Ten College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources students have been selected as Oklahoma State University Seniors of Significance for the 2014-2015 academic year by the OSU Alumni Association.

Joshua Joe Conaway, Dalton Downing, Brian James Highfill, Kevin Meeks, Jessica Neal, Hannah Nemecek, Jonathan Overton, Ty Schoenhals, Chacey Schoeppel and Peter Storm have been selected as OSU Seniors of Significance, which recognizes students who have excelled in scholarship, leadership and service to campus and community and have brought distinction to OSU.

"The OSU Alumni Association is proud to recognize these seniors for the achievements they've made during their time at OSU," says Chris Batchelder, Alumni Association president. "We look forward to seeing them excel as part of the OSU alumni family after they graduate."

Joshua Joe Conaway is an agribusiness major from Ringwood, Okla. During his time at OSU, Conaway has served with EDGE Youth Camp, was an Oklahoma FFA State Officer and has worked as a teaching assistant for Dr. Kim Anderson.

Dalton Downing is an agribusiness major from Grove, Okla. During his time at OSU, Downing was named a Mortar Board Top Ten Freshman Man, Interfraternity Council’s Outstanding Greek Freshman and a Grameen Bank Fellow. He served as Senate Vice-Chair of Student Government Association and worked with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Brian James Highfill is an agricultural economics major from Enid, Okla. During his time at OSU, Highfill served as chairman of the Farm Credit Student Board of Directors, was a member of Phi Kappa Phi academic honor society, and worked as a Camp Cowboy counselor and wrangler. He also interned for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture and Chairman Frank Lucas.

Kevin Meeks is an agricultural communications major from Wetumka, Okla. During his time at OSU, Meeks had two internships with the OSU Agricultural Legislature and the Frank D. Lucas Agricultural Policy internship. He worked at the Oklahoma Agriculture Leadership Encounter as a student academic mentor for the CASNR Freshman in Transition program and is a founding member of Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity.

Jessica Neal is an animal science major from Duncan, Okla. During her time at OSU, Neal was a Niblack Research Scholarship recipient, a member of the CASNR Student Success Leader team, a 2014 OSU Horse Judging Team member, and a 2014 Cowboys in Cambridge program participant.

Hannah Nemecek is an agricultural communications major from Skiatook, Okla. During her time at OSU, Nemecek participated in the Oklahoma Agriculture Leadership Encounter, the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Student Council, on the OSU Alumni Homecoming Steering committee and as Chi Omega Secretary.

Jonathan C. Overton is a biosystems engineering major from Yukon, Okla. During his time at OSU, Overton’s poster won first place at the Midwest Region Rally for the American Society for Engineering Education. He was a Niblack Scholar, president of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, and has been a teaching assistant for six departmental courses.

Ty Schoehals is an agricultural communications major from Kremlin, Okla. During his time at OSU, Schoenhals served on the Homecoming Steering and Big committees. He was most recently selected as a 2014 OSU Homecoming Royalty candidate.

Chacey Schoeppel is an agribusiness major from Fairview, Okla. During her time at OSU, Schoeppel was a 2014 Harry S. Truman Foundation Scholar and Women for OSU Student Philanthropist of the Year. She is a co-founder and director of the Ubuntu Youth Project, an after-school program in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, that provides tutoring, mentorship, agricultural education, and entrepreneurial skill development for secondary school students. Schoeppel is an active member of the Chi Omega Sorority and has served on the sorority’s national board. She served on Student Alumni Board and has interned with the Office of Governor Mary Fallin and the Supreme Court of Oklahoma.

Peter Storm is a biosystems engineering major from Stillwater, Okla. During his time at OSU, Storm served as member-at-large for CEAT Student Council, CEAT Week Committee Head, and with ASABE Student Branch – Alpha Epsilon. He is a Wentz Scholar and Niblack Research Scholar and has studied domestically and abroad with OSU in Washington D.C., the United Kingdom and Japan.

A public reception recognizing the 44 Seniors of Significance Award winners was held on November 17 at the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center in Stillwater, Okla.

For more information about the OSU Alumni Association’s student awards program, visit http://orangeconnection.org/awards.

The OSU Alumni Association serves as a lifelong connection between alumni and Oklahoma State University. As a member organization, the Alumni Association serves more than 200,000 alumni living worldwide, as well as OSU students, faculty, staff and friends.  By supporting the extensive alumni network from OSU, the Alumni Association provides a connection back to the university through a number of outreach programs as well as a complete directory to connect alumni to each other. Get Connected – Stay Connected – orangeconnection.org!

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Contact:
Chase Carter
OSU Alumni Association
405.744.2066
chase.carter@okstate.edu