OBU to Honor 108 Graduates During Winter Commencement Dec. 14

OBU will confer degrees upon 72 undergraduate and 36 graduate students during Winter Commencement, Friday, Dec. 14. The ceremony will take place in Raley Chapel’s Potter Auditorium at 2 p.m. Dr. Blake Gideon, senior pastor of First Baptist Church Edmond, will deliver the address.

Gideon graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2005 with an undergraduate degree in theology. He then received a Master of Arts in religious education and a Master of Divinity from Southwestern in 2008. He completed his Doctor of Ministry at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 2015. He is the author of several books, including “Soaring with the Eagles,” “Unvarnished Truth,” “Identity,” and “What Baptists Believe and Why They Believe It.”

The students will perform their ceremonial final walk across campus as OBU students before filing into Raley Chapel. The students, in academic regalia, will proceed from the Geiger Center to the chapel, passing through rows of OBU faculty members before reaching the chapel’s east steps.

OBU President Dr. David W. Whitlock will preside over the ceremonies and deliver the charge to the graduates. The program will include a presentation of the graduating class by Clayton Myers, president of the OBU Student Government Association, and Dr. Susan DeWoody, vice president of academic affairs and interim dean of the College of Graduate and Professional Studies.

A live stream of Winter Commencement will be available to watch, beginning at 2 p.m.

Junior class marshals will escort the graduating class to their seats in Raley Chapel. The top-ranking junior men and women, based on overall grade-point average, will serve as marshals. This group includes Gabriele Bellair, Sierra Benard, Alexis Besch, Payton Bullard, Elisha Coffin, Dannie Deason, Luke Fornea, Megan Funderburk, Caleb Gray, Matthew Hampton, Victoria Harrison, Jaden Jennings, Jessica King, Tyler Koonce, Karsten Ladner, Lauren Martin, Carly Miller, Emily Moore, Mackenzie Palmer, Kaitlyn Precure, Brecken Roquemore, Jana Satzler, Taylor Seacat, Hannah Shumaker, Devyn Siegfried, Jonathan Soder, Michael Stewart, Chloe Stokes, Ariel Wagoner, Abigail Welch and Aaron Wicker.

In addition to the address by Gideon, the program includes greetings by Dr. Hance Dilbeck, executive director and treasurer for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, and the induction of the graduates into the OBU Alumni Association by Dr. Will Smallwood, senior vice president for advancement and university relations.

Candidates for bachelor’s degrees from OBU’s Paul Dickinson College of Business, with academic majors and hometowns, include Erika Carroll, marketing, Shawnee, Oklahoma; Rubin Cooper, marketing, Shawnee; Laney Ellis, management, Jones, Oklahoma; Sarah Hancock, marketing, Sand Springs, Oklahoma; Nicholas Hinkley, computer science, McKinney, Texas; Allison Jarboe, international business, Pryor, Oklahoma; Jan Klonowski, international business; Josip, Miskovic, computer science; Long Nguyen, management, Oklahoma City; Amanda Peterson, management, Stroud, Oklahoma; Joshua Pettijohn, management, Allen, Texas; and Zachary Romoser, marketing, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

From the Warren M. Angell College of Fine Arts, candidates for bachelor’s degrees include Hunter Bennett, digital media arts, Sanger, Texas; Eugene Yoo, music, Oklahoma City; Jake Nelson, digital media arts, Shawnee; Tamlyn Price, digital media arts; Samuel Quick, instrumental music education, Brookeland, Texas; Alyssa Richmond, art, Stillwater, Oklahoma; Scott Roberts, theatre, Tuttle, Oklahoma; and Krisha Ticer, instrumental music education, Shawnee.

