McPherson College announces the recipients of the 2024-25 Teaching Awards. The awards are presented at the annual Honors Convocation held during Homecoming. This year’s recipients are Ami Martinez and Lindsey Burgey.

A committee of students and last year’s teaching award recipients reviewed nominations from students and faculty colleagues to select one tenured faculty member and one non-tenured faculty member to receive the awards.

Ami Martinez

This year’s tenured award recipient, Ami Martinez, is an assistant professor of English. Understanding and care are the two most prominent qualities mentioned in the nominations of Professor Martinez. She is recognized for her work in the classroom and as a mentor.

One commenter said, “I had Ami during my freshman year, and she always looked out for me and helped me through a really tough time. This year, even though I don’t have her in class, she sends check-in emails and encourages me to see her if I need help. She is an amazing person and teacher.”

Lindsey Burgey

Lindsey Burgey, assistant professor of business, received the non-tenured faculty teaching award. She was recognized for her caring and supportive approach to students and her love of McPherson College.

“Lindsey always makes classes easy to understand and is always understanding and helpful,” said one nomination. Another nomination said, “This professor is one of my favorite teachers. No matter if I have a problem or not, she is always willing to help me out.”

McPherson College recognizes its highest academic achievers in the spring 2024 Honor Roll and Honorable Mention. Students must be full-time and earn a grade point average of 3.55 or higher during the last term to qualify for the Honor Roll. Students earning a grade point average from 3.25 to 3.54 are named to the Honorable Mention Roll.

Students earning a 4.0 GPA for spring 2024 include:

