Receiving the Ambassador of the Year awards from Admissions were freshmen Cody Cook, Clayton, Kan.; Marissa Schuett, Wichita, Kan., and Pierre Zook, McMinnville, Ore.

Receiving the Resident Assistant of the Year awards from Student Life were sophomores Rebecca Short, Archbold, Ohio; and Tyler Yoder, Bay Port, Mich.

Receiving the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Award for Exemplary Academic Achievement were Hannah Bachman, Tiskilwa, Ill., women’s soccer; Philip Hochstetler, Strang, Neb., men’s basketball; and Kara Stutzman, Hesston, Kan., women’s basketball. The award is given to sophomore students who earn a 3.6 to 3.79 GPA.

Receiving the NJCAA Award for Superior Academic Achievement were Alyssa Horst, Orrville, Ohio, volleyball; Kendra Mast, Walnut Creek, Ohio, volleyball; Jared Jenkins, Westminster, Colo., men’s basketball; Mara Short-Miller, Bellingham, Wash., women’s cross country; and Emily Wagner-Davis, Roseville, Calif., softball. The award is given to sophomore students who earn a 3.8 to 3.99 GPA.

Receiving the NJCAA Pinnacle Award for Academic Excellence were Zachary Baumgartner, Hesston, Kan., men’s cross country; Karli Graybill, Goshen, Ind., women’s soccer; Krista Rittenhouse, Mount Pleasant, Pa., women’s soccer; Mallory Schroeder, Newton, Kan., women’s basketball; Kate Steury, New Paris, Ind., volleyball; and Colby Troyer, Waterford, Pa., women’s soccer. The award is given to sophomore students who earn a 4.0 GPA.

Receiving the Hesston College Business Department Award were sophomores Hayden Goerzen, Newton, Kan.; Karli Graybill, Goshen, Ind.; Danielle Klotz, Wakarusa, Ind.; Joel Murray, Hesston, Kan.; Mallory Schroeder, Newton, Kan.; Sarah Unruh, Durham, Kan.; Emily Wagner-Davis, Roseville, Calif.; and Grace Yoder, Bellefontaine, Ohio.

Receiving the Bill Mason Business Scholarship were freshmen Ashley Beatty, Washington, Iowa; Keisei Ohta, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa, Japan; Matthew A. Weaver, Hesston, Kan.; and Matthew R. Weaver, Goshen, Ind. The scholarship was established in honor of longtime business instructor, Bill Mason, and awards a $2,500 scholarship to business students during their sophomore year.

Receiving the Mariann Martin Drama Award from the Theatre department was sophomore Alanah Rempel of Grand Lake, Colo.

Receiving the Early Childhood Education Award was sophomore Rebecca Short of Archbold, Ohio.

Receiving the Social Science Excellence Award were sophomores Saralyn Mast, Lancaster, Pa., and Taylor Waidelich, Stryker, Ohio.

Receiving the Clayton V. Beyler Award from the Bible department were sophomores Danielle Klotz, of Wakarusa, Ind., and Tyler Yoder of Bay Port, Mich.

Receiving the Daniel Gerber Peace and Service Award from the Bible department were sophomores Leah Mueller of Halstead, Kan., and Andrea de Avila Balboa of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico.

Receiving the Music Student of the Year Award was sophomore Erin Hershey of Mechanicsburg, Pa.

Receiving the Outstanding Math/Science Graduate Award was sophomore Zachary Baumgartner of Hesston, Kan.

Receiving the Computer Science Award was sophomore Isaac Tice of Salisbury, Pa.

Receiving the Outstanding Freshman Chemistry Award was Mollie Nebel of Hesston, Kan.

