WKU News

WKU’s five academic colleges -- Gordon Ford College of Business, Potter College of Arts & Letters, Ogden College of Science & Engineering, College of Education and Behavioral Sciences and College of Health and Human Services -- recognized their spring and summer 2025 graduating classes during ceremonies on Friday at Diddle Arena.

The ceremonies included remarks from college deans, commissioning of Hilltopper Army ROTC cadets as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army to serve in the active Army, National Guard or Army Reserve, individual recognition of graduates and recognition of 54 Scholars of the College. (The Scholar of the College is the baccalaureate degree student in each undergraduate college with the highest cumulative overall grade-point average and a minimum of 60 semester hours earned in residence.)

At its 197th Commencement on Thursday evening, WKU conferred 3,420 degrees and certificates to spring and summer 2025 graduates -- 97 associate, 2,108 bachelor’s, 598 master’s, 50 doctoral, 15 specialist degrees, 442 undergraduate certificates and 110 graduate certificates.

During the College Recognition Ceremonies for Potter College of Arts & Letters and the College of Health and Human Services, graduates who proudly portrayed WKU’s beloved mascot, Big Red, were recognized and led graduates in a final red towel wave for the 2025 class photo.

Gordon Ford College of Business

Scholars of the College: Brooklyn Cannon of Bowling Green, a Management major; Vangie Evans of Philpot, a Management major; Renee Keck of Hendersonville, a Management major; Davis Moran of Bowling Green, an Accounting major; Brett Phelps of Bardstown, a Visual Journalism & Photography and Marketing major with a concentration in Strategic Marketing and a student in the Mahurin Honors College; Addison Pruitt of Mount Washington, a Finance, Accounting and Data Analytics major; Riley Richardson of Louisville, an Accounting major; and Mae Violet Sánchez of Nashville, Tennessee, a Management major.

Ogden Foundation Scholar: Brett Phelps, Visual Journalism & Photography and Marketing with a concentration in Strategic Marketing

Outstanding Graduate Student: Kaysten Thomas, Master of Science in Accountancy and Data Analysis

ROTC Commissioning: Cadet Evan Alexander

Potter College of Arts & Letters

Scholars of the College: Tabby Cline of Glasgow, a Visual Arts major; Braden Cowan of Springfield, Tennessee, a Criminology and Sociology major; Jewel Dwyer of Bowling Green, a Film major; Addison Falkner of Louisville, a Political Science and Psychology major and student in the Mahurin Honors College; Larissa Harr of Normal, Illinois, a Corporate and Organizational Communication major; Ragan Harrington of Nashville, Tennessee, an Advertising and Communication Studies major; Gwendolyn Lamb of Cornersville, Tennessee, an Anthropology, Chinese, and Asian Religions and Cultures major and a student in the Mahurin Honors College; Emma Maddox of Shepherdsville, an Art History and Psychological Science major; Shannon Maloney of Marietta, Georgia, a Dance major and a student in the Mahurin Honors College; Abigail Markel of Bowling Green, a History major; Slone Pfeiffer of Louisville, an Art Education major and student in the Mahurin Honors College; John Rains of Monticello, an English major and a student in the Mahurin Honors College; Kaylee Russell of Bowling Green, an English for Secondary Teachers major and a student in the Mahurin Honors College; Cameron Shaw of Hardinsburg, a Journalism and Criminology major; Avery Yates of Bowling Green, a Criminology and Sociology major and a student in the Mahurin Honors College; Monica Yates of Russellville, a Criminology and Communication studies major and a student in the Mahurin Honors College; Joel E. Youngers of Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, an English major.  

Ogden Foundation Scholar: Brett Phelps, dual degrees in Visual Journalism & Photography and Marketing with a concentration in Strategic Marketing

Outstanding Graduate Student: Michael Rasak, Master of Arts in History

ROTC Commissioning: Cadet Gabriel Hamilton-Canabal, Cadet Isaiah Kindle, Cadet Jase Phillips, and Cadet Mason Satterley

Big Red: Colby Alexander, Wade Yates and Addison Falkner

Ogden College of Science & Engineering

Scholars of the College: Caitlyn Blandford of Owensboro, an Architectural Science and Interior Design major; Ravynn Brooke Gardner of Bowling Green, a Biology major and student in the Mahurin Honors College; Catie Craig of Sautee-Nacoochee, Georgia, a Soil Agronomy and Horticulture major; Esther Gorecki of New Lenox, Illinois, a Biology major; Kaitlyn Gray of Versailles, a Biology and Applied Human Physiology major and a student in the Mahurin Honors College; Kenley Mulzer of Santa Claus, Indiana, a Biology major; Travis Oliver of Morgantown, a Physics and Science and Math Education major; Mason Owens of Bowling Green, a Mechanical Engineering major; Vidhi Ambarish Parekh of Bowling Green, a Biochemistry major; Rachel Payne of Maysville, an Architectural Sciences major; Matthew Polak of Bowling Green, a Computer Science major; Kayla Srinivasan of Evansville, Indiana, a Manufacturing Engineering and Technology major.