Carter Anglin, Louisburg, KS
Faith Askin, Springfield, MO
Maxwell Barba, Chester, MD
Darril Baty, Sharpsville, IN
Lucas Beasley, Canton, KS
Samantha Bennett, North Richland Hills, TX
Caeley Billings, Gardner, KS
Mia Birkes, Mcpherson, KS
Logan Blades, Meridian, ID
Taylor Bohannon, Belle Plaine, KS
Ava Bolin, Roff, OK
Celien Botlan, Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Az, France
Owen Braxmeyer, Manhattan, KS
Brandon Clifford, Carlisle, PA
Wyatt Conklin, Topeka, KS
Kenzie Cooper, Wamego, KS
Mason Cox, Boerne, TX
Moriah Delgado, Saginaw, TX
Wendy Diaz, McPherson, KS
Katie Dix, McPherson, KS
Dyron Dixon, Leander, TX
Kevin Dodd, Tecumseh, OK
Noah Durham, Winona, MS
Kurtis Ebling, Lindsborg, KS
Isabella Ellerbee, Winston, GA
Aaron Elvin-Temple, Lindsborg, KS
Jace Essig, Paradise, TX
Mariah Fede, Fairhope, AL
Petra Fernandez Garcia, Ituzaingo,
Enya Fierens, Lubbeek, Flemish Brabant, Belgium
Amanda Goering, Hutchinson, KS
Margarida Gomes De Almeida, Queijas, Lisbon, Portugal
Ivan Gomez, Katy, TX
Maddison Gorman, Clay Center, KS
Tavian Gray, Hutchinson, KS
Jacob Guignard, Oakdale, CA
Addison Haiden, Lindsborg, KS
Madelyn Hankins, Blackwell, OK
Caden Hardgrave, McPherson, KS
Arianna Harlan, Derby, KS
Zachary Hawley, Meade, KS
Addie Heitschmidt, Lindsborg, KS
Derika Helms, Inman, KS
Rachael Hendricks, McPherson, KS
Zamauria Herring, Atchison, KS
Alex Hill, Murrieta, CA
Vanessa Hofer, Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria
Heather Hudson, Greenville, TX
Hunter Jones, Brenham, TX
Andrew Kemp, Smyrna, GA
Sylvia Ko, McPherson, KS
Cooper Koestel, Hutchinson, KS
Ryder Konczak, Longview, TX
Ty Kraemer, Mcpherson, KS
Brooke Krapes, Arvada, CO
Lauren Kunda, McPherson, KS
Elijah Leck, McPherson, KS
Rhyan Lucas, Shawnee, KS
Jerome Mabry, Milwaukee, WI
Alih Magana, Hutchinson, KS
Thomas Mancuso, Lititz, PA
Parker Martin, Centennial, CO
Oscar Martinez, Lyford, TX
Kenya McCain, Plano, TX
Henry McDonough, Tucson, AZ
Ally Miller, Havana, KS
Martin Millos, Vigo, Spain
Sada Mills, Salina, KS
Jack Mintz, Agoura Hills, CA
Benedikt Moesbauer, Bayreuth, Bavaria, Germany
Meghan Monroe, McPherson, KS
Brianna Morales, Newton, KS
Meghan Morris, Burleson, TX
Evan Morrison, Sebringville, Ontario, Canada
Elijah Muehler, McPherson, KS
Simon Mulumba Mukadi, Kinshasa, Congo
Cash Nab, Fleming, CO
Arthur Nardy, Eauze, Midi-Pyrenees, France
Marcus Nardy, Eauze, Midi-Pyrenees, France
Fabio Nickel, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Kayla Ortiz, Brownsville, TX
Ashlee Oster, Wichita, KS
Francisco Paradis, Maimon, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
James Pawlak, Palatine, IL
Caden Pemberton, Larkspur, CA
Carson Perez, Roseville, CA
Emily Peterson, Canton, KS
Caleb Pezold, Mokane, MO
Malia Pfeiff, Moundridge, KS
Sierra Portenier, Phillipsburg, KS
Hunter Powell, Lyons, CO
Kennan Puckett, Mesquite, TX
Robert Ramberg, Topeka, KS
Logan Rees, Franklin, IN
Alena Rupp, Wamego, KS
Luisina Sandrone Tais, Villa Nueva, Cordoba, Argentina
Andrew Schaefer, Sag Harbor, NY
Philip Schieffelin, Limon, CO
Dustin Schnacker, Tulare, CA
Robert Schonberner, Omaha, NE
Logan Scott, Caulfield, MO
Chase Shetler, McPherson, KS
Cara Shultz, Kingman, KS
Eliseo Silva, Sterling, KS
Hannah Smalley, Hutchinson, KS
Taylor Starr, Milford, KS
Sarah Stebbins, Pittsburg, KS
Joseph Stefanese, Rockaway, NJ
Shey Storesund, Panora, IA
Courtney Ward, Weatherford, TX
Calvin Washington, Naperville, IL
Labron Wilson, Freeport, East Grand Bahama
Jacob Winters, Lynchburg, VA
Camden Wiseman, Overland Park, KS
Val Zarkh, Hawthorn Wds, IL

Students named to the McPherson College Honor Roll for spring 2024 include:

