The X-Strut discipline combines rhythmic body movement with intricate baton work that stays in the performer’s hand, emphasizing timing, flow, and clarity. Routines feature a mix of leaps, spins, and poses, beginning with a signature “X” formation march. Athletes must demonstrate strong body and baton technique while engaging the audience with energy and confidence.
Purple Praise: September 2025
Kudos and celebrations of student, faculty and staff achievements
K-State’s talented students, faculty and staff are frequently recognized for their exceptional scholarship, teaching and research or creative inquiry. Let’s celebrate their accomplishments.
Kudos highlight notable professional and student achievements from outside the university, such as awards and honors; fellowships; performances; elections to regional and national boards or committees in professional organizations; and conference presentations. Self-nominations are accepted.
Submit by Oct. 8 for the next feature.
Student success
Three political science students earn public service scholarships
Three K-State students have been awarded McKelvie Scholarships for their commitment to public service. Awardees include: Andrew Le, Senior in junior in the university honors program, double majoring in political science and global food system leadership, with a minor in leadership studies; Gracie Jo Stanton, Senior in political science with two minors in business and English, a pre-law designation, and a primary text certificate; Andrew Navarro, a 2025 graduate in political science, pre-law, with a minor in Spanish. 
K-State has a proud history of students earning this award, continuing a tradition of excellence in public service and leadership.
The McKelvie Scholarship is awarded to outstanding undergraduate sophomores and seniors from the Midwest who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement and a commitment to careers in agriculture, food or natural resources. Scholarships are valued at up to $2000 per year and may be renewed annually.
K-State students showcase skills and leadership on global stage in Ireland
College of Business student Adam Ackerman, Menard Family Scholar and finance and accounting double major, earned first place at the Leaders of Tomorrow Case Competition in Dublin, Ireland, while he and three fellow Wildcats, Max Kice, entrepreneurship and innovation; Kiera Rader, professional strategic selling; and Sara Smith, management, gained valuable global learning experiences through networking with executives, visiting the U.S. Ambassador’s residence, and representing K-State abroad.
K-State Twirler wins gold for Team USA in Turin, Italy
Kaylee Brungardt, senior in chemical engineering and Wildcat Twirler, brought home the gold medal in X-Strut for Team USA in Italy this August.
Plant Pathology announces undergraduate Tillman Awardees
The Department of Plant Pathology announces the 2025 Tillman Family Agriculture Undergraduate Student Award recepients. This award perpetuates the memory of Marcia Edythe Tillman and immediate family members to include her father, Benjamin W. Tillman, her mother, Marcia Ella Goddard Tillman and brother, Benjamin A. Tillman. Each recipient receives a $600 scholarship. To be eligible students must have declared a plant pathology minor and maintain a strong GPA.
The twelve recipients are: Elise Girard, Ashlynn Hartmann, Eva Willis, Amelia Meng, Clayton Mombello, Lily Smith, Jack Tenholder, Mia Bartley, Caelen Church, Emma Hamilton, Carmen Perez and Luke Holliday.
Shubhangi Arvelli receives Environmental Research and Education Foundation Scholarship
Food waste is one of today’s fastest-growing environmental challenges, and K-State scholar Shubhangi Arvelli is tackling it through innovative biological processes that transform waste into sustainable plastic precursors and biofuels.
Her groundbreaking work has been recognized with the prestigious Environmental Research & Education Foundation Scholarship, awarded to some of the most talented students in the field of solid waste management and sustainable materials. This honor highlights Shubhangi’s dedication to advancing circular economy solutions and creating a more sustainable future.
K-State veterinary students earn national Merck Animal Health scholarships 
Three students from the K-State College of Veterinary Medicine have received the 2024 Merck Animal Health Scholarship, which was announced this summer. This scholarship awards $5,000 to second- and third-year students.
Fourth-year students Ivy Elkins and Elizabeth Scarbrough, and third-year student Maeve Kumke, who applied for the scholarship last year, were among 26 students nationwide selected to receive the award. The scholarship recognizes second- and third-year veterinary students who demonstrate academic excellence, financial need and commitment to veterinary medicine. More information about these students in online.
