ESU juniors earn prestigious honor

2007 Shepherd Scholars
Front row (l to r)Heather Harrison, Valynn Christie, Kelli Coble, Jeff Kohlmeier, Augusta Shepherd, President Michael R. Lane, Lindsay Davis, Kyla Lewis. Back row (l to r) Ashley Czajkowski, Jaclyn Sill, Andrew Holt, Jonathan Haney, Kelly Thompson, Eric Runge, Megan Grisell, Rachel Reeves and Aniesa Slack

Fifteen juniors were honored Wednesday for their outstanding academic achievements and contributions during an awards ceremony at the Sauder Alumni Center. These 15 ambitious students were named Shepherd Scholars, a program established in 1994 by the late R. Hershel and Augusta Shepherd of Emporia.

The Shepherd Scholars program rewards up to 15 juniors each year with a $1,200 scholarship for the students’ senior years. To be eligible, a student must be an ESU junior who has completed at least 60 credit hours of coursework and has maintained a minimum 3.5 grade point average. Students who meet these criteria must be nominated for the honor, and all nominations undergo a rigorous committee review and are selected by some of ESU’s top faculty members, Roe R. Cross professors.

“This is truly a prestigious accomplishment. These students illustrate the quality education we provide here at Emporia State University,” said Dr. Dwight Moore, Director, University Honors Program and associate professor, biological sciences.

Members of the Shepherd family in attendance at the awards ceremony were: Augusta Shepherd, Jim and Mary Shepherd, Joyce French and Judy and Daniel Hawkins.

Honorees received a plaque commemorating their selection, a $1,200 scholarship, and are designated ESU Shepherd Scholars during their senior year.

The 2007 Shepherd Scholars include:

Valynn Christie, Elementary Education, Wichita

Kelli Coble, English, Galena

Ashley Czajkowski, Art, Meriden

Lindsay Davis, Biology, Olpe

Megan Grisell, Spanish, Olathe

Jonathan Haney, Math, Emporia

Heather Harrison, Elementary Education, Lawrence

Andrew Holt, Earth Science, Marion

Jeff Kohlmeier, Biochemisty and Molecular Biology, Cottonwood Falls

Kyla Lewis, Elementary Education, Baldwin City

Rachel Reeves, Political Science, Olathe

Eric Runge, Economics, Wichita

Jaclyn Sill, Social Science, Wichita

Aniesa Slack, Biology, Oxford

Kelly Thompson, Speech Communication, Alma

Last Updated July 2, 2007>