Sophomores on the Dean’s List who maintained a GPA of at least 3.9 over two years of study include: Zachary Baumgartner, Hesston, Kan.; Shuvo Das, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh; Andrea Delgado, Hutchinson, Kan.; Angela Entz, Whitewater, Kan.; Katie Fiedler, Newton, Kan.; Hayden Goerzen, Newton, Kan.; Karli Graybill, Goshen, Ind.; Erin Hershey, Mechanicsburg, Pa.; Alyssa Horst, Orrville, Ohio; Jonathan King, Hillsboro, Kan.; Danielle Klotz, Wakarusa, Ind.; Dana Lewis, Hesston, Kan.; Kendra Litwiller, Hopedale, Ill.; Maria Martin, Harrisonburg, Va.; Courtney Mast, Weatherford, Okla.; Kara Meyer, Orrville, Ohio; Katie Miller, Rio Rancho, N.M.; Joel Murray, Hesston, Kan.; Carly Peckman, Wichita, Kan.; Craig Ratzlaff, Galva, Kan.; Krista Rittenhouse, Mount Pleasant, Pa.; Mallory Schroeder, Newton, Kan.; Rebecca Short, Archbold, Ohio; Mara Short-Miller, Bellingham, Wash.; Katharine Steury, New Paris, Ind.; Alyssa Trevino, Wichita, Kan.; Colby Troyer, Waterford, Pa.; and Taylor Waidelich, Stryker, Ohio.

Dean’s List 3.90-4.0
Freshmen
Asbel Assefa – Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Cory Bowman – Millersburg, Ind.
Lindsey Carter – Alden, Kan.
Joel Dick – Wichita, Kan.
Mallory Eicher – Berne, Ind.
Taylor Ermoian – Hays, Kan.
Bonita Garber – Bainbridge, Pa.
Ryan Gehman – Millersville, Pa.
Sarah Geiser – Apple Creek, Ohio
Victoria Gunawan – Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia
Crysta Haury – Pretty Prairie, Kan.
Adam Heisey – Elizabethtown, Pa.
Jenae Hershberger – Goshen, Ind.
Jacob Landis – Sterling, Ill.
Olivia Miller – Newton, Kan.
Michelle Moyer – Monticello, Ill.
Alisa Murray – Orrville, Ohio
Mollie Nebel – Hesston, Kan.
Keisei Ohta – Kanagawa, Japan
Jared Regehr – Moundridge, Kan.
Kelly Reimer – Hesston, Kan.
David Rudy – Manheim, Pa.
Alyssa Rychener – Hesston, Kan.
Paul Schoenhals – Archbold, Ohio
Derek Swartzendruber – Shickley, Neb.
Issei Tsuji – Chiba-ken, Japan
Matthew Weaver – Hesston, Kan.
Michaela Zook – Hesston, Kan.

Dean’s List 3.90-4.0
Sophomores
Lauren Adams – Wichita, Kan.
Zachary Baumgartner – Hesston, Kan.
Shuvo Das – Mohammadpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Andrea Delgado – Hutchinson, Kan.
Logan Duerksen – Newton, Kan.
Angela Entz – Whitewater, Kan.
Katie Fiedler – Newton, Kan.
Hayden Goerzen – Newton, Kan.
Karli Graybill – Goshen, Ind.
Ashley Hager – West Liberty, Ohio
Erin Hershey – Mechanicsburg, Pa.
Alyssa Horst – Orrville, Ohio
Robert Howell – Newton, Kan.
Jared Jenkins – Westminster, Colo.
Melissa Jirgens – Lehigh, Kan.
Jonathan King – Hillsboro, Kan.
Danielle Klotz – Wakarusa, Ind.
Dana Lewis – Hesston, Kan.
Kendra Litwiller – Hopedale, Ill.
Maria Martin – Harrisonburg, Va.
Courtney Mast – Weatherford, Okla.
Kendra Mast – Walnut Creek, Ohio
Saralyn Mast – Lancaster, Pa.
Gabrielle May – Olathe, Kan.
Kara Meyer – Orrville, Ohio
Katie Miller – Rio Rancho, N.M.
Joel Murray  – Hesston, Kan.
Ashley Oglesbee – Great Bend, Kan.
Carly Peckman – Wichita, Kan.
Mishaun Pfannenstiel – Inman, Kan.
Craig Ratzlaff – Galva, Kan.
Krista Rittenhouse – Mount Pleasant, Pa.
Crystal Royer – Lehigh, Kan.
Grace Schmidt – Wichita, Kan.
Mallory Schroeder – Newton, Kan.
Rebecca Short – Archbold, Ohio
Mara Short-Miller – Bellingham, Wash.
Katharine Steury – New Paris, Ind.
Kara Stutzman – Hesston, Kan.
Alyssa Trevino – Wichita, Kan.
Colby Troyer – Waterford, Pa.
Taylor Waidelich – Stryker, Ohio
Lauren Weaver – Hesston, Kan.
Jesse Woodward – Goshen, Ind.
Corey Wyse – Archbold, Ohio
Tyler Yoder – Bay Port, Mich.