Candidates for bachelor’s degrees from OBU’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences include Sha’Hada Artberry, interdisciplinary: kinesiology and leisure science, and sports management; Chad Brandon, interdisciplinary: business administration, kinesiology and leisure science, and sports management, McKinney; Austin Brasel, anthropology, Harrison, Arkansas; Jordan Browne, elementary education, Oklahoma City; Nicholas Burnham, interdisciplinary: health and human performance and sports management, Antioch, California; Brooke Dillman, forensic psychology, Seminole, Oklahoma; Samantha Engles, pre-allied health and rehabilitation services, Palo Cedro, California; Rachel Floyd, family and community service: family life track, Shawnee; Danielle Gardner, family and community service: family life track, Meeker, Oklahoma; Zane Gelphman, criminal justice, Half Moon Bay, California; Tyler Gibson, interdisciplinary: kinesiology and leisure science/business administration/sports management; Seth Glasscock, personal training/strength and conditioning, Nowata, Oklahoma; Sinai Gomez Farias, multilingual communications, Pharr, Texas; Julien Goyetche, sports and recreation management, Shawnee; Sarah Haines, camp administration, Shawnee; Landon Harper, interdisciplinary: health and human performance/education; Holly Hawkins, family and community service: family life track, Shawnee; Raven Hawkins, psychology pre-counseling, Shawnee; and Alisha Helms, psychology pre-counseling, Meeker.

Additional candidates from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences include Clayton Honeycutt, pre-allied health and rehabilitation services, Grove, Oklahoma; Andria Johnson, family and community service: family life track, Tulsa; Dakota Kappelle, secondary English education, Anadarko, Oklahoma; Mikayla Keeter, family and community service: family life track, Oktaha, Oklahoma; Kailey Klonowski, elementary education, Salina, Kansas; David Lambert, sports and recreation management, Shawnee; Kelsey Lowe, special education and elementary education, Red Oak, Texas; Madison Lynn, family and community service: family life track, Shawnee; Karly Maddoux, secondary English education, Skiatook, Oklahoma; Megan Mauck, health and human performance, non-clinical track, Edmond, Oklahoma; Zachary McSwain, anthropology, Mustang, Oklahoma; Taylor Metz, family and community service: family life track, Denison, Texas; Kaelyn Moore, history, Ada, Oklahoma; Sarah Nevling, anthropology, Burlington, Iowa; Lauren Reinhardt, secondary English education, Georgetown, Texas; Logan Ross, pre-allied health and rehabilitation services, Oklahoma City; Bailee Saye, secondary English education, Tuttle; Samuel Tener, health and human performance, non-clinical, Oklahoma City; Madeline Urton, family and community service: family life track, McLoud, Oklahoma; and Marco Vasquez, pre-allied health and rehabilitation services, Silver Springs, Maryland.

From the James E. Hurley College of Science and Mathematics, candidates for bachelor’s degrees include Dely Chavez, natural science, Irving, Texas; Seth Juby, secondary math education, Sperry, Oklahoma; and Faith Moss, natural science, Amarillo, Texas.

Candidates for bachelor’s degrees from the Herschel H. Hobbs College of Theology and Ministry include Rebecca Courtney, Christian ministry, women’s ministry emphasis, McLoud; Caleb Holzrichter, Christian ministry, student ministry emphasis, Bristow, Oklahoma; Micah Lynn, religion, Bible, Springdale, Arkansas; and David Morrell, Christian ministry, student ministry emphasis.

As part of a teach-out agreement between OBU and St. Gregory’s University, six candidates who transferred to OBU are now completing their degrees. The candidates for bachelor’s degrees from St. Gregory’s University include Kyle Bodine, management, Prague, Oklahoma; Clinton Joseph Cannon, biology, Shawnee; Alexis Gabriella Diggs, health and human performance:non-clinical track, Norman; Claire Elizabeth Ellison, elementary education, El Reno, Oklahoma; Raven Lynn McClain, psychology, Earlsboro, Oklahoma; and MacKenzie Kay Pruitt, secondary English education, Shawnee.

Candidates for the Master of Arts in Christian Studies include Barbara Day, Gerald Robinson and Brandon Thompson.

Candidates for the Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies include Melanie Allred and Scott Greenland.

Candidates for the Master of Business Administration include Lindsey Cartwright, Lauran Evenson, Matthew Griffith, Devin Hill, Edward Mann, Vedrana Milakovic, Kapil Ranganathan, David Rosby, Monica Tasier and Trenton Tipton.

Candidates for the Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy include Ronald Asiimwe, Kelsey Linsenmeyer, Sarah McGough, Hannah Mire, Haley Overbey, Scott Pfister, Nathan Sanders, Kelly Taron, Wynona Tucker and Alyxandrah White.