John D. Minton Graduate Student Award: Uthman A. Rasaq, Master of Science in Mathematics. Rasaq is a Fall 2024 graduate and was recognized during the Commencement Ceremony on Thursday, May 8. Read more about the Minton Award recipient at https://www.wku.edu/news/articles/index.php?view=article&articleid=12548. Read more about the Commencement Ceremony at https://www.wku.edu/news/articles/index.php?view=article&articleid=12558.

Outstanding Graduate Student: Chelsea Howd, Master of Science in Psychology with a concentration in Psychological Science

College of Education and Behavioral Sciences

Scholars of the College:  Josie Ford of Tompkinsville, an Elementary Education major; Dakota Jones of Springfield, Tennessee, a Psychology major; Lindze Lunn of Spring Hill, Tennessee, a Psychology and Chinese major and a student in the Mahurin Honors College; Mariah Mehus of Nashville, Tennessee, an Organizational Leadership major; Lindsey Thornhill of arnedHHarned, a Special Education and Elementary Education major.

Outstanding Graduate Student: Rachel Jennings, Ed.S. Program in School Psychology

ROTC Commissioning: Cadet Tiffany Jessop, Cadet Christian Silvano, Cadet William Stanley, and Cadet Thurnapuf Valle.

Doctor of Education: Amanda L. Hardin, Stacie M. Hutchison, Justin K. Mitchell, Shaparak Malek-Morvai, Kevin S. Sneed (Note: Dissertation/project titles in Commencement program)

Doctor of Psychology: Hannah J. Turner-Howerton, Nicole L. Parker, Kristen E. Schwindt, Ashley Wilson (Note: Dissertation/project titles in Commencement program)

College of Health and Human Services

Scholars of the College: Caroline Barrow of Paducah, a Nursing major; Campbell Bush of Bowling Green, an Exercise Science major; Shayna Garrett of Mt. Sterling, a Communication Sciences and Disorders major and a student in the Mahurin Honors College; Sara Hendricks of Bardstown, a Communication Sciences and Disorders major; Elizabeth B. Howell of Rineyville, a Communication Sciences and Disorders major; Riley Hurm of Prospect, a Communication Sciences and Disorders major and a student in the Mahurin Honors College; Victoria Iles of Morning View, a Hospitality Management and Dietetics major and a student in the Mahurin Honors College; Abigayle London of Glasgow, a Nursing major and a student in the Mahurin Honors College; Trinity Melton of Somerset, a Communication Sciences and Disorders major and a student in the Mahurin Honors College; Mary Jean Moles of Nashville, Tennessee, a Recreation, Park & Nonprofit Administration major; Sydney M. Slaven of Columbia, a Dental Hygiene major; Timothy Villafranca of Owensboro, a Social Work major.

Outstanding Graduate Student: Manly Barksdale, Master of Science in Kinesiology

ROTC Commissioning: Cadet Caleb Dixon, Cadet Knik Durman, Cadet Derek Hall, Cadet Jacob Sutherland, and Cadet Ethan Yaste.

Doctor of Nursing Practice: Mark W. Flener, Jessica A. Gaskins, Erica L. Gidcumb, Lillian Namayi, Kantapak Tintukasiri, DiAnna L. Young, Kimberly N. Zimmerman (Note: Dissertation/project titles in Commencement program)

Doctor of Physical Therapy: Lauren K. Batten, Sydney K. Bruce, Benjamin E. Bruckner, Michael R. Buchheit, Cecil B. Burke, Brianna H. Cerrato, Jarred L. Crone, Logan K. Eastwood, Susan V. Fleshman, Kayla B. Goldick, Cheyenne A. Gore, Nicholas Hauser-DeMeo, Jason A. Head, Skylar S. King, Mason L. Kreilein, Nadine Langsdorf, Jonathan Loshinskie, Jacob W. Pooler, Mina Samer, Briley N. Shrewsberry, Noah C. Stafford, Scott Terrell, Dylan M. Waldrop, Makayla L. Walker, Bailey D. Waltz, Ethan P. Warren, Janna C. Wheeler, Jaclynn N. Whiting, Cy C. Whitler, Emma F. Wilder, Mallory B. Williams (Note: Dissertation/project titles in Commencement program)

Big Red: Kylie Howard, Jack Littleford, Ali Payton, Lilly Pottlitzer and Sarah Vincent

More: WKU celebrates Class of 2025; College Recognition Ceremonies Photo Album

Contact: Communications & Marketing, (270) 745-4295

-WKU-

Western Kentucky University prides itself on positioning its students, faculty and staff for long term success. As a student-centered, applied research university, WKU helps students expand on classroom learning by integrating education with real-world applications in the communities we serve. Our hilltop campus is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which was recently named by Reader’s Digest as one of the nicest towns in America, just an hour’s drive from Nashville, Tennessee.