Lindzie Archer, McPherson, KS
Carlo Arevalo, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador
Tori Beeson, Wichita, KS
Cal Bieler, Newton, KS
Kevine Bondo, McPherson, KS
Raeghan Borman, Haslet, TX
Felix Bravo, Hanford, CA
Kaelan Brockway, Salina, KS
Katelynn Brogan, Auburn, KS
Oscar Brouwer, Groningen, Netherlands
Kamryn Brown, McPherson, KS
Maxwell Brucks, Columbia, MO
Edwin Buiter, Ireton, IA
Caden Bush, Watkinsville, GA
Anthony Campanelli, Kenilworth, NJ
Jameson Caro, Haileah, FL
Juan Chavez, Salem, OR
April Conilogue, Longmont, CO
Mikayla Craver, Topeka, KS
Susanne Cunningham, Chanute, KS
Oliver Danzer, Eschenbach, Bavaria, Germany
Andrew Dehn, Orange Grove, TX
Dylan Dilks, Hesston, KS
Zachary Dittert, Newton, KS
Annika Ernstrom, McPherson, KS
Alyssa Espinoza, Galva, KS
Jasper Fedders, Sioux Center, IA
Tara Feeney, Ft. McDowell, AZ
Tyler Foster, Derby, KS
Caitlynn Frost, Wichita, KS
Hayden Fry, Cushing, OK
Alexandria Garcia, Enid, OK
Miranda Gaytan, Edinburg, TX
Joseph Glazener, Anchorage, AK
Maritza Gonzalez, Eagle Pass, TX
Nathan Hall, Windsor, NY
Jailynn Hammel, Salina, KS
Alexis Heckeroth, Kansas City, MO
Noah Huls, Aurora, NE
Isaiah Hunter, Lees Summit, MO
Jordyn Johnson, Lakewood, CO
Devayne Johnson, Amarillo, TX
Josiah Jones, Stafford, VA
Joel Kaira, Fort Worth, TX
Kamal Kennedy, Arlington, TX
Brysen Kerby, Big Spring, TX
Simon Koontz, North Newton, KS
Brody Kramer, Clay Center, KS
Trey Kysiak, Ponder, TX
Aumario Landrum, Wichita, KS
Carlos Leandry Laureano, Byamon, PR
Samantha Lombela, Johannesburg, South Africa
Lauren Machado, Elizabeth, CO
Ari Manoogian, Sarasota, FL
Kael Markham, Wakarusa, KS
Gabrielle Martin, Norman, OK
Benedict Kirabo, Mbogga, Oxford, Great Britain
Evan McGoldrick, Flower Mound, TX
Ellery McMurry, Greensburg, KS
Tanner Morrow, Topeka, KS
Paul-Marie Muangu Mutondo, Kinshasa, Congo
Reilly Murphy, Whitehall, MI
Kamryn Nolan, Mulvane, KS
London Norris, Arkansas City, KS
Alyssa Nutt, McPherson, KS
Carolina Oliveira, Santa Maria Da Feira, Portugal
Hunter Ormond, West Palm Beach, FL
Tayton Ornelas, Copeland, KS
Caleb Pavlicek, Canon City, CO
Jaden Polovina, Fort Worth, TX
Alvin Poole, Houston, TX
Katelyn Potestio, Mansfield, TX
Samuel Povod, Erie, PA
Celestina Retumban, Ridgeland, MS
Amari Robb, Folsom, CA
Parker Roberts, Carbondale, KS
Olivia Rodriguez, McPherson, KS
Melissa Rogers, Corpus Christi, TX
Katelyn Ruiz, McPherson, KS
Kendyl Saffer, Arriba, CO
Andrea Salas, Albuquerque, NM
Cheyn Sanders, Tempe, AZ
Alexia Sandoval, Rocky Ford, CO
Dawson Sawyer, Brechin, Scotland
Elizabeth Scheuerman, Wichita, KS
Texas Ranger, Schmidt, Camp Wood, TX
Wyatt Smith, Pilot Point, TX
Jamie Sparks, McPherson, KS
Hailey Stage, Broken Arrow, OK
Oliver Stout, Sandusky, OH
Blake Swingle, Columbus, OH
Jonathan Tatum, Ore City, TX
Reagan Thai, Las Vegas, NV
Noah Ryan, Thomas, Delta, Canada
Genesis Thompson, Elgin, TX
Ashanti Thompson, Phoenix, AZ
Alex Tran, San Jose, CA
Mackenzie Unruh, Hesston, KS
Drake Valenzuela, Northridge, CA
Alisha Will, Salina, KS
Matthew Williams, Los Angeles, CA
Maddie Willison, Buhler, KS
Tuyee Yang, Fresno, CA
Collin Young, Garland, TX
Wiktor Zaton, Lodz, Poland

Students named to the McPherson College Honorable Mention for spring 2024 include:

