OBU to Honor 110 Graduates During Winter Commencement Dec. 13

December 12, 2019

OBU will confer degrees upon 72 undergraduate students and 38 graduate students during the Winter Commencement ceremony Friday, Dec. 13. The ceremony will take place in Raley Chapel’s Potter Auditorium at 2 p.m. Dr. Heath Thomas, president-elect of OBU and current dean of the Hobbs College of Theology and Ministry, will deliver the address.

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

Dr. Mack Roark, a 1958 graduate and Professor Emeritus of Bible, will deliver the invocation. Dr. Pat Taylor, OBU interim president, will welcome the students and deliver introductions. Dr. Hance Dilbeck, executive director-treasurer of Oklahoma Baptists will deliver greetings while Kenny Day, OBU marketing and communications director, will read the scripture.

The program will include a presentation of the graduating class by Clayton Myers, president of the OBU Student Government Association, and Dr. Susan DeWoody, provost.

Dr. Will Smallwood, senior vice president for advancement and university relations, will induct the candidates into the alumni association and then Dr. Taylor will deliver the charge. Dr. Lindsey Panxhi, assistant professor of English and director of the Honors Program, will deliver the benediction.

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 Katy Boles, Emily Boyne, Cherie Brewer, Gage Bullard, Keegan Caldwell, Aubrey Cotham, Megan Crowson, Noah DeMoss, Emma Downing, Zachary Evans, Julianne Ford, Emma Greathouse, Audrey Harlow, Rylie Hickman, Andrew Hill, Brooklynn James, Kendra Johnson, Alexis Large, Catherine Oakley, Alexandra O’Steen, Madalyn Peck, Jonathan Soder, Jaylin Stapleton, Bruno Suiama and Joseph Tison.

Candidates for bachelor’s degrees from OBU’s Paul Dickinson College of Business, with academic majors include Madeleine Boepple, international business; Taylor Bomhoff, marketing, Okarche, Oklahoma; Alejandro Castillo, international business; Braden Dwyer, marketing, Tulsa, Oklahoma; Davis Farnell, finance, Burleson, Texas; Cade Lauck, marketing, Tecumseh, Oklahoma; Isaiah Mallory, management, Weatherford, Texas; Annette Orrick, computer science, Arlington, Texas; Arsid Panxhi, marketing, Shawnee, Oklahoma; Kaitlyn Precure, management, Oklahoma City; Jared Storey, management, Newcastle, Oklahoma; Dean Van Vors, finance, Porter, Oklahoma; and Devontrae Young, marketing, Lawton, Oklahoma.

From the Warren M. Angell College of Fine Arts, candidates for bachelor’s degrees include Leighla Beteta, art, Lawton; Raelynn Burdett, communication studies, Oklahoma City; Zachary Bush, digital media arts, Shawnee; Jacob Cunningham, digital media arts, El Dorado, Arkansas; Jonathan Deichman, instrumental, Shawnee; Andrew Eppenbach, communication studies, Claremont, California; Aspen Grimes, communication studies, Tecumseh; Cassandra Johanning, graphic design, Prescott, Kansas; and JoziRose Mayfield, communication studies, Tulsa.

Candidates for bachelor’s degrees from OBU’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences include Megan Allen, health and human performance, Frisco, Texas; Alyssa Alvarado, forensic psychology, Grand Prairie, Texas; Rachel Beiermann, psychology pre-counseling, Flower Mound, Texas; Kaden Betsch, history, Valencia, California; Hayden Blair, health and physical education, McKinney, Texas; Hannah Bourassa, forensic psychology, Muskogee, Oklahoma; Payton Bullard, family and community service: family life track, Oklahoma City; Samuel Carver, history, Claremore, Oklahoma; Abigail Corff, psychology pre-counseling, Edmond, Oklahoma; Colton Cross, multilingual communications, Spring, Texas; Cassandra Fullingim, sports and recreation management, Oklahoma City; Megan Funderburk, psychology, Oklahoma City; Kristen Grabin, health and human performance and sports management, Shawnee; Jacques Henderson, sports and recreation management, Lawton; Kaylin Howell, psychology pre-counseling, Del City, Oklahoma; Danna Irish, history, Shawnee; Carlos James, criminal justice, Crestview, Florida; Christina Johnson, early childhood education, Edmond, Oklahoma; Kayla Johnson, psychology pre-counseling, Lawton; Holly Kubiak, secondary English education, Shawnee; Alexis Martin, elementary and special education, Olathe, Kansas; Morgan Melton, family and community service: family life track, Shawnee; Taylor Parker, family and community service: family life track, Oklahoma City; Sydnie Randolph, secondary English education, Goddard, Kansas; Taylor Reaves, elementary education, Springfield, Missouri; Breá Richards, criminal justice, Oklahoma City; Rachel Richie, elementary and special education, Wichita Falls, Texas; Brianna Roark, early childhood and elementary education, Shawnee; Dillon Smith, sports and recreation management, Keller, Texas; Jillian Smith, elementary education, Allen, Texas; Carleigh Sullivan, camp administration, Temple, Texas; Molly Surine, psychology pre-counseling, Inola, Oklahoma; Jerret Thomas, sports and recreation management, Humble, Texas; Yancy Torres, psychology pre-counseling, Spencer, Oklahoma; Abigail Welch, elementary education, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; Mikayla Whiteley, psychology pre-counseling, Watford City, North Dakota; and Shelby Winters, exercise and sports science, Norman, Oklahoma.

From the James E. Hurley College of Science and Mathematics, candidates for bachelor’s degrees include Hannah Durkee, secondary math education, Wichita, Kansas; Zachary Hamilton, natural science, Greenville, Texas; Marcellous Hawkins, natural science, Oklahoma City; Leslie Lehrmann, mathematics and apologetics, Anna, Texas; Felipe Zapata, mathematics; and Addyson Webber, mathematics, Plano, Texas.

Candidates for bachelor’s degrees from the Herschel H. Hobbs College of Theology and Ministry include James Bewley, Bible, Bixby, Oklahoma; Katherine Bewley, Bible, Choctaw, Oklahoma; Marwin Dickerson, student ministry, Coalgate, Oklahoma; Austin Hagler, student ministry and apologetics, Porum, Oklahoma; Samantha McCreary, Bible and English, Harrah, Oklahoma; Thomas Shroder, pastoral ministry, apologetics and economics, Tucson, Arizona; and Rodd Wood, apologetics, Stratford, Oklahoma.

Candidates receiving their associate degrees from the School of Christian Studies include Dorian Bacy and Andrew Pilant.

Candidates for the Master of Arts in Christian Studies include Nancy Bailey, Ray Owens and Joshua Boles.

Candidates for the Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies include Zachary Fuller.

Candidates for the Master of Business Administration include Sanga Ouattara, Christina Roach, Michele Phillips, Rachel Stafford, Thao Vu, William Brantley, McKenzie Cooper, Katherine Custer, Houston Tyler, Taylor Haines, Dennis Llewellyn and Whitney Sizemore.

Candidates for the Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy include Olivia Reel, Abigail McCalister, Corin Mines, Shelbie Shawn, Jana Day, Lauren Franz, Jeffrey Lynch, Timothy Farris, Madison Vaughan, Noah Wickham, Audra Frank, Sierra Gilbert, McKenzie McGuffee, Alexander Holland, Kayla Wilbourn and Leah Johnson.

Candidates for the Master of Science in Nursing include Edna Dudley, Harriet Cooper, Sara McGuire and William Jordan.

The commencement ceremony will be streaming live on the OBU website homepage or may be viewed following the ceremony by following a link posted on post-commencement news release.