Skip to Main content

ASU Presidential Award, Distinguished Student Awards Announced

April 21, 2011

Amanda Michelle Hicks has been named recipient of Angelo State University’s 2011 Presidential Award as the top graduate in her class, while four other ASU undergraduate students have been selected for 2011 Distinguished Student Awards from their respective colleges.

A San Angelo native, Hicks will be recognized at ASU’s May 7 commencement exercises along with the four Distinguished Student Award honorees. The Distinguished Student Award recipients are: Whitney Block Dane, College of Business; Anna G. Hall, College of Liberal and Fine Arts; Madalyn Mertz, College of Education; and William G. Register, College of Sciences. Other nominees were Matthew Bullard from the College of Business, Alix Dean and Meaghan McCoy from the College of Liberal and Fine Arts, and James Reid and Sebastian Requena from the College of Sciences.

ASU’s Academic Excellence Committee will host a public reception at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, April 25, in the C.J. Davidson Conference Center inside the Houston Harte University Center to honor the nominees and recipients. Each will be presented a plaque by Dr. Nancy Allen, ASU vice provost for academic affairs.

A biology major and chemistry minor, Hicks was nominated by the Department of Biology. She is the recipient of numerous scholarships, including a Carr Academic Scholarship, a Carr Special Academic Scholarship for Biology, an Alvin and Patricia New Honors Program Scholarship and a Woolworth Scholarship. She will graduate with High University Honors having completed the Honors Program curriculum. Her academic accomplishments were recognized by induction into the Alpha Chi National Honor Society and Beta Beta Beta (Tri-Beta) National Biology Honor Society.

Hicks has held elected offices in both the local and regional Tri-Beta organizations, serving as president of the ASU chapter and secretary of the South Central Region chapter. She served the Honors Program as an emissary and as a participant in the Community Leadership Initiative. She also excelled in undergraduate research, earning a Tri-Beta Foundation Research Scholarship and presenting her research findings at the organization’s regional conference. She was selected to Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.

Also an active participant in campus activities, Hicks was a member of the Honors Student Association, Tri-Beta and the American Chemical Society. She also completed study abroad trips to Costa Rica and Western Europe. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in biology at Texas Tech University in preparation for a career in university teaching and research.

Another San Angelo native, Dane was nominated by the Department of Accounting, Economics and Finance. She is in the Integrated Accounting program and will graduate with both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting. She received a Carr Academic Scholarship, a Coca Cola Bottling Scholarship, a J.H. Davenport Scholarship and a R.T. Mathison Scholarship. She was selected for membership in the Alpha Chi National Honor Society and Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. She served as an officer in the Sigma Phi Lambda sorority and completed a study abroad trip to Germany. She was awarded the Sigma Phi Lambda National Finance Award and plans to sit for the Certified Public Accountant exam in preparation for a career in public accounting or auditing.

Hall, from Bangs, was nominated by the Department of English. She is an English major with a double minor in Spanish and communication, and will graduate with High University Honors having completed the Honors Program curriculum. She received a Carr Academic Scholarship, Carr Honors Program Scholarship, Alvin and Patricia New Honors Scholarship, and Department of English Berchman T. Carville and Lucile Pearce Gragg Memorial Scholarships. She was inducted into the Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society and the Alpha Chi National Honor Society, and won the prestigious Nolle Scholarship though the Alpha Chi National Scholarship Competition. She was an active member of the Honors Student Association and served on the Honors Council and as a peer tutor in the ASU Writing Center. She was secretary of the National Council of Teachers of English and a member of the Texas Classroom Teachers Association and Association of Texas Professional Educators. Her poetry appears in ASU’s literary magazine, Oasis, and she was selected for Who’s Who Among Students at American Universities and Colleges. She will enter the M.A. program in English at ASU in preparation for a career in secondary or university teaching.

Nominated by the Department of Teacher Education, Mertz is a native of Llano. She is an Early Childhood through Grade Six Generalist major. She was inducted into the Alpha Chi National Honor Society and the Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society for Education. She served as president of the ASU Student Chapter of the Council of Exceptional Children and as an ASU Special Education Ambassador. She twice was co-presenter for poster sessions at the Texas Council of Exceptional Children Conference. She plans to pursue a teaching career at the elementary school level and seek certification as an ELL/ESL specialist.

Register, of San Angelo, was nominated by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. He is a biochemistry major with a biology minor and will graduate with High University Honors after completing the Honors Program curriculum. He received a Carr Academic Scholarship, Carr Special Academic Scholarship for Chemistry, Carr Honors Program Scholarship, and Alvin and Patricia New Honors Scholarship. He was inducted into the Alpha Chi National Honor Society and Tri-Beta National Biology Honor Society. He excelled in research, earning two Carr Undergraduate Research Fellowships, participating in the prestigious Illinois Summer Neuroscience Institute and completing an internship at the Harvard University Medical School neuroscience laboratory. He represented ASU at the Texas Undergraduate Research Day and presented his research findings at Tri-Beta regional conferences and the American Chemical Society National Convention. He was a member of the Honors Student Association, served as an Honors Program mentor and participated in the Community Involvement Initiative. He was selected for Who’s Who Among Students at American Universities and Colleges. He will attend the University of North Texas Health Science Center/Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in preparation for a career in orthopedic surgery.

Bullard was nominated by the Department of Management and Marketing. An Ozona native, he is a double major in accounting and management information systems, and completed the Honors Program curriculum.

Nominated by the Department of Psychology, Sociology and Social Work, Dean is a psychology major with a criminal justice minor. A Collinsville native, she also completed the Honors Program curriculum.

McCoy, from Austin, was nominated by the Department of Modern Languages. She is a double major in English and French.

A native of Guthrie, Reid was nominated by both the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Mathematics. He is a double major in mathematics and computer science.

Requena was nominated by the Department of Physics. A San Angelo native, he is an applied physics major with a mathematics minor.