Honor Roll 3.50-3.89
Freshmen
Atsushi Ambo – Niigata, Japan
Seth Bitikofer – Saint George, Kan.
Neal Brubaker – Goessel, Kan.
Broxton Busenitz – North Newton, Kan.
Grant Fenton – Hesston, Kan.
Samuel Foxvog – Tiskilwa, Ill.
Taylor Fritz – Atglen, Pa.
Herane Girma – Alexandria, Va.
Jessica Graybill – Gap, Pa.
Brandi Hite – Sedgwick, Kan.
Preston Hornbeck – McKinney, Texas
Crystal Huxman – Russell, Kan.
Kayla Kauffman – Hutchinson, Kan.
Andrea Kelley – Archbold, Ohio
Cody King – Sedgwick, Kan.
Janae King – Gordonville, Pa.
Supassara Looboonkraingkrai – Samutpakarn, Thailand
Valerie Maust – Goshen, Ind.
Jeptha Miller – Millersburg, Ohio
Levi Miller – Hesston, Kan.
Thang Nguyen – Hanoi, Vietnam
Ashish Pathak – Katmandu, Nepal
Emma Payne – Pulaski, Iowa
Samuel Ruth – Wichita, Kan.
Marissa Schuett – Wichita, Kan.
Curtis Sitzmann – Hesston, Kan.
Carly Unruh – Wayland, Iowa
Courtney Unruh – Hesston, Kan.
Matthew R. Weaver – Goshen, Ind.
Ron Wenger – Adair, Okla.
Pierre Zook – McMinnville, Ore.

Honor Roll 3.50-3.89
Sophomores
Hannah Bachman – Tiskilwa, Ill.
Brocia Beachy  – Topeka, Ind.
Jonathan Burkholder – Warden, Wash.
Erika Fujimoto – Toyama-Shi, Toyama, Japan
Kenneth Graber – Stryker, Ohio
Philip Hochstetler – Strang, Neb.
Aaron Jones – Kansas City, Mo.
Melody Marshall – Grottoes, Va.
Amber Mayer – Wichita, Kan.
Ronald Moyo – North Newton, Kan.
Leah Mueller – Halstead, Kan.
Cynde Postma – Dallas, Ore.
Stephen Quenzer – Visalia, Calif.
Echo Shantz – Hydro, Okla.
Benjamin Stoltzfus – Hartville, Ohio
Isaac Tice – Salisbury, Pa.
Sarah Unruh – Durham, Kan.
Emily Wagner-Davis – Roseville, Calif.
Lorena Weymouth – Subiaco, Ark.
Sierra Wheeler – Bristol, Ind.
Grace Yoder – Bellefontaine, Ohio

“Emma will bring a great work ethic to practice every day and I believe she’ll immediately compete for playing time this fall,” Kehr said. “Emma is a gifted student and will be a great fit on the Hesston campus.”

Cloud is the daughter of Don and Dorothy Cloud, Chandler, Ariz. The family attends Koinonia Mennonite Church in Chandler.

“Brooke will do a good job of providing quality crosses from the midfield next fall,” Kehr said. “She made good connections with players when she visited Hesston and I think she’ll bring a positive attitude to the program and be a great student athlete for our campus.”

Brooke is the daughter of Luke and Beth Hodgson, Dacula.

“Jasmin will be a great fit in the Hesston College soccer program,” Kehr said. “We expect her to make a significant contribution on the field next fall and we are excited with the talent she brings to the team.”

Yoder is the daughter of Dean and Lola Yoder, Sweet Home. The family attends Sweet Home Mennonite Church.

