Indiana State University honored its best students with achievement awards this spring.
Rhagen Smith, '17, a nursing major from Sullivan, Ind., was awarded the President's Medal for Leadership, Scholarship and Service at Indiana State University. The medal is awarded to a junior or senior who has exhibited a passion for service, leadership and academic merit.
Upon graduation, Smith will work as a registered nurse in the intensive care unit at Union Hospital in Terre Haute. "After a couple years of experience, I plan on obtaining my master's degree in nursing and become a nurse practitioner," she said.
The Alan C. Rankin Distinguished Senior Award was presented to: Kelsey Darin, a marketing major; Amanda Lange, an elementary education major from Schnellville, Ind.; Trent Lunsford, a finance major (financial analysis and investment management concentration) from Overland Park, Kan.; and Kyle Varble, an operations and supply chain management major from Rockport, Ind.
The Rankin Award, named for the university's seventh president who served from 1965 to 1975, recognizes outstanding seniors who have demonstrated dedicated membership and leadership in campus organizations and in the community. Recipients must also have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 and submitted an essay about how they have dedicated time to service on campus and in the community. Additionally, the students must have one letter of recommendation written by a faculty or staff member with whom they have worked closely.
The Richard G. Landini Outstanding Junior Award was presented to: Allison Crick, an accounting and marketing major from Terre Haute; Andrew Hile, a communication major from Indianapolis; James "Jak" Kramer, an insurance and risk management major from Pendleton, Ind.; and Kelly Polacek, a biology major from Cincinnati.
The Landini Award, named for Indiana State's eighth president, 1975-1992, is presented to distinguished juniors for their commitment to the university. To be eligible for the Landini Award, students must have a minimum GPA of 3.25, are required to write an essay detailing the reasons they live up to the ideals and values of Indiana State and must be recommended by a faculty or staff member. This year's recipients also exhibited exceptional campus involvement.
The Hines Memorial Medal was presented to Kelsey Darin, a marketing major, and Bailey Pell, an accounting major from Brazil, Ind.
The Hines Medal, which goes to students with the highest cumulative grade point average during their pursuit of a bachelor's degree, is named for Linnaeus Hines. He was the university's fourth president from 1921 to 1933 and served two terms as Indiana superintendent of public instruction.
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http://photos.indstate.edu/Events/Events-by-Year/2017/Junior-and-Senior-Awards-2017/i-M6fJt5b/A -- Hile
Media contact: Libby Roerig, director of communications and media relations, Office of Communications and Marketing, Indiana State University, 812-237-3790 or libby.roerig@indstate.edu