Faculty and staff achievements
Mike Apley receives prestigious award at AAVPT meeting
Mike Apley, head of the department of anatomy and physiology, was recently recognized with the Lloyd E. Davis Memorial Award. This award is presented every other year during the Biennial Symposium of the American Academy of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics to recognize outstanding lifetime achievements in research, teaching and professional service in the field of veterinary pharmacology.
The award honors the legacy of Dr. Lloyd E. Davis, whose research focused on comparative drug disposition. Serving as a veterinary professor at Ohio State University, Colorado State University and the University of Illinois, his work contributed significantly to the development of veterinary pharmacology and therapeutics as a discipline. Read the full announcement from the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Raghavendra Amachawadi receives prestigious achievement award at national meeting
Raghavendra Amachawadi, associate professor of food animal therapeutics in the department of clinical sciences, was selected for the 2025 Early Career Achievement Award sponsored by the American Society of Animal Science Foundation. It was presented at the recently concluded annual meeting in Hollywood, Florida.
As part of the award tradition, Amachawadi was invited to give a lecture. He spoke about “Antimicrobial alternatives in swine and cattle production systems: Do they contribute to or mitigate antimicrobial resistance?” in the Animal Health session on July 9. Read the full announcement from the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Kansas ACTE recognize faculty for professional achievements
The Kansas Association for Career and Technical Education held its annual conference this year in Manhattan. Shandi Andres received the Educator of the Year Award. Anders is an instructor in the family and consumer sciences education program and serves as the state advisor for Kansas FCCLA. Bronwyn Fees received the Policy Maker of the Year Award. Fees is a professor of early childhood education and serves as the associate dean for academic and faculty affairs. Learn more about the work of Andres and Fees from the College of Health and Human Sciences.
Health and Human Sciences advisor receives Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award from NACADA
Rob Pettay, instructor and advisor of kinesiology, received the 2025 Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award from NACADA. Learn more about Pettay’s work from the College of Health and Human Sciences.
Johnson-Olthoff selected for September Charlie Award
The K-State Advisor Forum has selected Misti Johnson-Olthoff, early childhood education instructor and academic advisor for Early Childhood Education and Family and Consumer Sciences Education, for the September Charlie Award. Johnson-Olthoff was nominated for this award anonymously for the work she has done to impact K-State students' experiences.
"Misti Johnson-Olthoff has consistently stepped up in numerous ways relating to advising to support the Department of Applied Human Sciences. After becoming an advisor, she engaged in all of the advising training, attended our college every other week advising meetings, learned the teacher licensure requirements, and worked with the other advisors in our department to successfully advise the ECE students. Students comment that she is incredibly responsive, that she cared for the students, and she helped them determine which courses they should enroll in.”
Laura Kanost translates book on environmental activism, sacrifice, and resilience
Laura Kanost, professor of Spanish in the department of modern languages, recently translated into English and published the book, “Suma Paz: A Chronicle of Love and Peril in Defense of Nature,” by Colombian journalist and scholar Elvira Sánchez-Blake. The original Spanish-language book, “Suma Paz: La utopía de Mario Calderón y Elsa Alvarado,” won the 2022 Latino Book Award Gold Medal for Best Biography in Spanish. The book follows the lives of Colombian environmentalists Calderón and Alvarado, who were assassinated in 1997 for their conservation efforts in their country's Sumapaz region. Kanost's translation makes available in English a true story of environmental activism, sacrifice, and resilience blending biography, investigative journalism and indigenous perspectives on environmentalism.
Hinman subs with Kansas City Symphony
School of Music, Theatre, and Dance associate professor of trombone, Dan Hinman, will perform as a substitute musician with the Kansas City Symphony Oct. 17-19. The program features a screening of the film “Top Gun: Maverick” with live orchestra. This is Hinman's sixth appearance with the orchestra.
Send us your kudos!
Do you have a current K-State student, staff or faculty member you'd like to highlight? Submit their information by Wednesday, Aug. 6, for consideration to include in next month's edition of Purple Praise.
Read past editions in the Purple Praise archives.