Roth averaged 9.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game for Hesston High his senior year, helping the Swathers reach the state tournament. He was a second-team all-league selection following his senior year.

“Eyan is the type of athlete that makes any team better,” Galyon said. “He’s a great competitor who plays hard every possession. Eyan will help us, especially on the defensive side of the ball.”

Roth is a member of Whitestone Mennonite Church, Hesston, where he is active in the youth group and praise team. He will pursue studies towards a biology degree at Hesston.

Roth is the son of Clark and Deb Roth, Hesston.

“We are extremely excited and proud of Joe, Nolan and Andrew,” Ramseyer said. “They are going to schools that are good fits for them where they will have a chance to contribute. It was very important to me to have strong leadership this year, and we certainly had that from our sophomore class. These guys have worked exceptionally hard and have been great for our program.”

For Smith, Hesston became a home-away-from-home, and playing for the Larks has afforded him opportunities that were not there after high school.

“On the baseball field, Hesston became a proving ground for me,” he said. “I had a few offers to play college ball after high school but that offer sheet more than doubled after I came here. We played a great schedule, and I think that will help me at the next level. Off the field, Hesston was an amazing experience, too. I built great relationships with people all across campus and really enjoyed my time at Hesston.”

“At Hesston we look for guys who can impact our baseball program and our campus,” Ramseyer said. “I want them to succeed in the classroom, on the field and make a positive contribution in the community. Nolan, Andrew and Joe did just that, and I’m proud to see them moving on as student athletes.”

“I was very pleased with our year,” said first-year Hesston coach Rob Ramseyer. “Our guys worked exceptionally hard and improved everyday. I am especially grateful for the hard work and commitment of our sophomore class. We played pretty good baseball at the regional. We had a lead on Dodge City late and made a few mistakes that cost us.  Sophomores Andrew Pina, Joe Smith and Logan Rierson were very good offensively for us and Nolan Huelsmann finished his Hesston career by throwing very well against Dodge City.”

Hesston Baseball has now recorded four consecutive winning seasons.

“I’m extremely proud of our kids and how hard they played this weekend,” said Hesston coach Andrew Sharp. “We came together in the last few weeks of the year and played our best softball when it mattered most. Our players represented Hesston College very well throughout the season.”

The Larks end the year with 23 wins, a new school record.

Hesston College sophomore Alanah Rempel (Grand Lake, Colo.), graduate Dawson Waltner (Freeman, S.D.) and freshman Junau Louis-Jean (Les Cayes, Haiti) pose for a picture following commencement May 6.

Joe Manickam, a 1987 Hesston College graduate and director for Asia programs with Mennonite Central Committee, presented the commencement address “Back to Basics,” based on the college’s 2011-12 theme verse from Micah 6:8. Manickam served as associate director of Admissions at Hesston from 1991 to 1996 and as associate director at the Center for Anabaptist Leadership in Pasadena, Calif., from 1996 to 2005. He lives in Lancaster, Pa., with his wife, Wanda, and children Faith and Matthew.

Air Traffic Control graduate Heather Harkins (Wichita, Kan.) receives congratulations from the aviation department faculty and staff at a reception honoring aviation graduates studying both flight and air traffic control.

Manickam encouraged graduates to remember that genuine relationships with the people they encounter throughout life can serve as lessons in community, justice, mercy and humility.

“Rules serve as the glue that bonds communities together, but sometimes, the rules we surround ourselves with get in the way of being in relationship with others, and Micah is telling us to get back to the basics,” said Manicakam.

Josh Musser (Newport News, Va.) is recognized as part of the Disaster Management program by director Russ Gaeddert.

Manickam summed up “the basics” in three points: Do justice – “How does this decision impact the poor?” Love mercy – “Don’t let someone else tell you who your enemy should be,” and walk humbly with God – “Are our faith practices getting in the way of translating Christ’s love?”

“There will be times when God is going to place in front of you things that scare you, things that you don’t understand, but if what Micah is teaching is relevant today, you must step into that situation, because if there is something more important that Christian rituals, it’s relationships,” said Manicakam.

