Central Baptist Colleges Recognizes Students for Academic Excellence

The Central Baptist College Math and Science Department recognized four students for their academic excellence by awarding them with white coats in a private ceremony held Tuesday, April 4. This event marked the twelfth 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 Dr. Mi-Seon Seong, Associate Professor of Biology, 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

Skyler Wise, Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences

Central Baptist College Math and Science Department faculty include Judy Gabbard, Math and Science Department Chair and Professor of Science; Dr. Elizabeth Gomez, Natural and Social Sciences Division Chair and Professor of Chemistry; Dr. Rachel Scott, Associate Professor of Biology; and Dr. Mi-Seon Seong, Associate Professor of Biology.

Central Baptist College 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: The Jesse Thomas Christian Service Award, the AD Livingston Missions Award, and the Outstanding Student in Biblical Studies Award.

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 Jesse Thomas Christian Service Award was given to Coby Harvison. Coby 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 Honor Graduates awards, Outstanding Graduate awards, and a Servant Leader Award.

The Honor Graduate awards were given to Macy Jordan and Savannah Book. The Outstanding Graduate awards were given to Averie Ayers and Erica Hawkins. The Servant leader award was given to Macy Jordan.

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 3rd place in the Small Business category of the recent competition.

The Behavioral Sciences Department gave the Outstanding Student in Psychology award to Christa Owen. Christa has been focused and goal-oriented and has achieved academic excellence. She has also demonstrated good time management and empathy, and she gets along well with others.

The Outstanding Graduate Award was given to Carter Mills. Carter has been reliable and hard-working, 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 and the Outstanding Student in Communication.

The Outstanding Student in Oral Communication was awarded to Lydia Dunlap. Lydia 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. Grace 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 Kat Carson, Tower Social Media editor; Cassie Hagar Tower Radio station manager (Fall 2022); Emily Owen, Tower newspaper editor and Carillon yearbook editor; Grace Vandergriff, Tower Web editor; Hannah Varnado, Tower Radio station manager (Spring 2023); and Abigail Weihe, Tower Photography Editor.

The Education Department presented the Promising Teacher award to Faith Birmingham Gray. Faith 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 presented the Outstanding Student in English award to Emily Owen. Emily 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 that 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 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 presented 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. Marlee 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. Alpha Chi is a national, interdisciplinary organization that recognizes excellence, character, and service. Over 300 institutions across the national 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 Central Baptist College administration, faculty, and staff congratulate all of these students on their academic achievements!