Niraj Adhikari, Sandy, TX
Brandon Aguayo, Mounds, OK
Ghaliyah Ali, San Antonio, TX
Jonathan Altidor, Pompano Beach, FL
Tatyana Alvarado, Natalia, TX
Robert Aurner, Topeka, KS
Faheem Baghezza, Austin, TX
Baelyn Barnes, Amarillo, TX
Leia Barnes, McPherson, KS
Kennedy Batchelder, Bishop, CA
Nevaeh Beal, Carrollton, TX
Christian Brown, Melissa, TX
Ethan Buller, Moundridge, KS
Fabian Camacho, Liberal, KS
Cassandra Carmichael, McPherson, KS
Dason Cook, Broken Arrow, OK
Christian Davis, Fate, TX
Seth Dennis, Morrison, OK
Brayton Dewell, Fowler, KS
Jaden Downs, Pearland, TX
Calvin Doyle, Brighton, CO
Colin Evers, Urbandale, IA
Zoe Fernandez Garcia, Ituzaingo, Argentina,
Nathanael Fetters, Whitewright, TX
Ian Foster, Wichita, KS
ChristopherFoster, Enterprise, AL
Grayson Freeman, Liberty, MO
Ryan Frerich, Lincoln, NE
Sergio Gallegos, South Hutchinson, KS
Rakai Gantt, Excelsior Springs, MO
Dylan Gantz, Stafford, KS
Martin Gentes, Florence, MA
Joseph Gonzales, Spring, TX
Nicolas Gonzalez, Wichita, KS
Shaquille Grimes, Bristol, PA
Logan Hamilton, Claremore, OK
Jacob Hammon, Buffalo Grove, IL
Jake Hardin, Derby, KS
Alaina Harkins, Edmond, OK
Megan Harris, Sapulpa, OK
Trey Hill, Derby, KS
Shelley Jobe, Hanford, CA
Effie Kolb, Hugoton, KS
Cody Kuss, Bremerton, WA
Alivia Lange, Conway Springs, KS
Elijah Littrice, Germantown, TN
Cesar Lopez, San Antonio, TX
Isaac Lopez, Visalia, CA
Lily Lougheed, Mountain Home, AR
Campbell Lyons, Whitby, Ontario, Canada
Daniel Marcano, San Jose, Costa Rica,
Tyler Marcum, Missouri Valley, IA
Osmar Martinez, Lyford, TX
Becky Masengu, Randburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Lucas McAlister, Noblesville, IN
Celeste McMillen, McPherson, KS
Carlos Mendez, Eagle Pass, TX
Molly Minster, Slidell, LA
Maria Miranda, Great Bend, KS
Palmer Moe, Seattle, WA
Ethan Montalvo, La Feria, TX
Breanna Morck, Mount Hope, KS
Jeremiah Mosley, Cypress, TX
Sergio Najera, Wichita, KS
Anselm Nyambuka, Alvarado, TX
Macyn Olson, Meade, KS
Alexandrea Pak, Pulyallup, WA
William Patterson, Wildwood, MO
James Pennington, Greenwood, MO
Allyson Pierce, Wichita, KS
Jeremy Porter, Seneca Falls, NY
Tyler Powell, Cypress, TX
Gavin Richardson, McPherson, KS
Devin Roff, Comstock, WI
Kourtnie Rohn, Holden, MO
Ty Schroeder, Hesston, KS
Gerod Shaffer, Topeka, KS
Colton Shivers, Miltonvale, KS
Brooklyn Skinner, Jenks, OK
Mason Small, Yarmouth, ME
Riley Sojka, Wichita, KS
Valick Sorter, Kismet, KS
Daryn Stack, Brea, CA
Tristan Szabo, Sparks, NV
Thomas Tencer, Seattle, WA
Anthony Valdez, Azle, TX
Alexander Van Patten, Phillipsburg, KS
Dalton Vogts, Moundridge, KS
Hannah Wagner, San Antonio, TX
Hadley Waldren, Hutchinson, KS
Johanna Walker, Franklin, KS
Antonio Watson, Oklahoma City, OK
Ethan Weinhoffer, Hesston, KS
Courtney Wickham, Claremore, OK
Marquis Willoughby, Brooklyn, NY
Kevin Wolfe, Malvern, PA
Amber Wood, Arlington, TX
Cameron Wright, Denison, TX

