ARKADELPHIA -- Celebrating Ouachita Baptist University's 128th spring commencement, university officials conferred a total of 350 degrees on 343 graduates, including the university's first three Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees.
Ouachita President Rex Horne also presented J.D. "Sonny" Tucker, executive director of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, with an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree on behalf of the university's Board of Trustees.
This year's graduating class featured 143 honor graduates, including 21 who graduated summa cum laude with a grade point average of 3.95 or higher, 46 who graduated magna cum laude with a 3.75 GPA or higher and 76 who graduated cum laude with at least a 3.5 GPA.
Local graduates were:
Glenwood
Raleigh Hansen, May 2015, summa cum laude, Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education; Neelie Lee, May 2015, summa cum laude, Bachelor of Science in Biology
Hot Springs
Mallory Burroughs, December 2014, cum laude, Bachelor of Science in Biology; Jackson Carter, May 2015, cum laude, Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications and History; Abby Catlett, May 2015, Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders; Hanna Dean, December 2014, magna cum laude, Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications and Speech Communication; Kayla De La Cruz, May 2015, Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education; Allison Drobena, May 2015, Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders; Drew Farris, May 2015, Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies/Biblical Studies and Christian Theology; Sydney Gibson, May 2015, Bachelor of Arts, Business Administration/Finance and Marketing; Connor Goad, May 2015, Bachelor of Arts, Christian Studies/Christian Theology; Emily Graves, May 2015, Bachelor of Arts, Biology; Megan Graves, December 2014, cum laude, Bachelor of Arts, Music and Communication Sciences and Disorders; Evan Greenwood, May 2015, Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration/Marketing; Garrett Hartman, August 2014, Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies/Philosophy; Paige Onyuru, May 2015, cum laude, Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry; Kacey Smith, December 2014, Bachelor of Arts in Christian Media/Communications and Mass Communications; Rebekah Taylor, May 2015, Bachelor of Arts in History and Secondary Education; Emily Tucker, December 2014, cum laude, Bachelor of Arts in Music; Allison Wade, May 2015, Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders; Lauren West, August 2014, Bachelor of Arts in Music
Hot Springs Village
Courtney Stanage, May 2015, cum laude, Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance; Erin Wilson, May 2015, summa cum laude, Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration/Marketing and Management
Lonsdale
Marissa Beckwith, May 2015, Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design; Chandler Tillery, May 2015, Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration/Finance and Management and Spanish.
School on 07/05/2015