The Central Baptist College Math and Science Department recognized five students for their academic excellence by awarding them with white coats in a private ceremony held on Tuesday, April 4. This event marked the 12th White Coat Ceremony to be held by the college. Each student achieved academic excellence, completing rigorous academic requirements set forth by Math and Science Department faculty and were approved as a recipient for her white coat.
The 2023 ceremony included a prayer of blessing led by Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Mi-Seon Seong and the presentation of the honorees and their white coats by department faculty and the 2022 white coat members.
The 2023 White Coat Class is listed below with their major:
• Abigail Barker, Bachelor of Science in Biology;
• Marlee Lamoreaux, Bachelor of Science in Biology;
• Lauren McGinley, Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences;
• Bailey Walerczyk, Bachelor of Science in Biology and
• Skyler Wise, Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences.
CBC Math and Science Department faculty include Math and Science Department Chair and Professor of Science Judy Gabbard, Natural and Social Sciences Division Chair and Professor of Chemistry Dr. Elizabeth Gomez, Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Rachel Scott and Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Mi-Seon Seong.
Student Academic Awards
CBC students were honored at the end of the academic year by their respective academic departments. In addition to departmental academic awards, qualifying students were inducted into the Alpha Chi National Honor Society.
The Bible Department presented three awards:
• Given in honor of Dr. Jesse Thomas, a long-time CBC professor and pastor, the Jesse Thomas Christian Service Award is given to students based on their outstanding Christian service, not only in the classroom but also in their church and community work. This year, the award was given to Coby Harvison. He was selected for his willingness to serve wherever possible and for always serving with a quiet and humble spirit.
• The Outstanding Greek Student Award was given to Emerald Colvin. She was chosen because of her faithfulness in her Greek studies. She attended classes, did her work and demonstrated proficiency in the language.
• The Outstanding Student in Biblical Studies Award goes to the top graduating Bible Department student. This award was presented to Noah Pratt. Noah received this award because of his excellent work in Bible classes. He used his Bible degree throughout his time at CBC by serving on campus and in a church ministry.
The Business Department presented these awards:
• The Honor Graduate awards were given to Macy Jordan and Savannah Book because they are not only graduating with high GPAs (as honor graduates from CBC) but have also earned excellent grades in their business classes and have exhibited skills that will make them successful in their professions.
• The Outstanding Graduate Award is given to a student that excels in every way. They should excel in the classroom as well as demonstrate a strong work ethic, team spirit and leadership skills. This award was given to Averie Ayers and Erica Hawkins. They are both graduating with honors. Averie is a leading pitcher on the softball team, as well as participating in the Arkansas Governor’s Cup business plan competition where our team (EzB) took third place. She will continue her education at UCA in the fall, pursuing a Master of Accounting degree. Erica is a leader on our women’s soccer team and is completing her degree in three years. She has been accepted to multiple law schools and will begin one of those this fall.
• The Servant Leader award goes to a student who is able to influence others through his/her heart of love and service. Macy Jordan received this year’s award. She serves as president of CBC Rotaract, participates in mission trips and serves on the praise team in her church. She has a love for God that shines in everything she does, and she shares that love with others through her activities.
• Also recognized were three students that participated in the Arkansas Governor’s Cup competition. The team’s name was EzB, and team members included Bryson Jones, Averie Ayers and Katie Smith. They received thirdplace in the Small Business category of the recent competition.
The Behavioral Sciences Department awards went to:
• The Outstanding Student in Psychology award to Christa Owen. She has been focused and goal-oriented and has achieved academic excellence. She has also demonstrated good time management and empathy and gets along well with others.
• The Outstanding Graduate award was given to Carter Mills. He has been dependable and hardworking and has proven that he wants to exhibit positivity in the world of mental health.
The Communication Department presented two awards:
• The Outstanding Student in Oral Communication was awarded to Lydia Dunlap. She was given this award due to her display of intelligence, confidence, drive and communication skills.
• The Outstanding Student in Communication was presented to Grace Vandergriff. She was selected because she devotes an enormous amount of time to the department and Tower Media, the campus student media outlet. She challenges her staff to do their best and works with them while they plan and carry out assignments.
• The Tower Media leadership was also recognized. This includes Tower Social Media Editor Kat Carson, Tower Radio Station Manager Cassie Hagar (Fall 2022); Tower Newspaper Editor and Carillon Yearbook Editor Emily Owen, Tower Web Editor Grace Vandergriff, Tower Radio Station Manager Hannah Varnado (Spring 2023) and Tower Photography Editor Abigail Weihe.
The Education Department presented the Promising Teacher award to Faith Birmingham Gray. She was chosen for demonstrating to her instructors and cooperative teachers the skills and dispositions to become an excellent teacher as she progresses in her career.
The Literature and Language Arts Department awards went to:
• The Outstanding Student in English award to Emily Owen. She was given this award due to her tremendous growth, especially in creative writing.
• The Outstanding Student in Spanish award was given to Kennedy Williams and Alyssa Smith. It can be difficult to learn a foreign language, and both Kennedy and Alyssa have proven they have what it takes. They have worked very hard and go above and beyond in the classroom.
• The Advanced Spanish Award was given to Gracie Harvison, who has shown incredible skills in language acquisition. She has figured out how Spanish works and capitalizes on that. Being in an advanced Spanish class is a lot of work, yet Gracie never complains and has been a joy to her professor.
• The Outstanding Scholar Award was given to Mason Crymes for exhibiting the characteristics of a true scholar. He has a desire to learn that crosses all disciplines and is a lifelong learner. He excels academically, but more importantly, he demonstrates a desire to grow spiritually.
The Math and Science Department awards were:
• The Outstanding Senior Award to Abigail Barker and Autumn Herring. These students were recognized due to their demonstration of outstanding scholarship abilities, great work ethics and cooperative attitudes toward faculty and other students. They are students who the department believes will achieve their goals as they continue their education in graduate school.
• The Outstanding Student in Mathematics was given to Marlee Lamoreaux. She has proven to be an outstanding student in several math courses and has demonstrated kindness, creativity and intelligence to her professors. She has taken almost every math class offered at CBC and has always gone above and beyond expectations.
The Kinesiology Department presented the Kinesiology Award to Kyle Collins.
The Fine Arts Department presented Senior Recital Awards to Jeremiah Dodson (trumpet) and Alejandro Mendoza (clarinet). Both recitalists played standard classical repertoire. There were very few noticeable mistakes or hesitations, and the performances exhibited a high level of musicality.
Additionally, qualifying students were elected to the Alpha Chi Society, a national, interdisciplinary organization that recognizes excellence, character and service. Over 300 institutions across the nation hold Alpha Chi charters. In order to be inducted, students must be invited, have junior or senior status, have completed a minimum of 30 semester hours at their home institution and have a grade point average (GPA) in the top 10% of GPAs in the institution. The 2023 Alpha Chi inductees were Mallory Reynolds, Skylar Wise, Abigail Barker and Chase Chism.
The CBC administration, faculty and staff congratulate all of these students on their academic achievements!
