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Media Relations
Kansas State University
9 Anderson Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-6415
media@k-state.edu

Information provided by K-State Media Relations, K-State's news service, may be reproduced without permission. The marks and names of Kansas State University are protected trademarks and may not be used in any commercial or private endeavor without the approval of the university.

Source: Pat Bosco, 785-532-6237, bosco@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Andy Badeker, 785-532-6415, abadeker@k-state.edu

Friday, April 25, 2008

K-STATE HONORS 13 GRADUATING SENIORS FOR LEADERSHIP, IMPROVING CAMPUS LIFE

MANHATTAN -- Kansas State University has recognized 13 students as outstanding graduating seniors. They were honored at an April 16 reception by Pat Bosco, K-State associate vice president for institutional advancement and dean of student life.

The awards, first given in 1999, recognize the significant contributions the seniors have made to student life at K-State. Directors and staff members in institutional advancement nominated candidates; Bosco made the final selections.

"Every year we face the challenge of having to choose from a pool of accomplished seniors who have carried on K-State's tradition of reaching out to others," Bosco said. "This group's contributions are truly impressive, and I'm proud to have worked with them during their time on campus."

Each student received a plaque. Recipients of the awards include:

Clint Blaes, senior in agricultural communications and journalism, Cherryvale. He has been a College of Agriculture ambassador and the editor of K-State's Agriculturalist magazine. He has served in the Student Senate and is a member of the Blue Key senior honorary. In 2006 he was president of his fraternity, FarmHouse. He has judged Four-H competitions and public speaking contests for the Future Farmers of America. He also was lector and Eucharistic minister for St. Isidore Catholic Student Center. "Having experiences on the college and the university levels has allowed me to interact with some amazing people from very different backgrounds." After graduation Blaes wants to work on agriculture policy in Washington, D.C.

Matt Wagner, senior in management information systems, El Dorado, has been president of the student body as well as the K-State Men's Glee Club. He has held leadership roles in his fraternity, Delta Sigma Phi, and the Blue Key senior honorary. He has volunteered as a mentor at the Jardine Living Center and has tutored for the International Family program at the First United Methodist Church. After graduation, Wagner will work for ConocoPhillips in Bartlesville, Okla., as an information technology specialist. "The abilities that K-State provided me in the area of leadership have truly made me grow as an individual," Wagner said.

Jenna Kennedy, senior in microbiology, Hoxie, is a member of the Blue Key senior honorary and has been an orientation leader and a counselor for Wildcat Warm-up. In addition to being named a Truman Scholar, Kennedy has won the H.H. Haymaker Award, a Terry C. Johnson Center for Basic Cancer Research Undergraduate Award, the Division of Biology Most Promising Student Award and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Research Award. She has volunteered for the Flint Hills Community Clinic, the Volunteer in Ghana program and the St. Isidore Catholic Student Center. Her advice to future leaders is, "Do your best to lift the people around you to new heights. Show gratitude to those who help you along the way." After graduating, Kennedy will complete a yearlong fellowship at the Office of Rural Health Policy near Washington, D.C., before entering medical school.

AbdulRasak Yahaya, senior in civil engineering, Kansas City, Mo., has chaired the Big 12 Council on Black Student Government, served on the Council on Black Student Government and has been president of his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha. He has been a senator in the National Society of Black Engineers and has worked as an academy coach for The First Tee. Yahaya belongs to the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and has received the K-State Proud Hero Award, the Commerce Bank Presidential Student Award for Enhancing Multiculturalism and the Mordean Taylor-Archer Award. He has volunteered for the "A Voteless People is a Hopeless People" registration campaign. "I have learned that through service to your community, family, friends and peers, you can transcend all obstacles," Yahaya said. After graduation he plans to work as a consulting engineer in Kansas City.

Nicholas Green, senior in professional pilot, Lawrence, has been a Pilot Student Ambassador and was the K-State scholarship chair for Students in Free Enterprise International. He earned a Cessna Leadership Scholarship in 2007 and participated as an advanced flight instructor in the Region 4 Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference. He was the scholar of the year at his fraternity, the Kansas Eta chapter of Phi Delta Theta. His volunteer work has included the Salina Rescue Mission, Special Olympics and the Ashby House. "Being a leader has helped me get to know others and make lifelong friends who have had an amazing impact on my life," Green said. After graduation he plans to fly for the U.S. Air Force or the Navy.

Chance Ray Lee, senior in sociology, Manhattan, is a member of the Mortar Board senior honorary and president of his fraternity, Theta Xi. He has been vice president of Rotaract, Rotary International's student organization, and he has served as a senator with the Student Governing Association. Lee also has presented at the International Leadership Association Conference. His volunteer activities have included Big Brothers/Big Sisters, coaching youth T-ball and basketball, and traveling to Jacunda, Brazil, as an International Service Team member. He has joined Teach for America and hopes to earn a master's degree while fulfilling his two-year commitment in Hawaii. "Leadership is my favorite way to learn," Lee said. "Every position I've had in a group has given me more than the other way round."

