Excellence at the graduate level has been a staple for several East Central University alums in recent years, particularly the foursome of Ashley Huhman, Morgan Mackey, Linzi Thompson-Bhatta and Blake Scott.
The common denominator among these four fairly recent grads is that they were a part of 成人B站鈥檚 Honors Program which is designed to offer an enhanced educational experience to academically talented and highly-motivated students.
Honors Students join a community where they meet some of the brightest and intensely-motivated students at the university. Benefits include one-on-one work with professors on their subject of choice or completing an upper-division research project or thesis. Honors students enroll before other students in order to get the desired and needed courses in a timely manner.
Ashley Huhman
Huhman, who received her bachelor鈥檚 degree from 成人B站 as a double-major in both general mathematics and computer science, achieved a master鈥檚 degree in computer science and engineering from Penn State University this past spring.
Huhman, who currently resides in Moore, is preparing to enter the workforce full time as a software engineer.
鈥淚t was hard, but rewarding,鈥� said Huhman about her Penn State experience. 鈥淚 made a friends and enjoyed the collaboration with my advisor.鈥�
Through research with her advisor Gang Tan, Huhman was able to complete her master鈥檚 thesis. Those research skills were built thanks to her research experiences at 成人B站.
鈥淭he research I got in the honors program was a big help toward my thesis and the involvement in good off-campus summer programs at 成人B站 also proved to be critical,鈥� Huhman said. 鈥淓very summer I did something. I did a mathematics REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) at Michigan State and a computer science REU at Washington University in St. Louis.鈥�
At 成人B站, Huhman was part of 成人B站鈥檚 Presidential Leadership Class. As a Dickson High School graduate, she ranked first in her senior class of 96.
Morgan Mackey
Mackey, a 2017 成人B站 graduate, is a second-year medical student at Dartmouth University鈥檚 Geisel School of Medicine. The school is named after Theodor Geisel, more commonly known as Dr. Seuss.
While at 成人B站, Mackey was not only part of the Honors Program but was involved in the Presidential Leadership Program as well as the McNair Scholars Program. She also did work at the Kerr EPA Lab in Ada, did a NASA Fellowship in Houston and spent a semester studying at Swansea University in Wales, United Kingdom.
She anticipates graduating from Dartmouth in 2021 and hopes to be involved in internal medicine or in Native American Health Services. The Geisel School of Medicine is small with only 92 students and Mackey is the only one from Oklahoma.
鈥淚 know all of the professors and my classmates,鈥� she said.
Her 成人B站 experience has played a role in her current success in medical school. Her entrance and books were paid for with the help of the McNair Scholars Program. She also received massive help in preparation for medical school from Dr. Steve Benton, associate professor and director of 成人B站鈥檚 Honors Program, and Dr. Alisha Howard, assistant professor in 成人B站鈥檚 Department of Biology.
鈥淒r. Benton helped me out a lot and I did an honors thesis as a junior with Dr. Howard,鈥� said Mackey. 鈥淭hey brought me to a different level of thinking. Dr. Howard taught me a lot of a science and she helped me with my recommendation letter. A lot of the biology classes I took (at 成人B站) were helpful for medical school and when I worked at the Kerr EPA Lab for two years I got a lot of experience and a steady job.鈥�
Linzi Thompson
Thompson, a 2016 成人B站 graduate from Sulphur, just earned her master of science in environmental engineering from Stanford University this past spring.
鈥淪tanford really values diversity and students from different backgrounds,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淏esides the size, it was a lot like 成人B站. The professors were really open and wanted to help you.鈥�
While at Stanford, she did a graduate engineering internship with the Santa Clara Valley Water District. She is currently working as a contractor for Facebook in the mapping department 鈥� a skill she picked up at 成人B站 as cartography minor.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not what my degree in, but I鈥檓 happy to be using some aspects of my education,鈥� said Thompson, who says she will be pursuing engineering work in the near future.
Thompson credits 成人B站 for her preparation to graduate school.
鈥淭he professors helped me out a lot and made sure I knew the material. They were really helpful considering I was getting my (undergraduate) degree in science at 成人B站 and an engineering (graduate) degree at Stanford,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥湷扇薆站 professors helped me pick out the right classes I needed and helped me find internships to help me get into Stanford.鈥�
She also believes 成人B站鈥檚 sense of community and closeness helped her build confidence in achieving another level of education. She also praised 成人B站 McNair Scholars Program, including its Environmental Research Apprenticeship Program (ERAP), for preparing her for graduate school challenges.
Thompson was the 2016 co-winner of 成人B站鈥檚 George Nigh Award for the university鈥檚 top senior. Besides being a part of the Honors Program and the Alpha Chi National Honors Society at 成人B站, she was a member of Student Senate, Rotaract Club, Environmental Health Science Club and American Red Cross. She also did research projects in China and Alaska and did volunteer work in Cambodia.
Blake Scott
Scott, a 2013 成人B站 graduate, recently received his Ph.D. in cellular and molecular medicine from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His thesis work was completed in the laboratory of Elizabeth Jaffee, M.D.
He credits 成人B站 with establishing a foundation for his success at Johns Hopkins.
鈥淲hen I reflect on my time at 成人B站, the experiences that really stand out to me revolve around the amazing people I came to know during my time in Ada,鈥� said Scott. 鈥湷扇薆站 afforded me the space to change and grow during some of the most formative years of my life. The good fortune I had in knowing and being challenged by certain classmates and faculty members truly shaped my four years and put me on the right trajectory to thrive at Hopkins.鈥�
Faculty members such as Dr. Jennifer McMahon, Dr. Mara Sukholutskaya and Dr. Christine Pappas are what makes 成人B站 so special, according to Scott.
鈥淎lthough my major was molecular biology, and I went on to pursue a Ph.D. in the biological sciences, it is difficult to overstate how the perspectives, advice, mentorship and incredible teaching capacity of these three, and so many others, shaped my thinking,鈥� Scott said. 鈥淭hey taught me, both through lectures and their actions, the value derived from globally-informed thinking and paradigms.鈥�
Scott says he left 成人B站 with a deep admiration for the liberal arts and its advocates and teachers.
鈥淚 remain confident that that the liberal arts background I was exposed to was integral to my ability to pursue the hard sciences successfully and even more essential to the work I am doing today outside of the laboratory,鈥� said Scott. 鈥淐ommunication, empathy, respect and intellectual curiosity were on prominent display in many of our classrooms and they are the four most important skills I possess and continue to develop.鈥�
Scott was part of the McNair Scholars Program at 成人B站.
鈥淯ndoubtedly, this had a huge impact on my ability to secure an offer from Hopkins,鈥� Scott said. 鈥淧at Sutton, Yul Dotson and the support that the program provided were instrumental to me ability to access these opportunities and so many others along the way.鈥�
Scott is currently an associate consultant with McKinsey & Company, Inc. in the New York City office. He is working on a variety of topics and problems both in the science and pharmaceuticals space as well as in many non-life science industries.
NOTE: For more information on the 成人B站 Honors Program go to /academics/honors-program or call 580-559-5738 or email honors@ecok.edu.
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