Honors Northeast, the honors program of Northeast Texas Community College, is pleased to announce its class of Presidential Scholars and Honors Scholars for the 2014-2015 academic year. The group of†22†students includes one incoming valedictorian, and two salutatorians along with returning Boe, Caldwell, and Star-Award winners.
The eight Presidential Scholars are elected to the highest tier by the Honors Committee of NTCC, comprised of professors Joy Cooper, Robert Fenton, David Rangel, and the Student President of the Honors Student Council. These scholars maintained top GPAs in High School or at the College, and are regarded as the college?s most promising candidates for original projects of all kinds, top transfer scholarships and regional and national awards.
The second tier of Honors Scholars is comprised of students who the Honors Director and Honors Committee believe have major potential in terms of notable transfer scholarships, and important state and regional awards. To maintain this ranking, students must in some way be regarded as rising stars with an aptitude for ?above and beyond? work, and promise for breakthrough creative scholarship.
"Last year†our scholars†performed at an unprecedented level, earning†more†regional and national accolades†than†any†cohort†in†the program's†history.†I†am optimistic that this year's†group†has the potential to†achieve†similar successes," Dr. Andrew Yox, NTCC Honors Director, said.
These are the students selected for†Honors Northeast in†2014-2015:
2014-2015 Presidential Scholars
Isaac Burris graduated fifth at Mount Pleasant High School where he served as DECA (Distributive Educational Clubs of America) President, member of the Future Business Leaders of America, National Honors Society and leader in University Interscholastic League (UIL) math.†He plays the role of a runaway slave in the upcoming Honors Northeast film on Harriet Potter Ames.†Burris plans to pursue a career in business.
Kassity Connor†was the 2014 Salutatorian at Hughes Springs where she was active in Future Farmers of America and DECA.†Connor has maintained a 4.0 in dual enrollment classes, and hopes to be a U.S. history teacher. She is a specialist in Isshin ryu karate, which was developed in Okinawa in the 1940s and involves a snapping-action mode of defense.
Kayleah Cumpian†had one of the most remarkable freshman years in NTCC history.†She is the only student in the history of the college to have won three prestigious regional awards in her first year?the state of Texas Caldwell Award (third-place), a Boe Award for the Great Plains Honors Council (one of three winners for first and second-year students from Nebraska to Texas), and a Phi Theta Kappa Star Award for Texas.†She also won a full-ride week at Duke University to study the use of mathematics in bio-medical research, and a summer REU internship.†Her paper on the Northeast Texas Congressman, Wright Patman, †was the NTCC Portz nominee for 2014, and it will form the basis for her upcoming presentation at the National Collegiate Honors Council†(NCHC)†in Denver in November.†She acted in the 2013 Honors film on Wright Patman, and directed the 2014 film on Harriet Potter Ames.†She was cited both semesters for Academic Excellence, having the best average scores in the fall and spring honors seminars, and a 4.0 GPA in her first year.
Angelica Fuentes†Graduated 8th†at Mount Pleasant High School where she was National Technical Honor Society President, Class of 2014 Treasurer, Student Council Secretary, and Varsity Cheerleader.† At MPHS, she was a Rotary Club Member of the Month, a Heisman Prize recipient, and an all-American cheerleader nominee.† She is now secretary of the NTCC Honors Student Council, and has a 3.9 GPA after 30 hours of dual enrollment classes. She appears as Lucy Rose in the 2014 Harriet Potter Ames film.
Christopher Hall†was the 2014 Salutatorian from Rivercrest High School who ran varsity track, belonged to the National Honor Society, and won numerous school awards.† He has maintained a 4.0 GPA in dual enrollment courses.† Hall is assuming responsibility for the ongoing Honors Northeast Caddo project.† He appears as Robert Potter?s right-hand man in the 2014 honors film.
Cassia Rose†was a†top graduate of Winnsboro High†School, a Student†of the Month, a Future Farmers of America President, a UIL competitor, a member of the Student Council, a Food Drive leader, a Howard Rosser Scholarship recipient, and the school?s sound system coordinator.† She placed third for Entrepreneurship at the Texas state meeting of the Family, Community, and Career Leaders of America conference.† She has thrice taught English on South American mission trips, and has served frequently as a performer and playwright at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts.† Rose stars as the Northeast Texas†heroine, Harriet Potter Ames, in the upcoming 2014 honors film.
Jessica Velazquez†graduated third at Mount Vernon High School, where she was vice president of the National Honor Society, Most Outstanding Musician in 2012, and 2013, a top flutist in the Four States Honor Band in 2013, and 2014, a member of the Mount Vernon Interact Club, a Rotary Scholarship winner, and assistant drum major.† After 24 hours, she has maintained a 4.0 in college classes.† She will appear as Sophia Mayfield, a rival of Harriet Potter Ames, in the 2014 Honors Film.
Tyler Reynolds†had an excellent first year at Honors Northeast with a 3.8 GPA.† He produced the 2013 Honors Film on Wright Patman and featured it at fall Webb Society of Texas in Victoria, the premiere on 7 February in Mount Pleasant, the 2014 meeting of the Great Plains Honors Council at Fort Smith, Arkansas, and the Franklin County Arts Alliance Film Festival on 21 June 2014.† He will also present the film in Denver at the meeting of the NCHC in Denver, and at the Twentieth Century Club in Pittsburg in November.† His work led to the first chapter award ever won by the NTCC Webb Society in San Antonio in March of 2014.† Reynolds also won a Star Award from Texas Phi Theta Kappa last summer.† He is the president of the Honors Student Council, and placed third, winning $200 at the 2014 Northeast Texas Poetry Contest for his poem on the ?Abandonment of the Firefly.?† He stars as the Texas Navy Secretary, Robert Potter, in the upcoming 2014 Honors film on Harriet Potter Ames.
