MSU honors graduate students, mentors for 2024-2025 excellence
Contact: Meghan Wolf
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State University is recognizing outstanding graduate students and faculty mentors for exceptional contributions in the areas of teaching, research, service and academic leadership during the 2024-2025 academic year.
Hosted by the Graduate School, this year’s recent awards celebrate the impactful work of students and faculty advisors across a range of academic disciplines.
Honorees include:
—Outstanding Graduate Student Advisor of the Year: Hasan Tekedar, assistant research professor, Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine.
—Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year: Jordan Smink of Starkville, Ph.D. student, biological sciences, College of Arts and Sciences; and Alena Sowell of Spring Hill, Tennessee, master’s student, communication, College of Arts and Sciences.
—Graduate Research Assistant of the Year: Craig Sklarczyk of Riverview, Michigan, Ph.D. student, wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture, College of Forest Resources; and William Laird of Jackson, master’s student, geosciences, College of Arts and Sciences.
—Graduate Service Assistant of the Year: Serena Rozsa of Thousand Oaks, California, master’s student, business administration, College of Business.
—Graduate Student Excellence Award: Kevin Jones of Lakewood, Ohio, master’s student, wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture, College of Forest Resources; Seto Ogunleye of Ekiti State, Nigeria, Ph.D. student, veterinary and biomedical sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine; and Ridwan T. Ayinla of Kwara State, Nigeria, Ph.D. student, sustainable bioproducts, College of Forest Resources.
Graduate Student Hall of Fame inductees include:
—Jitka Elizarraras of Star, Idaho, Ph.D. student, special education, College of Education.
—Fenny Patel of Waynesboro, Ph.D. student, biomedical sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine.
—Thevathayarajh Thayananthan of Jaffna, Sri Lanka, Ph.D. student, biosystems engineering, College of Engineering.
—Maria Victoria Bracamonte Larios of Lima, Peru, Ph.D. student, business administration/management, College of Business.
—Samuel David Juarez Escamilla of Chihuahua, Mexico, Ph.D. student, chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences.
—Suman Pradhan of Athens, Georgia, Ph.D. student, sustainable bioproducts, College of Forest Resources.
—Patricia Cordero-Irizarry of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico, Ph.D. student, agricultural and extension education, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
—Aidan Taylor of Red Banks, master’s student, historic preservation, College of Architecture, Art and Design.
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