By: Dr. Andrew Yox, Honors Director
For their performance in challenging honors courses at NTCC in relation to their peers, two Presidential Scholars will win $100 checks. NTCC’s Dr. Jerry Wesson Scholar, Katelyn Lester (pictured right), who finished this past May, was the sophomore who took all twenty-one hours of requisite honors courses, and ended with the highest GPA. Aaliyah Avellaneda (pictured left) won her award as an honors freshman, ranking number one in the Stat-Psych Honors Seminar taught this past spring by Dr. Karyn Skaar and Dr. Paula Wilhite.
Both winners have had illustrious years at NTCC. Both have won past Eckman Awards as well as State of Texas Caldwell Awards. Both have received acceptances to present at the Great Plains Honors Council, and the National Collegiate Honors Council.
“It has been exciting,” notes Honors Director, Dr. Andrew Yox, “to note just how consistently brilliant these two scholars have been. Avellaneda, and Lester have excelled in every course and NTCC. They have excelled on the intervarsity level, coming out ahead in competition with their university peers at both the national and regional levels.
An anonymous donor has funded now eighteen Eckman Awards at NTCC in memory of the late Richard and Joan Eckman. Richard Eckman was a long-time inventor for Dresser Industries, a signature Texas oilfield corporation. Many NTCC Eckman Award winners such as Verania Leyva (2019, 2020) Matthew Chambers (2017, 2018), Chesney Davis (2017), and Brenda Godoy (2016), have obtained excellent transfers. Quite recently, 2019 Eckman winner, Jordan Whelchel, won a full-ride offer to Rice University.
Avellaneda is the daughter of Frisco and Blanca of Mount Pleasant. Katelyn recently married Tate Lester, is expecting a child, and resides in Scroggins.
