness, Sanger, Texas; McKenzie Jones, psychology: pre-counseling, Oklahoma City; Jackie Ketch, leisure service management: sports and recreation management, Oklahoma City; Rebecca Lee, family and community service: family life track, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; and Robert Meadows, criminal justice, Midwest City.

Additional candidates from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences include Danni Miller, exercise and sports science: pre-allied health and rehabilitation services, McKinney, Texas; Allison Mitchell-Hill, elementary education and special education, Fairbury, Nebraska; Noah Nelson, exercise and sports science: personal training/strength and conditioning, Ozark, Missouri; Elaina Nolan, elementary education, Roswell, New Mexico; Kevin Olmeda Ahedo, exercise and sports science: personal training/strength and conditioning, Kissimmee, Florida; ReAnna Pete, sociology, Oklahoma City; Lauren Rezek, psychology, Allen, Texas; Ashley Rogers, early childhood education and elementary education, League City, Texas; Audrey Rose, elementary education, Enid, Oklahoma; Tyler Shores, leisure service management: sports ministry, Ardmore, Oklahoma; Ian Sims, leisure service management: sports and recreation management, Broken Arrow; Dezmond Stegall, exercise and sports science: pre-allied health and rehabilitation services, Searcy, Arkansas; Katrina Stevens, psychology: pre-counseling, Oklahoma City; Stephane Turner, interdisciplinary: exercise science/sports management, Rowlett, Texas; Madison Vaughan, psychology: pre-counseling, Coweta, Oklahoma; Sierra VeraCruz, psychology: pre-counseling, Oregon City, Oregon; Kaylan Westbrook, anthropology, Shawnee; Gage Wimer, exercise and sports science: personal training/strength and conditioning, Blanchard, Oklahoma; Ashley Young, psychology: pre-counseling, Shawnee; and Taylar Ziegler, elementary education, Broken Arrow.

From the James E. Hurley College of Science and Mathematics, candidates for bachelor’s degrees include James Burton, mathematics, Yukon, Oklahoma; Caleb Munnell, physics, Hastings, Nebraska; and Summer Ray, secondary mathematics education, Midwest City.

Candidates for bachelor’s degrees from the Herschel H. Hobbs College of Theology and Ministry include Kryn Bradley, interdisciplinary: children’s ministry/cross-cultural ministry/family and community service, Dayton, Nevada; Tyler Curry, cross-cultural ministry, McAlester; David Dargel, Christian ministry: pastoral ministry, McKinney, Texas; Shelby Dillman, cross-cultural ministry: orality studies emphasis, Spring, Texas; Dena Herring, Christian ministry: children’s ministry, McLoud, Oklahoma; Grant Hoover, Christian ministry: student ministry, Frederick, Oklahoma; Jonathon Ivers, religion: Bible, Denison; Braden Norwood, religion and philosophy, Owasso, Oklahoma; Darris Patrick, cross-cultural ministry, Prairie Grove, Arkansas; Nathan Shipman, religion: Bible, Whitewright, Texas; and Weston Young, religion: Bible, Shawnee.

Candidates for the Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies from OBU’s College of Graduate and Professional Studies include Larry Factor and Lyle Sasser.

Candidates for the Master of Arts in Christian Studies from OBU’s College of Graduate and Professional Studies include Curtis Erwin, Gary Nickerson, Kevin Rainey, Scott Reed, Joe Sanders and Scott Watkins.

Candidates for the Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies from OBU’s College of Graduate and Professional Studies include Terrence Gibson, Benny Lockler, Donald Sain and Rachael Sain.

Candidates for the Master of Business Administration include Gideon Asante, Brice Barnes, Dillon Gardner, Robert Carney, Enjoli Patri, Allen Garcia, Minh Ha, Nalinee Junkaew, Amalan Kadja, Lakshminarayanan Kalimuthu, Venkata Kantumuchu, Lisa MacManus, Robert Marquardt, Boaz Massey, Simon Mathema, Coy Migl, Javier Molina, Rachel Olsen, Christopher Sanford, Thomas Saxby, Dmytro Smirnov, Lakshmi Viswanath and Brooke Webb.

Candidates for the Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy include Janet Ake, Meghann Boehm, Ronald Bright, Kristen Callaway, Sally Coplin, Megan Cross, Mitchell DeShazer, Kenneth Ferguson, John Hollowell, Alissa Lee, Brooke Runion, James Smith and Amy Southerland.

Candidates for the Master of Science in Nursing include Elizabeth Baxter, Misty Gray, Karisa Kennedy-Gregory, Abby Mann, Shelia Metzger, Julie Nevins, Donna Prine and Fousa Vang.