Wendy Diaz, junior at McPherson College

Wendy Diaz was recognized by the Kansas Independent College Foundation (KICF) for excellence in academics, character, and integrity, along with her commitment to the value of a private college education in Kansas. She was among 19 students from private colleges across Kansas who received the Maud Wyatt Recognition Scholarship presented by KICF.

Diaz, from McPherson, is a junior at McPherson College majoring in Spanish with a minor in Business Administration. At McPherson College, she has been involved in the Student Debt Project and the Student Activities Board.

She has worked in the ESL program at a local elementary school, teaching students from different countries to read, speak, listen, and write fluently in English. She is currently gaining valuable business experience as an intern for Swindoll, Jantzen, Hawk & Loyd accounting office. She plans to work in business after graduation and integrate her Spanish-speaking skills into her professional and personal life to help others.

“I started hearing great things about McPherson College in high school,” Diaz said. “Many people are surprised when they find out I’m going to college in the town where I live but being happy depends on your attitude. When I made my first campus visit, I knew from the minute I walked through the doors this was the place for me. I was impressed by the facilities, professors, and small classes. The college offers scholarships for students in McPherson County, which helps with tuition. I also participate in the Student Debt Project, which has prepared me for success by focusing on my personal and professional life, and helping me reach my goal to graduate without any debt.”

The scholarship is awarded to one student from each Kansas Independent College Association member institution. Recipients are all full-time, degree-seeking students who maintain GPAs of 3.5 or above.

Four McPherson College students were among 21 from independent colleges in Kansas who received scholarships from The Kansas Independent College Foundation (KICF), celebrating the diverse and talented student community committed to excellence, virtue, and integrity.

• Rhyan Lucas, a biochemistry major from Shawnee, Kan., was awarded the New Horizons Scholarship, recognizing students from underrepresented backgrounds and first-generation students.
• Emily Peterson, accounting & finance major from Canton, Kan., was awarded the William Tschudy Scholarship for Business & Public Service, recognizing a student planning a graduate education to use business skills in service of the public.
• Taylor Starr, a graphic design & studio art major from Newton, Kan., received the Future Leaders in the Arts scholarship.
• Kenzie Cooper, an elementary education major from Wamego, Kan., received the Future Leaders in Education scholarship.

The Kansas Independent College Foundation received over 105 nominations for the annual merit-based scholarships. A panel of 10 judges helped select the winners, representing 10 of the KICF’s 21-member schools. Each nominee was asked to submit a detailed essay about their leadership training, future career goals, and why they chose an independent option for their higher education.

Recognizing particularly meritorious students through a competitive process is a powerful way to support their educational endeavors and help bring attention to the high quality of students and the work of the independent colleges in Kansas, KICF President Matt Lindsey said in a statement.

For the first time, student artists from McPherson Middle School are being featured in the Friendship Hall Gallery at McPherson College. The art is on display through April 16, when the college will host a closing reception for the students from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Various artwork from 38 students is on exhibit. Instructors selected the participants based not only on the quality of their artwork but also on their dedication to art, hard work, and consistency in attending class.

“It is a fun and colorful show,” said Michaela Valle Groeblacher, associate professor and gallery director. “Congratulations to all the students and their teachers, Nicky Bowers and Melissa Bradshaw. The show isn’t up for long, so hurry in and see it.”

The Friendship Hall gallery is open to the public during regular business hours, Monday through Friday.