Honors Convo celebrates Northeast State student award winners

BLOUNTVILLE — Northeast State Community College recognized the year's outstanding students at the 35th annual Honors Convocation held Thursday, April 30, at the Ballad Health Center for the Performing Arts Theater on the Blountville campus. The college's annual Honors Convocation recognizes Northeast State's top student achievers in each academic department, students graduating in May with honors, and the Outstanding Student Award. Lizbeth Barragan Ochoa received the Outstanding Student of the Year award for 2026. Ochoa is a University Parallel major, with a concentration in Pre-Allied Health. Derrick Groff received the Adult Learner of the Year Award. Groff graduates this spring with associate degrees in Social Work and Psychology. The deans of each division presented the program area awards to the winning students. Below is a list of this year's academic program award winners in various categories. TECHNOLOGIES DIVISION Automotive Technology: Automotive Specialist – Pascal Lombardo; Automotive Technology: Auto Body Service Tech (TCP) – Izabel Poland; Automotive Service Tech/Automotive Service – Noah Pearman; Aviation Technology: Airframe and Powerplant – Thomas Starr; Electrical Technology/Electrical – Hayden Nave Electrical Technology/Electromechanical – Bronson Norman; Electrical Technology/Construction Electricity – Jason Clinard; Engineering Design: Computer Aided Drafting – Madonna Rose; Entertainment Technology – PascalLombardo; Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning – Christopher Lundy; Industrial Technology/Engineering Design Technology – Ameris Bleckley; Industrial Technology/Machine Tool – Joshua Cole; Industrial Technology/Manufacturing Engineering (A.A.S.) – Aaron Bailey; Industrial Technology/Welding/Metal Fabrication – Audrey Shutts; Industrial Technology/Combination Welding (TCP) – Ioane Moana; Administrative Professional Technology/Business Office – Lucas Murphy; Administrative Professional Technology/Legal Office – Shae Ledbetter; Administrative Professional Technology/Medical Office – Alisha Goodman; Business/Accounting (A.A.S.) – Lura Shipley; Business Management (A.A.S.) – Robert Shouse; Small Business Management (A.A.S.) – Emma Chase; Computer Information Technology/Cyber Defense – Neal Fleck; Computer Information Technology/Networking – Christopher Harrell; Computer Information Technology/Programming – Austin Castle; Computer Information Technology/Systems Administration and Management – Meghan Lewis; Computer Science (A.S.) – Kayla Keene BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCE DIVISION Communication Studies – Ryan Adkins; Criminal Justice (A.A.S.) – Ashley Little; Criminal Justice (A.S.) – Makenzi Roberts; Early Childhood Education (A.A.S.) – Kaela Vines; Early Childhood Education Pre-K-3 (A.S.) – Carley McClure; Exercise Science – Rae Evans; Mass Communications – Noah Lyons; Media and Communications – Tyler Lawson; Political Science – Chase Phipps; Psychology – Olivia Hickman; Social Work – Rebecca Webb; Teacher Education/K-5 – Shelly Easterling; Teacher Education/Secondary – Estrella Mendoza; Teacher Education/Special Education – Antoinette Reshenberg HEATH PROFESSIONS DIVISION Cardiovascular Technology/Invasive – Cheyenne Lingerfelt; Cardiovascular Technology/Non-Invasive – Kallista Deprimo; Medical Laboratory Technology – Kristen Lantz; Nursing/Traditional RN – James Edwards; Nursing: LPN to RN – Cara Hayton; Radiologic Technology – Ashur Ballard; Surgical Technology – Riley Cosgrove HUMANITIES DIVISION Digital Media – Benjamin Berry; English – Presley Simpson; Foreign Language: Spanish – Estrella Mendoza; History – Jayden Breeden; Music – Bethany Moore; Philosophy – Johnny Tipton; Religious Studies – KadeLemmon; Theatre – Aivree Byram; Visual Art and Design: Art History – Olivia Tedder; Visual Art and Design/Studio (A.A.) – Tara Stroub; Visual Art and Design – Studio (A.S.) – Brittany Hartley Honors Division/Honors Program – Ryan Adkins MATHEMAICS DIVISION Accounting – Tabitha Saulsbury; Business Administration – Wesley King; Mathematics – Ethan Bentley; Pre-Engineering: Chemical – Jack Hamlin; Pre-Engineering: Civil – Le Anh Tran; Pre-Engineering: Electrical – Wesley Jones; Pre-Engineering: Mechanical – Zeth Flores; Survey and Mapping – Nathan Smith SCIENCES DIVISION Agriculture – Rachel Parker; Agriculture: Animal Science – Morgan Hyatt; Agriculture – Plant and Soil – Noelle Blumberg; Biology – Arianna Brooks; Chemical Lab Technology – Justin Tate; Chemistry – Noah Higgins; Imaging Sciences – Evelyn Cardona; Nutrition and Food Sciences – Bailee Statzer; Physics – Zeth Flores; Pre-Dental Hygiene (ETSU Transfer) – Josephine Housewright; Pre-Health Professions – McKenzie Crosby; Pre-Lab Medical Science – Adamaris Rodgriguez; Pre-Nursing (ETSU Transfer) – Marcos Zuniga; Pre-Nursing Transfer to Milligan — Mikyah Gambrell; Pre-Occupational Therapy – Emily Arnold; Pre-Occupational Therapy (Milligan Transfer) – Haley Taylor; Pre-Pharmacy (ETSU) – Cheyenne Banks; Pre-Radiography – Austin Clarke; Pre-Rehabilitative Science – Alyson Merendino; Pre-Veterinary Science (Lincoln Memorial University Transfer) – Megan Goad; Pre-Wildlife and Fisheries (LMU Transfer) – Evan Wade In addition, Northeast State students Kevin Duffy, Naomi Johnson and Amber Mullins were named All-Tennessee Community College Academic Team Scholars. The college also honored the President's All-Academic Team of 2025-26. The All-Academic Team recognized students graduating this spring with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. The college's spring commencement ceremonies take place on Tuesday, May 12, beginning at 9 a.m. in the BHCPA Theater on the Blountville campus. The school is located at 2425 Highway 75, Blountville, adjacent to Tri-Cities Airport. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the school, which opened in 1966.