By: Dr. Andrew Yox, Honors Director
Adam Richards was recently named the winner of the 2026 Elizabeth Chitsey Award, granted each year to the student of Honors Northeast who most exceeded expectations during their first year at NTCC. The award comes with a $200 check.
Northeast Texas Community College mourns the passing of Dr. Jerry Wesson, a founding administrator and former Vice President of Student Services, who passed away on April 20, 2026, at the age of 85. A memorial service will be held on May 9 at 1:00 p.m. at Tennison Memorial United Methodist Church in Mount Pleasant. Following the memorial, A short graveside service will be held at 4:00PM at Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Wolfe City, Texas.
Pictured: NTCC alumnus, Ricky Huitema, Dr. Andrew Yox, and NTCC alumnus, Matthew Jordan at the new lithium factory outside Texarkana, created by EnergyX out of Austin
By: Dr. Andrew Yox, Honors Director
When two aspiring engineers, both from Pittsburg High School, placed first and second in the Northeast Texas Poetry Contest of 2012, then vice president of the college, Dr. Herbert Riedel, was impressed. He had the two read their poems to the subsequent meeting of the NTCC Board of Trustees.
Pictured: 2021winners with History Faculty: Front Row: Fatima Fuentes, Erika Alvarado, and Davin Whatley: Back Row: NTCC history professors--Dr. Andrew P. Yox, Dr. Melissa Fulgham and James McGregor
By: Dr. Andrew Yox, Honors Director
Pictured: Alyssa Breann Ochoa wowed the judges in 2023 with a 11.6 average of a possible 12 for her study on the past and potential of the dairy business in Texas. This was the highest score ever recorded. Ochoa transferred after the contest to Texas A&M at College Station, and is now pursuing her Master’s there in Poultry Science.
By: Dr. Andrew Yox, Honors Director
By: Dr. Andrew Yox, Honors Director
Since 2008, the honors program of NTCC has published a biannual newsletter. The recently released 2026 spring edition can be accessed on the college website:
One can also write Honors Director, Dr. Andrew P. Yox, for a real copy at ayox@ntcc.edu.
The Mary Jon, and J.P. Bryan Leadership in Education Award of $5,000 goes out each year to a higher education professor for outstanding attainments in historical pedagogy. University professors have been the usual recipients of this Texas-wide accolade, with educators from Sul Ross, Tarleton State, and the University of Texas at El Paso, winning the most recent awards. However, in the last twelve years, two of the winners have not only been from a smaller community college—they have been from the same institution—Northeast Texas Community College.
Northeast Texas Community College student José Fuentes, of Mount Pleasant, has been elected International President of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the highest student leadership position in the prestigious honor society. He was elected during the organization’s annual Catalyst conference held last week in Baltimore, Maryland, marking a historic and unprecedented achievement for NTCC.
Student Winners in Irving, Hailey Randall, Manuel Ramirez, and Adam Richards
By: Dr. Andrew Yox, Honors Director
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation announced today that José Fuentes of Northeast Texas Community College is among the semifinalists for its highly competitive Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. The Foundation named 485 semifinalists for the scholarship, which supports the nation’s top community college students with financial need seeking to complete a bachelor’s degree at four-year colleges or universities.