2014-2015 Honors Scholars
Marisol Bautista†was an active student at†Mount Pleasant High School. She participated in community health fairs and food drives, and was a member of the National Technical Honors Society, Health Occupations Students of America, the Spanish, and history clubs.† She plans to become a nurse.
Morgan Capps†was the 2014 Valedictorian at Jefferson Christian Academy where she was also Yearbook Editor, Girls? Basketball captain, and president of the Creative Writing Club. She won $100 and fourth place for her poem on ?Life Under the Piny Woods? at the 2014 Northeast Texas Poetry Contest.
Elyse Coleman†won a Second-Place 2014 State of Texas Caldwell Award, for her revisionist essay, ?Texans Loved the Railroads" as a freshman at NTCC.†Her paper was accepted for inclusion in the 2015 edition of the journal,†Touchstone,†published by the Texas State Historical Association, and for the coming November meeting of the†NCHC.† Coleman has presented this work at NTCC and at the 2014 spring meeting of the Great Plains Honors Council in Fort Smith, Arkansas.† Coleman has worked extensively for Titus County Cares and the Shelter of Hope for women in Longview.† She is vice president of the Honors Student Council, a vice president of Phi Theta Kappa, and a member of Psi Beta Honors Society, and the Student Government Association.
Zachary Davis†had an excellent freshman year, maintaining a 3.8 GPA, presenting at the state Webb Society at San Antonio in March, and having his paper on Texas in the digital age accepted for publication in the 2015 issue of†Touchstone.††He won second-place and $300 for his poem ?Sensations of the Sun? in the 2013 Northeast Texas Poetry Contest, and $50 for his poem, ?Summer?s Charge? as the Runner-Up in 2014.
Manolo Garcia†came from San Antonio to NTCC to play soccer, but in time, discovered a love for bio-medical science, art, and math, and entered honors at the end of his first year.† He maintained a 3.6 GPA at NTCC, worked as a laboratory assistant, and an NTCC Student Ambassador.
Louis Hall†graduated from Paul Pewitt as a member of the National Honor Society, the Student Council, varsity golf, and the Marching Band.† A winner of two major scholarships at Le Tourneau, and the University of Arkansas, he chose NTCC to pursue work in bio-medical studies.
Kaitlyn Klepfer†tied for second in having the highest GPA in the freshmen honors seminars at NTCC.† Her main contribution was her steady commitment to the NTCC Caddo project, which involved an exhibit of indigenous pots at the Whatley Foyer in September of 2014, winning two grants, and re-cataloguing the entire inventory of 350 pre-historic pots bequeathed to the college by Margaret Hinton, and Guaranty Bank.† She also worked in makeup, and as an actress in the 2014 Honors film.
Kelli Knepp†became the winner of the 2014 Chitsey Award for her exemplary advance into honors after one year at NTCC.† She was the 2014 winner of the Northeast Texas Poetry Contest, for a brilliant work of re-conception: ?Northeast Texas Through the Eyes of a Child.?† She is a Phi Theta Kappa vice president, and served last summer on the team in Austin that researched the material for the 2014 Honors Film on Harriet Potter Ames.† She has been a featured singer at Music City Texas Theatre in Linden.
Ana Martinez†presented work on ?Los Sobrevivientes,? four important Tejanos during the early revolutionary period of Texas history at the 2014 GPHC meeting in Fort Smith, and this work has been accepted for presentation as well at the November 2014 NCHC in Denver. She won a full-ride week at Duke University to study the use of math in biomedical research, and presented her work there at a meeting of NTCC Math/Science students in September of 2014.† She was Treasurer of the Student Government Association at NTCC and visited Austin for the SGA state meeting in 2014.† She acts in a diversity of roles in both the 2013 and 2014 honors films.
Miranda Mendoza†is an honors sophomore who presented her work on Christian Architecture at the 2014 Great Plains Honors Council meeting at Fort Smith, Arkansas, and her work on Gematria, Hebrew numerology, has been accepted for presentation at the†NCHC†meeting this November in Denver.† Mendoza won $300 and second place at the 2014 Northeast Texas Poetry contest for her work on Texas storms.† A member of the NTCC choir, Mendoza has a lovely mezzo soprano voice.† She has been an active member of Phi Theta Kappa, and the Physics Society.† She was the Costume Director for the 2014 Honors film.
Maria Perez†is a Paul Pewitt graduate who has been a recipient of the John and Bryan Morris County Scholarship, and the Charles and Paulette Smith Morris County Scholarship.† She has served as a mentor to Paul Pewitt students, and her fluency in Spanish is allowing her to pursue bicultural perspectives on her honors essays.
Brian Taylor†was homeschooled in Mount Pleasant, and has maintained a 4.0 GPA at NTCC.† Taylor was on the Research Committee, which provided the material for the 2014 Honors film on Harriet Potter Ames, specializing on Ames? infamous second husband, Robert Potter.† Taylor has received invitations to present his work on Potter at the Native Plant Society of Texas meeting this 17 October, and the State Webb Society meeting this 24 October.
Gabriela Quezada†was elected the 2014 Cypress Bank Scholar of Honors Northeast, winning a new MacBook to use as well as other accessories.† Quezada immigrated with her family from El Salvador, initially, to Maryland.† There, she studied art at the University of Maryland, originating illuminating landscapes, and cityscapes.
William Villalobos†graduated from Winnsboro High School where he was a state qualifier in track, a varsity football player, a student of the month, a UIL medalist in computer scientist, and an early member of Phi Theta Kappa at NTCC.† Villalobos has produced several films and documentaries, and is the producer of the 2014 Honors film on Harriet Potter Ames.
October 10, 2014
