{"id":59791,"date":"2021-05-17T15:57:57","date_gmt":"2021-05-17T20:57:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=59791"},"modified":"2021-05-17T15:57:59","modified_gmt":"2021-05-17T20:57:59","slug":"hays-student-wins-fhsu-honor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=59791","title":{"rendered":"Hays student wins FHSU honor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By UNIVERSITY RELATIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A student from Hays, Grace Wasinger, was named the winner of Fort Hays State University\u2019s Torch Award as the outstanding graduating senior for 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wasinger\nreceived a Bachelor of Science in psychology at FHSU\u2019s commencement ceremonies\nSaturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blaine\nWertz from Quinter received the Lighthouse Award as this year\u2019s outstanding\ngraduate student. Wertz graduated with a Master of Science in biological\nsciences at this year\u2019s commencement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Eric\nGillock, professor of biological sciences, was given the Pilot Award as the\nyear\u2019s outstanding faculty member. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nwinners were announced at the virtual Spring Convocation Awards by Dr. Jill\nArensdorf, provost and vice president for academic affairs, in advance of\ncommencement and recognized at a private reception with FHSU President Tisa\nMason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reading\nfrom a nomination letter, Arensdorf said of Wasinger, \u201cGrace is a\nmulti-talented student who is focused on her education and service to others.\nShe has been engaged in scholarship both collectively and independently\nthroughout her academic career. This involvement in research has allowed her to\napply knowledge gained to enhance her undergraduate experience at the\nUniversity.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHer\ninherit drive has served her well as she honed her research skills to the level\nof being asked to present at numerous regional and national conferences,\u201d\nArensdorf said. \u201cShe is described by faculty as being dedicated, engaged in the\nfield of psychology, and motivated in all of her aspirations and goals. Grace\nhas also served in leadership roles in various organizations and has assisted\nin teaching classes for the department.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\nconversation with Mason during the video livestream of the awards presentation,\nWasinger was asked, \u201cWhere does your passion and commitment come from?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn my own\nlife, I\u2019ve found that passion and commitment often go hand in hand. When faced\nwith a challenge, commitment often doesn\u2019t occur unless there is a true passion\nand personal meaning behind the work you\u2019re doing,\u201d Wasinger said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wasinger\ncontinued, regarding her education, \u201cMy passion comes from a place of genuinely\nwanting to understand human behavior. While a psychology major, I\u2019ve sought out\nmany research and service opportunities that have nurtured and reinforced my\nthirst for knowledge and desire to work with others. However, a tremendous\namount of growth has come from wanting to be challenged. I feel fortunate to\nhave had mentors who have challenged me and ignited through their example this\nwillingness to seek out personal and meaningful challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arensdorf\nalso introduced the winner of the Lighthouse Award, Blaine Wertz, who also\nearned a Bachelor of Science from FHSU in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFaculty\ndescribe Blaine as a student with high academic standards and one who actively\nengages in the learning process \u2013 eager to understand the materials presented.\nThey also comment on his pleasantness and genuine concern for others. Blaine\nused his talents to provide support as a graduate teaching assistant and also\nspends time mentoring undergraduate students in the research laboratory,\u201d\nArensdorf said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wertz also\nprovides his services as a CNA to area hospitals and seeks ways to give back to\nhis community while preparing for medical school in the fall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When\ndescribing his passion for his work, Wertz said, \u201cMy passion comes first from\nhaving Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior. But, out of that, I know that I have\nbeen cared for in so many ways. And so, finding ways to care for different\npeople has always given me a passion. In one way, that\u2019s teaching students in\nintroductory biology labs, and in another way, that\u2019s taking care of residents\nin long term care settings. I\u2019m really looking forward to doing that as a\nphysician someday, and that continued passion to care for people in the same\nway I\u2019ve been cared for keeps me going.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arensdorf\nintroduced the Pilot Award for outstanding faculty member, and this year\u2019s\nrecipient, Gillock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One\nnominating letter described Gillock as, \u201ca shining example of all that I love\nabout Fort Hays State University. Teaching, curiosity, community, and family\nare his life, and this shows through in his every act.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nletter continued, \u201cThe care he has for his students is exceptional; he takes\ncare to ensure they understand the material, checks up on them if they fall\nbehind, and believes deeply in their ability to prosper. Dr. Gillock\u2019s passion\nfor biology is truly contagious (pun not intended); he speaks with such wonder about\nmicrobes, viruses, and immunology that one can’t help but adopt a similar\nenthusiasm in his classes. He conducts innovative research projects and\nchallenges his students to seek solutions to problems in biology, and he always has a positive attitude and is available to\nanswer questions. He\u2019s highly proficient in what he teaches and able to convey\nideas for any level of understanding; I have no doubt that he could hold an\nengaging conversation about bacteria with a child and a fellow expert alike.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nNavigator Award recipient, Kris Munsch, assistant professor of applied\ntechnology, was also recognized at the President\u2019s reception. The award was established in 1998 by the Student\nGovernment Association to recognize an outstanding academic advisor based on\nhow closely the advisor adheres to the university goals for academic\nadvising. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot only does Kris seek to invest in his students as future\nbuilders (literally) of this world, but also as future citizens,\u201d said\nArensdorf. \u201cHe pushes his students to become visionaries and thinkers who come\nup with real solutions. The grit that he instills and demonstrates to all the\nstudents he interacts with, is inspiring. Construction knowledge is simply just\nthe beginning of his advising of students. Kris\u2019 life experiences are something\nhe teaches his students every day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mason\nasked Musch to share the impact of the physical structures built by students in\nthe department of applied technology, the importance of that experience, and\nhis favorite project his students have completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe\nPavillion is way up there because it\u2019s such a community structure. I\u2019m always\nseeing videos or posts on social media where that structure is being used for\nall kinds of things- and that\u2019s what it\u2019s all about. Advising is all about community,\u201d\nsaid Munsch. \u201cAdvising is 98% education and 2% life. That\u2019s what that Pavilion\ndoes. Even a garage project is community. There\u2019s not a lot of things you can\ndo in education where you can bring your family back 20 years later and say, \u2018I\nbuilt that\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nFHSU Alumni Association instituted the Torch and Pilot awards in 1974 to\nemphasize the importance of excellence in teaching and learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Torch\nAward candidates are nominated by faculty\nmembers on the basis of classroom excellence, participation in professional\norganizations, and involvement in student or civic activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nLighthouse Award, approved by the Alumni Association in 2017 and first awarded\nin 2018, honors an outstanding student who is completing graduate studies. The\naward was named the Lighthouse in honor of the late Dr. James Forsythe, a\nformer dean of the Graduate School and the university historian. Dr. Forsythe\u2019s\nbook, \u201cLighthouse on the Plains,\u201d documents the history of Fort Hays State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pilot\nAward is given on the basis of classroom excellence, ongoing research, and\nservice activities. Candidates are nominated by graduating students.\n\nThe Alumni Association, established in 1916, is\ndedicated to identifying and serving the needs of more than 75,000 graduates\nliving throughout the United States and in more than 70 countries. For more\ninformation, contact the Alumni Association at 785-628-4430 or alumni@fhsu.edu<\/a>.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By UNIVERSITY RELATIONS A student from Hays, Grace Wasinger, was named the winner of Fort Hays State University\u2019s Torch Award as the outstanding graduating senior… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":59792,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11722],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-releases"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/TPL20Commencement20Awards.png?fit=940%2C788&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=59791"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59791\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59793,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59791\/revisions\/59793"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/59792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=59791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=59791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=59791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}