Students chosen for 2024 Pitt State Leadership Awards 

Numerous Pittsburg State University students were recognized for their achievements at the annual Leadership Awards ceremony on Sunday in the Overman Student Center, including this year’s Outstanding Seniors, Golden Gorillas, and several organizational and departmental awards. They include: 

Outstanding Seniors 

Tricia Combs, a Communication and Criminal Justice major from Girard.  

Combs serves as the president of the ABC Trivia Club and Pitt State Pre-Law, vice president of the Honors College Association and Agricultural Association, and treasurer of Lambda Pi Eta Nu Eta Chapter Communication Honor Society. She previously served as president, vice president of membership, social media chair, and programming chair for Gorilla Activities Board.  

She is a recipient of the Honors College Presidential Scholarship and has a 3.97 GPA. She was a recipient of the Golden Gorilla Award in 2023 and the Strategic Communication Outstanding Newcomer Award.  

Under the direction of Professor Alicia Mason, Combs and four of her peers completed two research studies and represented Pitt State at the Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol and the Central States Communication Association conference in St. Louis.  

She is working as an intern for the Office of Judicial Administration in Topeka.  

Tucker Jessip, a Management and Sustainability Leadership major from Frontenac.  

Jessip serves as the president of the Honors College Association and Students for Sustainability and has a 4.0 GPA. He previously served as vice president and class representative for the Honors College Association and as president of Enactus.  

In 2023, Jessip was named the Homecoming King and was a recipient of the Golden Gorilla Award.  

Jessip is a volunteer firefighter for the Frontenac Fire Department, serves on the City of Pittsburg Sustainability Advisory Committee, and is a member of Pittsburg Area Young Professionals.  

He worked as a Clerical Assistant in Kelce College of Business for two and a half years and now works as an associate at Walmart.  

Other finalists were: 

• Ragan Abernathy, a Nursing major from Quapaw, Oklahoma.  
• Kate Bandre, a Nursing major from Overland Park. 
• Kayla Cormack, a Geographical and Political Sciences major from St. Louis, Missouri.  
• Penner Fox, a Chemistry major from Fredonia. 
• Zackary Goswick, a Nursing major from Webb City, Missouri.  
• Halee Harpenau, a Recreation Services, Sport, and Hospitality Management major from Wichita.  
• Anna Hogard, a December 2023 graduate with a degree in Elementary Education from Pittsburg.  
• Jessica Jones, a Recreation Services, Sport, and Hospitality Management major from Topeka.  
• Rylee McElroy, a Nursing and Modern Languages major from Shawnee.  
• Madeline Murdock, a Biology major from Coffeyville.  
• Aubrey Owens, a Communication major from Overland Park.  
• Nathaniel Parish, a Mathematics & Computer Information Systems major from Arma. 
• Jaiden Smith, a Biology major from Basehor.  
• Taylor Wixson, a Biology and Modern Languages major from Pittsburg. 

Golden Gorillas 

• Anna Bacon, a Nursing major from Grove, Oklahoma 
• Phoenix Bailey, a Biology major from Eureka, Arkansas 
• Trevor Bohnenblust, a Finance and Economics major from Eudora 
• Ivy Byrd, a Biology major from Overland Park 
• Ava Cheesman, a Marketing and Business Management major from Shawnee 
• Jenna Clark, a Nursing major from Overland Park 
• Rylee Croft, an Accounting major from Wichita  
• Jacob Culross, a Plastics Engineering Technology major from Lee’s Summit, Missouri. 
• Lexie Diskin, a Nursing major from Olathe.  
• Natalie Garland, a Nursing major from Vinita, Oklahoma. 
• Brett Gibson, a Biology major from Oologah, Oklahoma.  
• Corey Humble, a Biology (Pre-Medicine & Human Communications) major from Girard. 
• Josie Jacquinot, a Nursing major from Erie.  
• Parker Jenkins, a Construction Managment major from Lee’s Summit, Missouri. 
• Adam Kahnk, an Accounting, Marketing, and Management major from Overland Park.   
• Kassandra Lewis, a Nursing major from Parsons.  
• Katherine McKain, a Chemistry and Biology major from Overland Park. 
• Dakota Meats, a Finance and Business Management major from Edgerton. 
• Alexis Monks, an Elementary Education Unified major from Overland Park. 
• Paige Morey, an Elementary Education Unified major from Pittsburg.  
• Jaben Parnell, a Music Education major from Carthage, Missouri. 
• Kylee Perry, an Exercise Science major from Tulsa, Oklahoma. 
• Victoria Poyner, an Early Childhood Education Unified major from Andover. 
• Lindsay Pruett, a Biology (Pre-Physician Assistant) major from Olathe. 
• Alexandra Robinson, a Biology and Chemistry major from Pittsburg. 
• Saatvik Sabarwal, a Computer Information Systems and Business Economics major from New Delhi, India.  
• Brianna Shippy, an Accounting and Finance major from Lane, Kansas. 
• Kelsie Tucker, a Chemistry and Biology major from Overland Park. 
• Blair Wilson, a Nursing major from Nevada, Missouri.  
• Lydia Zerr, a Political Science and Social Work major from Pittsburg.  

Office of Inclusion and Belonging  

Academic Achievement Award 
Susana Canales, a History Education major from Pittsburg 

True Grit Award 
Coleen Ndedi Ntepe, a Spanish, French, Criminal Justice major from Joplin, Missouri 

Unsung Hero Award 
Devynn Pitts, an Art major from Baxter Springs 

Leading in Excellence Award 
Alyssa Tyler, a Criminal Justice from Stillwell, Kansas 
Yessi Azuara, a Construction major from Coffeyville 

Outstanding Senior 
Anna Thompson, a Social Work major from Pittsburg 

Advisor of the Year 
Derrel Fincher, Indian Student Association 
Nicolle Murphy, United Women 

Aspiring Leader 
Bella Huskey, an Art Education major from Joplin, Missouri 

Distinguished Leader 
Charles Judd, an Elementary Education major from Baxter Springs 

Outstanding Leader of the Year 
Olivia Goebel, an Accounting major from Lenexa 

Collaboration of the Year  
ABC (Always Be Curious) and Gorillas Activities Board (GAB) for "Disneytriviaoke" 
All Greek Council and Intercollegiate Athletics for "Greeks Pack the Weede" 

Community Impact 
National Association of Women in Construction for “Concrete With Girl Scouts” 
Sigma Chi for “Live Auction Benefitting USD 250 School Lunch Debt” 

2023 Presidential Award for Multiculturalism 
Hispanics of Today for “La Celebracion” 

Program of the Year 
Black Student Association for “Love Your Mane: A Hair Care Event” 

The Horizon Award 
Homecoming Committee 

Organization of the Year Award 
Pitt State Anime Club 
Women@Work 

Student Opportunity Grants 

Taylor Sitzmann  
Sitzmann, a Business Management major from Shawnee, will work as an on-site member of projects controls this summer. 

Jordan Haworth and Heather Burrow  
Haworth and Burrow, both Biology (Field) majors from Spring Hill and Wichita, respectively, will work for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks in the Red Hills region, where they will set traps, conduct visual surveys, hand live traps for small mammals, and set up acoustic detectors for bat calls this summer. 

Jack Haukap  
Haukap, a Construction Management major from Garden Plain, will serve as a temporary assistant site superintendent, assisting the main superintendent and the general manager of a partial remodel and expansion of an underground military and government testing facility in Los Alamos, New Mexico, this summer.