PLAINVIEW, Texas — Elizabeth Wirth and Christian Ortega each received Wayland Baptist University’s Citizenship Award during a recognition chapel service held Wednesday, according to a press release from WBU.
The presentation of the Citizenship Awards capped a ceremony in which 63 honors were presented to students.
Included in the awards ceremony was the presentation of the Rory Allgood Thomas Outstanding Freshman Girl and Outstanding Freshman Boy to Gabriella Chapa and Cyrus Mejia.
Read the full press release from Wayland Baptist University:
PLAINVIEW – Elizabeth Wirth and Christian Ortega each received Wayland Baptist University’s Citizenship Award during a recognition chapel service held Wednesday, April 24, in Harral Auditorium.
Voted on by students and faculty, the Citizenship Award is the highest honor given to a senior man and woman each year.
“We congratulate you on this honor,” Dr. Bobby Hall, President, said in presenting the awards.
The Citizenship Award presentations came at the conclusion of a ceremony in which 63 honors were presented to students. The awards included the presentation of Gabriella Chapa and Cyrus Mejia as the Rory Allgood Thomas Outstanding Freshman Girl and Outstanding Freshman Boy.
A senior from Houston, Wirth is the daughter of Jeffery and Christine Wirth. She is the 67th woman to receive the Citizenship Award. Elizabeth is majoring in Chemistry with a minor in Biological Sciences. She was a member of the woman’s volleyball team. While serving as the president of Wayland’s chapter of the American Chemical Society, she has won many awards including, the Commendable Award for the student ACS chapter. She won first place at Texas Academy of Science meeting for her Welch research. Upon graduating, Elizabeth plans to pursue medical school in hopes in becoming a dermatologist.
A senior from Midland, Ortega is the son of Humberto and Margarita Ortega. He is the 67th man to receive the Citizenship Award. Christian is an Honors Program student majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics. He has served as Koinonia director and attorney general for the Student Government Association. He has been a longtime worker for the Office of Advancement and served as a resident assistant at Jimmy Dean Hall for five years. Christian has been heavily involved with Baptist Student Ministries, serving on their Lead Team. Upon graduating, Christian will be working as the BSM Campus Missionary for two years, devoting his time to minister and share the gospel with other students on campus.
Jeffrey Vera, Director of Alumni and Career Services, presented the Rory Allgood Thomas Outstanding Freshman awards.
Mejia is a Business Administration major from Chamberino, N.M. He is the son of Melissa and Barnabas Mejia, and he competes on the men’s wrestling team.
Chapa is s Psychology major from Lubbock. She is the daughter of Penny and Eric Chapa, and she competes on the women’s soccer team.
Dr. Claude Lusk, Senior Vice President of Operations, presented Spinning Wheel Awards to 11 junior or senior students who demonstrated campus leadership while maintaining a minimum grade point average of 2.0. Those receiving the awards included: Luke Brockway, Elizabeth Wirth, Emily Sigala, Joshua Tucker, Matthew Alarcon, Devin Acosta, Ryan Wood, Christian Ortega, Maria Ghaleb, Hope Castillo, and Brooklyn Araujo.
Shaney Brewer, Director of Undergraduate Admission, presented five Pioneer Scholars maintained their academic scholarships throughout their undergraduate studies at Wayland. Those students included: Ethan Byers, Kaitlyn Jerden, William Bundy, Hector Hernandez, and Isaiah Edgerton.
Dr. Cindy McClenagan, Vice President of Academic Affairs, presented Outstanding Achievement Awards to students in various program areas of each of the university’s academic schools.
In the School of Behavioral and Social Sciences, awards were presented to Ethan Byers, History; Maison Dickinson, History Education (7-12); David Snellgrove, Political Science; Marchelle Bowden, Psychology; Aubrey Jaramillo, Sociology; and Isaiah Edgerton, Criminal Justice.
In the School of Business, awards were presented to Hans Doughtie, Accounting; Michael Zaccardo, Business Administration; Dylan McDougal, Cyber Security; Tyler Hartgrove, Digital Marketing; Jamol Williams, Economics; Rennan Sousa, Finance; Megan Nestor, Health Care Administration; Conner Dipprey, Management; Edgar Bermudez, Sports Management; and Daniel Ruiz Vallejo, Marketing.
In the Don A. Williams School of Education, awards were presented to Alexis Shedd, Elementary Education; Ryan Davis, Middle School Education; Dylan Jerden, Secondary Education; Perla Trujillo, All-Level Education; Maria Ghaleb, Allied Health, and Adrian Massimo C. Coppolecchia, Exercise Sports Science.
In the School of Creative Arts, awards were presented to Zeah Clark, Two-Dimensional Art; Alli Ferguson, Graphic Design; Devin Acosta, Media; Joshua Tucker, Communication Studies; Cooper Trollinger, Vocal Performance and Choral Music Education; and Rosa Ramirez, Musicological Studies.
In the school of Languages and Literature, awards were presented to Jesus Soto, Spanish; Lillian Jolly, Humanities; and Madison Casanova, English.
In the Kenneth L. Mattox School of Mathematics and Sciences, awards were presented to Celeste Lozano, Biology; Elizabeth Wirth, Chemistry; Ben Lubker, Mathematics; Luke Brockway, Molecular Biology; Manu Donmeza, Computer Science; Francisca Maria Castello Gonzalez, Environmental Science; and xxx.
In the school of Christian Studies, awards were presented to Raylee Parker, Amelia Bishop Women’s Ministerial Award; Marco “Arturo” Flores, Arthur E. Boyd Award; and Christopher Chadwick, Timothy Award.
End press release.
