LaGrange, Mo., student to be fall 2022 convocation speaker at Western Illinois University

MACOMB, Ill. — Six students who will complete their degree requirements in fall 2022 have received the highest recognition from their colleges for their overall academic excellence by being named a college scholar at Western Illinois. They will be recognized at the December 2022 commencement ceremony in Macomb.

Faculty in each of the university’s four academic colleges, university libraries and the Centennial Honors College select a graduating senior as the college’s outstanding student. Students graduating as college scholars have satisfied the criteria of excellence established by their individual academic college’s faculty members.

A departmental scholar is an outstanding degree candidate in an academic major as determined by the faculty in the major department. An honors scholar is a student in the Centennial Honors College who has completed a set of honors requirements and has achieved a grade point average of at least 3.4 on a 4.0 scale.

Approximately 10 percent of graduating seniors achieve academic distinction, which is designated as summa cum laude, highest academic distinction, with a minimum grade point average of 3.90; magna cum laude, high academic distinction, with a GPA of 3.75-3.89; and cum laude, academic distinction, with a GPA between 3.60-3.74.

Kinsey Tiemann, of La Grange, Mo., has earned the College of Business and Technology Scholar award. She will graduate in December with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture education and a minor in agronomy, with highest academic distinction, summa cum laude. Tiemann will be the fall 2022 convocation speaker. Her speech is titled “Success Despite Failures.”

Tiemann is the Agriculture Departmental Scholar and a Centennial Honors Scholar. She is currently student teaching. While a student at WIU, she was the student representative to the WIU Board of Trustees, a student trustee, vice president and Centennial Honors College Senator for the Student Government Association.

She served on the WIU AgVocator Recruitment Team, was president and vice president of Women in Business and was a member of the WIU Agronomy Club. She conducted two years of cover crop research at the WIU Agronomy Farm, the results of which were presented at two national agronomy contests for undergraduate students.

Off campus, Tiemann is a member of the Missouri Cattlemens Association, the LaGrange United Methodist Church and an ASA, CSSA, SSSA National Agronomy and Soil Conservation tri-society member.

After graduation, Tiemann will become a program coordinator for the Adams County University of Illinois Extension Office for the Ag-in-the-Classroom program. She hopes to pursue a master’s degree in crop science/regenerative agriculture and to expand a small business she started in high school called Square Rooted, which markets farm-to-table meat and canned produce from her family’s farm. Tiemann is a daughter of Jon and Kendra Tiemann.

Other area scholars by county and city/town are:

Adams County

• Mendon – Cole Thompson, graduating with a physical education K-12 degree, is the Physical Education Scholar and will graduate with academic distinction, cum laude.
• Quincy – Susan Crawford, graduating with a degree in Sociology, is the Sociology Departmental Scholar.

Hancock County

• Carthage – Emily Fielden, graduating with a degree in Communication, is the Communication Departmental Scholar, and graduates with high academic distinction, magna cum laude.
• Hamilton – Zoe Hughes, graduating with an Art degree, is the Art-BFA Departmental Scholar, and will graduate with highest academic distinction, summa cum laude.

McDonough County

• Colchester – Robin Butler, graduating with a degree in Music, will graduate with highest academic distinction, summa cum laude. and is also a Centennial Honors Scholar.
• Macomb – Kaylee Agans, graduating with a degree in Art, is the Art-BA Departmental Scholar, and will graduate with highest academic distinction, summa cum laude. She is also a Centennial Honors Scholar.
• Macomb – Delaushea Fricks, graduating with a Health Services Management degree, is the Health Services Management Department Scholar;
• Macomb – Paige Sargeant, graduating with a degree inAgriculture, will graduate with high academic distinction, magna cum laude;
• Macomb – Elizabeth Willson, graduating with a Psychology degree, is the Psychology Departmental Scholar and will graduate with highest academic distinction, summa cum laude.

Schuyler County

• Rushville – Savanah Strunk, Social Work, is the Social Work Departmental Scholar and will graduate with highest academic distinction, summa cum laude.