OCTC 2019 Honor Graduates

by Amber Phillips

Owensboro, KY (05/21/2019) — Owensboro Community & Technical College (OCTC) honored graduates and select students for program awards during their OCTC Commencement Ceremonies on May 15 &16,2018. The keynote address was delivered by the Kentucky State Senator, Mr. Joe Bowen. The student speaker was Kaylee N. Meador, an honor graduate of OCTC's Early College from Daviess County High School.

The KCTCS All-Academic Team is a statewide honor based on academic excellence. Students from each of the 16 KCTCS colleges were chosen based on a rigorous selection process that focuses on academic performance and community service. The 2019 KCTCS All-Academic Team members from Owensboro Community & Technical College are Brooklyn M. Knight and Kaylee N. Meador.

The OCTC Program Honor Student Awards are exemplary students nominated by faculty in the program area.

The honor student from the Automotive Technology program is Matthew Hayward. He graduated with an Associate in Applied Science degree in Automotive Technology and has been co-oping since the end of his second semester at J.D Byrider where he is still employed.

The Biology department honors Brooklyn Knight for the 2018 award. She is also a graduate recognized for high distinction, earning a grade point average of 3.6 or higher on all work attempted. Knight participated in the OCTC Early College program earning an Associate in Science, and a diploma from Apollo High School. She is also as a member of the 2019 All-Academic Team.

The Computer & Information Technologies program honor student for 2019 is Kenneth Burns. He graduated with an Associate Degree in Applied Science, Computer & Information Technology. While at OCTC he maintained a 4.0 GPA in all CIT courses while working a full-time position.

The Computerized Manufacturing & Machining program selected Olivia Caudill as the honor student for 2019.

The Education faculty chose Akacia Walker as the honor student this year. She graduated earning an Associate in Science.

Lee Williams was selected as the honor student for Emergency Medical Technician. As a non-traditional student, Williams serves as the Assistant Chief of the Central City Fire Department, and has taken the role of 1st vice president of the Green River Firefighters Association. Looking to expand his knowledge, Williams is working to complete his Fire Science Degree.

The Healthcare Facilities Leadership faculty designated Byron Woodard as the honor student. He earned an Associate in Applied Science degree in Healthcare Facilities Leadership and was recognized with High Distinction honors, earning a 3.6 or higher grade point average on all work attempted.

The honor student for the History program for 2019 is Elijah Eckstein. Graduating with an Associate in Arts Degree with High Distinction honors, earning a 3.6 or higher grade point average on all work attempted, Eckstein intends to continue his education and major in history and elementary education.

The Industrial Maintenance Technology faculty selected Sean Steele as the honor student. He earned an Associate in Applied Science degree in MIT: Electrical Technology and an Associate in Applied Science degree in Computerized Manufacturing and Machining. In addition, Steele earned the High Distinction designation, earning a 3.6 or higher grade point average on all work attempted in his MIT courses.

The Mathematics program nominated John LaClair an Early College Graduate from Hancock County High School as the 2019 honor student. Graduating with an Associate in Arts, LaClair is also recognized as a student with High Distinction, earning a 3.6 or higher grade point average on all work attempted.

Angela Michelle Turley was selected by the Medical Information Technology faculty for the award. Turley graduates with an Associate in Applied Science degree in Medical Information Technology and plans to transfer to WKU to earn a bachelors in health information management.

The Radiography program chose Chelsea Dockery as the honor recipient. She graduated with an Associate in Applied Science degree in Radiography with High Distinction, earning a 3.6 or higher grade point average on all work attempted.

The Surgical Technology faculty designated Sabrina Ruby as the honor student. She graduated with an Associate in Arts degree in Surgical Technology.

Ashley Clark is the recipient of the award from the Veterinary Technology program. She graduated with an Associate in Applied Science degree in Veterinary Technology .

The Welding Technology program selected Erwin Perez as the honor student. He has completed his coursework for the AWS Level 1 national Welder Cortication and is currently working toward obtaining his pipe welding qualifications.

The Other Discipline Awards are selected based on individual criteria developed by specific program areas.

The Bracco Radiography Award was given to Hannah Hall.

TheTRiO Award was given to Nadya Vasquez. She graduated with an Associate in Science degree with Distinction, earning a 3.5 grade point average on all work attempted.

The Veterinary Technology student of the year was Stephanie Waid. She graduated with an Associate in Applied Science degree in Veterinary Technology. In addition she also earned the designation of High Distinction, earning a 3.6 grade point average or higher on all work attempted.

Owensboro Community & Technical College is one of the sixteen community and technical colleges that make up the Kentucky Community & Technical College System. OCTC serves the KY counties of Daviess, Hancock, Ohio and McLean. OCTC has three campuses in Daviess County and a Center and Annex in Hancock County. OCTC strives to serve the communities in the service area by providing associate degree education for transfer, state of the art technical education for students focusing on entering the workforce, customized business and industry solutions through the Workforce Solutions division, and adult education and business and industry testing through the SkillTrain unit.

The Kentucky Community and Technical College System is the Commonwealth's largest postsecondary institution with 16 colleges and more than 70 campuses. We also are Kentucky's largest provider of workforce training and online education. Through partnerships with business and industry, we align our programs to meet the needs of local employers. We help students fulfill their dreams of creating a better life through programs that lead directly to jobs or help them transfer to one of our four-year partners.

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