Each year during Family Weekend, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences holds its Ag Convocation. One of the highlights is the Spring 2020 Awards, but due to COVID-19, the event was canceled.

However, we wanted to recognize our Senior Merit Award Winners, two faculty teaching awards and the Alpha Zeta outstanding students. A video presentation and more about the award winners is below.

Senior Merit Award winners

Senior Merit Awards have been presented by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences for over 50 years.  The awards are designed to recognize the best of the best graduating seniors from the college in 2020. The selection criteria for Senior Merit Awards include scholarship, Texas A&M University activities, community involvement, professional and civic activities, internships/employment and awards, honors and undergraduate research activities/publications.  The award recognizes students for their academic excellence coupled with leadership and service on the department, college, and university levels. The Senior Merit Award is the highest recognition given to an undergraduate by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Nominations are received from each department and final selection of the recipients is made by the college scholarship committee.  The following five students representing our department are the 2020 Senior Merit honorees.

Shane Bentke an Agribusiness and Animal Science double-major is from Burton, TX.  Shane was very involved in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Council serving as Vice President of Community Service as a Sophomore, Vice President of Leadership as a Junior and Vice President of Finance as a Senior. He was responsible for the two Career Fairs consisting of 90-companies and 1400 student participants at each event.  He also served as an Associate Justice for the Student Government Association Judicial Court this year and as a Senator in the Student Government Association the past two years.  Shane was a delegate from the college to Agriculture Future of America programs in Kansas City since 2017.  He was involved in the Agricultural Economics Department as a member of Aggie REPS- the student recruitment team, Agricultural Economics Society and the departmental honors program.  He held internships with Capital Farm Credit in Bryan, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and West, Webb, Albritton & Gentry PC in College Station and Washington County AgriLife Extension in Brenham. He received the Buck Weirus Award and was also recognized as Outstanding Junior Student in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in 2018.  Shane plans to pursue a Master’s degree in agricultural economics with the ultimate career goal of working in the agricultural finance/lending field.

Hannah Langford in an Animal Science major from Hawkins, TX.  She was a member of Texas A&M Pre-Vet Society and was a team member and administrative assistant for Volunteers Around the World (VAW).  She was selected to partake in VAW’s first veterinary outreach mission to Peru where her and her teammates spent two weeks working at animal shelters and animal sanctuaries and setting up mobile clinics to help animals in rural areas. Hannah was a member of Deaf Aggies and Friends and the Human, Environment, Animal Team, an organization dedicated to helping humans, animals, and the environment through positive activism. She has volunteered with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Texas A&M Vet School Open House, Texas A&M Big Event and as a Peer Note-Taker for Disability Resources.  She was a Nursery Worker for First United Methodist Church, Hawkins, TX in 2017, Spring Hollow Horse Farm Intern in Spring 2018; SPCA Kennel Technician in the Summers of 2018 and 2019 and Kennel Technician for Van Stavern Small Animal Hospital Kennel Technician in 2018-19.  Hannah plans to attend the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine in Fall 2020 and hopes to ultimately open her own veterinary clinic.

Kortni Langlinais is an Animal Science major from Boerne, TX. Kortni was a member of the Texas A&M Horse Judging Team which won high team overall in the National Cutting Horse Association Collegiate Horse Judging Contest.  She served as Vice President of the American Collegiate Horsemen’s Association and Secretary and Director of Marketing for the Texas A&M Horseman’s Association.  She also served as an Animal Science Ambassador and Social Coordinator for the Texas A&M Collar Scholars (Canine Companions for Independence) as well as a member of Saddle and Sirloin and Sports for Kids.  Kortni was Sales Coordinator for the National Extreme Trailhorse Association, a Horse Trainer for Equine Sense, a summer intern with the King Ranch Veterinarian, a summer Horse Caretaker with Fossil Creek Equine and a Fall 2019 intern with NavaRio Ranch to run horse shows and events. She also conducted research with Dr. Jessica Leatherwood on the effect of various methods of exercise (aquatic versus dry versus no exercise) on bone and joint development in young horses.  She volunteered for multiple events including Texas A&M Horse Judging Camps, Horse Fair, Equine IQ Contest, National Endangered Equine Summit, Brazos County Fair, Boys and Girls Club and Bryan/College Station Youth Soccer. Kortni plans to pursue future studies and a career focusing on physical therapy and nutrition for the equine athlete

Isolde Parrish is an Animal Science major originally from Troy, TX.  Isolde was active in numerous campus organizations including Pre-Vet Society, Saddle and Sirloin, CARPOOL, Freshman Leadership Experience and the Aron and Mary Lois Savell Leadership Mentor Program.  She was a Peer Notetaker for Disability Resources and participated in Big Event. She traveled abroad to the United Kingdom and Ireland under the instruction of Dr. Ramsey to study agricultural systems and animal handling and traveled with Dr. Wickersham on the Texas Panhandle Beef Tour.  She was also involved with Baptist Student Ministries, Aggieland Humane Society and the Veterinary School Annual Open House.  Isolde was a student worker with the TAMU Public Policy Research Institute, TAMU Math Department, Belton Veterinary Clinic, Texas Equine Hospital and with Special Horses and Riders Excelling, a therapeutic riding center that provided horseback rides to physical and mentally disabled individuals. Isolde conducted undergraduate research in 2018-19 in the Ruminant Nutrition Lab under the direction of Dr. Tryon Wickersham. She was a member of the Texas A&M Wool Judging Team which were named Reserve National Champions in 2017. Her future plans following graduation are to pursue a Master of Science in Ruminant Nutrition in the TAMU Department of Animal Science.

Emily Watson is an Animal Science major from Alvarado, TX.  She has been active in numerous extracurricular activities including CARPOOL, Saddle and Sirloin club, Pre-Vet Society, Aron and Mary Lois Savell Leadership Mentor Program and Aggie Research Scholars. She competed nationally on the Texas A&M Wool Judging Team and won Reserve Champion Individual Overall at San Antonio and national recognition as an All-American Wool Judging Team Member in 2017.   Her community service involvement included the Brazos Valley Archery Club, Heifer International Gala, Aggieland Humane Society, S.H.A.R.E.  Big Event, Texas A&M Sheep Show, Texas A&M Area FFA Career Development Events and Texas A&M Veterinary School Open House.  Emily is a student worker with the large animal research facility at the TAMU College of Veterinary Medicine and became supervisor of student workers in January 2019.  She was an intern with the U.S. Dairy Education and Training Consortium, in Summer 2019 which provided in-depth and hands-on training aimed at learning about the dairy industry.  She also worked with Schubot Exotic Bird Health Center and City View Animal Hospital.  Emily conducted Undergraduate Research in Dr. Ivan Rusyn’s Toxicology Lab and Dr. Tryon Wickersham’s Ruminant Nutrition Lab.  She was the recipient of the Johnson County A&M Club Award of Excellence. Emily plans use her degree as foundational knowledge to become a food animal veterinarian and ultimately reside in rural Texas to improve animal care and health.

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Via source COALS