Levi Kasner of Lockney receives his Highest Ranking Graduate award from Dr. Claude Lusk during Wayland Baptist University's December 2021 commencement ceremony. (Wayland Baptist University Photo)
PLAINVIEW — Sixty-five students graduated from Wayland Baptist University during its winter commencement ceremony on Saturday, and a Lockney native was recognized as one of the class’s highest-ranking graduates.
Levi Kasner, a mathematics and computer science major from Lockney, maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average to achieve his high rank. He shares the top spot with Jolie Donaldson, a molecular biology major from Whitewright who also graduated with a 4.0 GPA.
Levi is the son of Dr. Andrew and Racheal Kasner, who recently relocated from Lockney to the San Angelo area.
Two other students from Floyd County, Ryiann Araujo and Hannah Kidd, both of Lockney, also graduated on Saturday.
Kasner gave the benediction to conclude the ceremony; prior to that, Allison Kirk, a Bachelor of Christian Ministry graduate from Odessa, gave the student address, telling her fellow graduates to “be present.”
“Take in the little moments you have with your friends and family and be thankful for them,” she said. “It’s okay to anticipate growing up and moving off, but don’t forget to be present.”
Kirk encouraged her classmates to cling to the hope that Paul the Apostle spoke of in Romans 5:3-5.
“Hope is what keeps someone going against all odds,” Kirk said. “Paul says it’s suffering that produces perseverance and that produces character, and out of that tested and refined character comes hope.”
In his charge to the graduates, Wayland President Dr. Bobby Hall challenged students to take advantage of their new beginning.
“I know you have the ability and I hope you will have the courage and persistence and faith to serve as the hands and feet of Christ in a world that seems to sometimes have truly gone astray,” he said, pointing to the spiritual gifts given to Christ followers to be used for the advancement of the Kingdom of God.
“Your generation has already faced a pandemic and will continue to face remarkable challenges and we can’t wait to see how those gifts, all of those gifts and the opportunities that come with them, combine with those of fellow believers to meet and overcome the many challenges of humankind,” he said.
Those students graduating were:
Doctor of Management: Benjamin Alexander, Lubbock; Tawnya Garcia, San Antonio.
Master of Arts in Counseling: Robin Berry, Hale Center; Amy Comer, Lubbock; Sheridan Dancer, Lubbock; Magdalena Galaviz, Plainview; Tanner Gausin, Plainview; Sarah Lopez, Big Spring; Tabetha Napier, Bayfield, Colorado; Lillie Shipp, Lubbock; Gabriela Valencia, Petersburg.
Master of Arts in Christian Ministry: Lori Brown, Plainview.
Master of Education: Paige Baynes, Houston; Jasen Herrera, Farwell; Marcos Hinojos, Jr., Plainview; Lathaniel Jeanlouis, New Iberia, Louisiana; Heather Kirk, Odessa.
Bachelor of Applied Science: Melinda Maldonado, Plainview; Lindsey McCoy, Wichita Falls; Matthew Morris, Plainview; Desiree Zavala, Grandview, Washington.
Bachelor of Arts: Ryiann Araujo, Lockney; Cheyenne Chambers, Amarillo; Ann Epp, Balko, Oklahoma; Katye Hambright, Plainview; Shiloh Hamilton, Olton; Earnest Marshall, Plainview; Hector Romero, Manteca, California; Kyle Sumner, Lubbock; Demetruis Turner, Killeen; Eliana Vaughn, Albuquerque, New Mexico; Analisa Villa, Plainview.
Bachelor of Business Administration: Tiffany Alvarez, Plainview; Jaren Baltazar, Houston; Coshan Campbell, Freeport, Grand Bahamas; Jovanny Cortes-Ochoa, Houston; Gabriel Gray, Amarillo; Chaz Matthews, Dallas; Alex Pike, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada; Chase Ragsdale, Denton; Oveionce Ray, Las Vegas, Nevada; Luis Rodriguez, Plainview; Natalie Terry, Odessa; Kaleb Thornton, Lubbock; Justin Wheeler, Jr., Arlington.
Bachelor of Christian Ministry: Allison Kirk, Odessa
Bachelor of Music: Claire Daily, Plainview; Matthew Flores, Olton.
Bachelor of Science: Mayra Aguilar, San Salvador, El Salvador; Nikki Argueta, Plainview; Praise Ayeni, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Whitney Beal, Lubbock; Lucy Chávez, Mesquite; Jenna Cooper, Claude; Jolie Donaldson, Whitewright; Teresha Jacobs, Porus, Jamaica; Levi Kasner, Lockney; Hannah Kidd, Lockney; Luis Mendez, Dominican Republic; Cameron O’Donnell, Lubbock; Gerardo Perdomo, Dallas; Nina Pham, San Jose, California; Bianca Roman, Fort Worth.
Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies: Matthew Booth, New Braunfels; Kaylee Edgemon, Littlefield; Dulce Perez, Plainview; Sidney Stalsby, Perryton; Trevor Townsend, Plainview; Stormy Ward, Plainview.
Editor’s Note: Parts of this story were provided by Wayland Baptist University.