Ella Todd, senior in marketing, Manhattan, has been president of the Leadership Studies Ambassadors and is a member of the Mortar Board and Phi Kappa Phi honoraries. She is a founding member and the president of the K-State Student Sustainability Coalition. Todd has won a Udall Scholarship, a Medallion Scholarship and the Payless Shoe Source Scholarship. Her volunteer work has included K-State's Relay for Life and the Cats for Cans community food drive. She hopes to work as a marketing director for a nonprofit organization after graduation. "A leader can laugh, can follow and can inspire," Todd said. "I have gained confidence in myself and have been challenged to explore outside my comfort zone."

Mridu Gandhi, senior in biology, Olathe, belongs to several honoraries, including Mortar Board, Phi Kappa Phi and the National Residence Hall Honorary. She has served as a Housing and Dining Ambassador and as a student representative on many committees across campus. She has been on the Diversity Teams for West Hall and Haymaker Hall and belongs to the India Students Association, the poetry staff of K-State's literary magazine and the French Club. She has earned a Carlson Memorial Scholarship. Her volunteer work includes Habitat for Humanity, Relay for Life, Special Olympics, Operation Santa's Helpers at Fort Riley and tutoring for middle school students. She plans to work in health care. "Leading is a hard job that requires determination, perseverance, amiability and being able to get over the hardships that life brings," Gandhi said.

Mark Anderson, senior in accounting, Ottawa, belongs to the Mortar Board senior honorary and is president of his fraternity, Delta Upsilon. His volunteer work includes the Boys and Girls Club of Manhattan, The Villages in Topeka and the Flint Hills Breadbasket. He has served on the homecoming committee and has worked as a University Experience instructor and an academy coach for The First Tee. He plans to pursue a graduate degree after a few years of full-time work in the accounting field. "I have encountered many individuals who differ from me religiously, politically and morally," he said, "but I have learned from each and every one of them."

Joe Vossen, senior in political science, Tecumseh, has held leadership roles in the Student Governing Association and has served as associate justice on the residence hall judicial board. He co-chaired the K-State Proud Changing Lives campaign. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi honoraries, as well as the Blue Key senior honorary, from which he received a scholarship to study abroad. Other scholarships include the Stephen Douglas Scholarship and the Wallace Family Memorial Scholarship. He has volunteered as a member of the International Service Team to Izamal, Mexico, and has worked with Big Brothers-Big Sisters of Manhattan. After graduation he plans to attend law school. "The talented, unique, loyal and welcoming students on our campus make K-State a top-notch place to live and learn," he said. "I hope it never loses that feeling."

J. Peter Wetzel, senior in elementary education, Westwood, belongs to Mortar Board honorary and has filled many leadership positions in K-State's residence halls. He won the Housing and Dining Outstanding Service Award. He was founder and coordinator of the New Orleans alternative spring break. Wetzel's volunteer positions include tutoring at the Douglass Center, after-school program facilitator for Northview Elementary and coordinator for various youth programs at the Jardine Apartment Complex. His plans include teaching in Kansas City and other nonprofit endeavors, perhaps in New Orleans or South Africa. "The advice and skills I've developed from working under highly acclaimed faculty and supervisors have enhanced my ability to address the issues I see facing our world today," Wetzel said.

Anthony Carter, senior in social sciences, Colorado Springs, Colo., has been president of the Interfraternity Council and the Union Governing Board. His fraternity, Alpha Tau Omega, has given him several awards, and he earned a Stanley Winter Alpha Tau Omega K-State Student Union Leadership Scholarship. He presented at the 2008 International Leadership Association Conference, where he was a case-study winner. Carter has volunteered for Homeless 4 Hunger and Boo at the Zoo. His plans include a two-year fellowship at the El Pomar Foundation in Colorado Springs. "Being involved has really helped me define and develop my personal and professional skills," he said. "I also have been able to meet some of my best friends and create memories that will last a lifetime."

Sarah Morton, senior in accounting, East Longmeadow, Mass., has been active in a wide range of campus organizations and programs. She is a member of the National Residence Hall Honorary, Student Senate, the Union Program Council and Governing Board, and the Recreational Services Council. She won a Stanley Winter Alpha Tau Omega K-State Student Union Leadership Scholarship. Her volunteer work includes having organized Goodnow Hall Date Auction, which raised $4,100 for the Manhattan Crisis Center, as well as work with children at the Jardine Apartment Complex and donations to Flint Hills Breadbasket. She will work as an audit associate in Kansas City after graduating. "You can be the best leader you can be when you are working for something you truly believe in," she said.