Hesston College Pastoral Ministries graduates and their wives receive a prayer of blessing from Bible and Ministry faculty and staff. Pictured from left are Udechukwunyere Chukwukelu, Chijioke “CJ” Chukwukelu, Ronald Moyo, Sukuluhle Moyo, Jolene Miller and Bryan Miller.

Graduates Hannah Bachman of Tiskilwa, Ill., and Zachary Baumgartner of Hesston, Kan., were nominated by their classmates to give the student address during commencement.

Individual student groups were recognized in special ceremonies May 5. Longtime Mennonite Disaster Service volunteer Paul Unruh addressed nine Disaster Management graduates in a pre-recorded message in which he encouraged them to be bridge builders for disaster survivors. The students will spend 10 weeks this summer working with various agencies at disaster sites around the country to complete their requirements.

Travis Pollock, a 2007 Hesston College graduate and first officer with Cutter Aviation in Phoenix, addressed 12 aviation and air traffic control graduates during a reception.

Erica Fitzmorris (Littleton, Colo.) receives a blessing from Hesston College nursing faculty member Sondra Leatherman during the nurses pinning ceremony.

The college’s Nursing Department presented pins to the 50 members of the 45th class of graduating nursing students. Kristina (McMillen) Ibitayo, Ph.D., R.N., a 1985 Hesston College nursing graduate and clinical assistant professor at the University of Texas at Arlington College of Nursing gave the address “Doors of Opportunity.”

The Pastoral Ministries program commissioned three graduates for service in the church. Genise Stanford, lead pastor at Hesston United Methodist Church, gave the address “Be Strong and Courageous.”

Hesston College graduates Aaron Jones (Kansas City, Mo.) and Saki Nozaki (Tokyo, Japan) pose for a picture following commencement May 6.

Other weekend events included a Concert Band concert and sophomore recitals by Michael Darby (Iowa City, Iowa), Melody Marshall (Grottoes, Va.) and Libby Waltner (Hurley, S.D.). The European Chorale presented a concert as a precursor to its three-week tour through five European countries May 8 to 29.

“We have a wonderful day planned,” said Dallas Stutzman, director of Alumni and Church Relations. “We want alumni and friends to enjoy each other’s company and gain new knowledge of and an appreciation for Kansas.”

Participants will visit Pony Express stations in Hollenberg and Marysville, as well as the Koester House Museum in Marysville, antique shops in Barnes, the Alcove Springs on the Oregon Trail,  the 1918 Sears and Roebuck Catalog Round Barn and the historic town of Waterville with stops at a Victorian home and the train depot with a train trip over the Big Blue River.

Included in the price of the trip is charter bus service, lunch in The Garden Room of Our Daily Bread Bake Shoppe and Bistro in Barnes, the train trip and dinner at the 1905 restored Weaver Hotel in Waterville.

The day is $75 per person and is limited to the first 50 persons to register. Registration forms and payment need to be received by May 23. For more information, visit hesston.edu/events/explore-kansas-2012. To reserve a spot, call the Hesston College Alumni and Church Relations Office locally at 620-327-8109 or toll free at 866-437-7866 or email alumni@hesston.edu.

Ashley Beatty

Four Hesston College business students have been named recipients of the Bill Mason Business Scholarship for the 2012-13 academic year.

The students receiving the scholarship award are Ashley Beatty of Washington, Iowa, Keisei Ohta of Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa, Japan, Matt A. Weaver of Hesston, Kan., and Matt R. Weaver of Goshen, Ind.

The students will receive the one-year $2,500 scholarship for their sophomore year beginning in fall 2012.

Keisei Ohta

The Bill Mason Business Scholarship was established in honor of the long-time business instructor, who retired from teaching at Hesston following the fall 2011 semester. For students to qualify for the scholarship, they must be advised by a business faculty member, be a declared

Matt A. Weaver

business major, have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in business courses and be a returning student having taken business courses during their freshman year at Hesston College.

Recipients are selected by the business department faculty for their exemplary work and dedication to the standards set by the Business Practices of Excellence.

Matt R. Weaver