Forty-one students and four members of the faculty and staff will be initiated into the Golden Crest Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honor Society at Missouri Southern State University.

The ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, in Billingsly Student Center’s Connor Ballroom. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the ceremony will not be open to the public, but a live internet stream will be provided at www.facebook.com/mssuodk.

ODK is the national leadership honor society and membership based on exemplary service, leadership, scholarship and character. It recognizes achievement in the following five areas:

  • Scholarship
  • Athletics
  • Campus and community service, social and religious activities, and campus government
  • Journalism, speech and mass media
  • Creative and performing arts

ODK was founded Dec. 3, 1914, at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., by 15 student and faculty leaders. There are currently more than 300 active circles at colleges and universities across the United States. Missouri Southern’s Golden Crest Circle was chartered in 1987. You can find out more about Omicron Delta Kappa at www.odk.org.

The new ODK initiates are:

ARKANSAS

Gentry

Haylee Pyburn, psychology

KANSAS

Fort Scott

Rebekah Sweyko, biology (pre-med)

Kansas City

Christine Ibeagi, health promotion and wellness

Pittsburg

Madison Nagel, biology (pre-med)

MISSOURI

Anderson

Sierra Wilson, accounting

Jackie Marshall, education (speech/theatre)

Carl Junction

Austin Rose, finance/management

Ashlyn Pope, early childhood elementary education

Carthage

Tyler Bellairs, international and political affairs

Emily Lane, social work/ELL

Marady Anderson, international and political affairs

Columbia

Jordan Banker, biology (pre-med)

Ojurere Shonekan, computer information science

Diamond

Katelyn Anderson, biology/computer science

Kylie Atkinson, biology (pre-veterinary)

El Dorado Springs

Jenna Watkins, elementary and early childhood education

Fenton

Kamryn Marie Graff, health sciences (dental hygiene)

Joplin

Taylor Boyett, nursing

Emma Willerton, management, marketing and HR

Cooper Anderson, finance

Katherine Spear, biology (pre-med)

Rachael Gopalakrishnan, biology

Sarah Thompson, psychology

Ximena Figueroa, management

Shelby West, biology (pre-med)

Sara Manley, social work

Nicholas Staus, international and political affairs

Lake Saint Louis

Avery Aschenbrenner, biology (pre-med)

Lebanon

Cade Winfrey, biology (pre-med)

Neosho

Brent Olson, economics/management

Oak Grove

Corinne Gould-Cleveland, criminal justice administration/French

Oronogo

Byron Stevens, international business/marketing

Peculiar

Cheyenne Boos, accounting

Sarcoxie

Myka Masters, biology (pre-med)

Warrensburg

Abbey Calcote, health promotion and wellness

West Plains

Ashlynn Vanatter, biology (pre-med)

OKLAHOMA

Bartlesville

Chloe Maye, biology (pre-med)

TEXAS

Corinth

Josephine Landwehr, biology (pre-med)

Frisco

Syeda Insia Mustafa, biology (pre-med)

***

The faculty and staff initiates are as follows:

Dr. William Delehanty, associate professor of political science

Becca Diskin, director of financial aid

Lorinda Hackett, interim dean of the College of Education

Dr. Elka Howe, chair of the Engineering Technology Department