57 WT Students Welcomed into Teaching Profession in New Pinning Ceremony

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — Future teachers were formally welcomed into their profession in a new tradition that launched Feb. 6 at West Texas A&M University.

Fifty-seven WT students who have been newly admitted into WT’s educator preparation program were celebrated at a new pinning ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 6 in Legacy Hall in the Jack B. Kelley Student Center on the Canyon campus.

Pinning ceremonies, such as those in the nursing profession, are a symbolic marking of the occasion when students are formally welcomed into their chosen professor, said Dr. Betty Coneway, head of WT’s Department of Education in the Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences.

“The hope is that this event will elevate the teaching profession and validate the students' decision to enter an increasingly demanding field,” said Coneway, who also serves as WT’s Geneva Schaeffer Professor of Education and Social Sciences.

Students recognized in the first education pinning ceremony include:

Matthew Anderson, a junior social sciences major from Aledo; Taylin Atwood, a junior agriculture major from Canon City, Colorado; Zoey Casey, a junior agriculture major from Cypress; Brody Coates, a junior sports/exercise science major from Spearman; Emilea Cole, a senior agriculture major from Hamlin; Amaya Coronado, a junior history major from Hereford; Dakota Covel, a senior education major from Amarillo; Cassidy Demarais, a junior music education major from Fate; Matthew Diaz, a junior mathematics major from Amarillo; Raymond Dones, a senior education major from Dimmitt; Cassidy Dotson, a junior agriculture major from Sanger; Amy Eastland, a senior education major from Amarillo; Brylea Ervin, a junior agriculture major from Wichita Falls; Ileana Escobar, a senior Spanish major from Amarillo; Jasmine Farfan, a junior agriculture major from Petersburg; Brady Fellers, a senior music education major from Borger; Aubrey Fox, a junior music education major from Claude; Colton Gallandat, a senior music education major from Cleburne; Hadlee Gomez, a junior sports/exercise science major from Wellington; Samuel Hamous-Lusk, a senior education major from Amarillo; Katelynn Helms, a senior education major from Amarillo; Cameron Herbert, a junior education major from Amarillo; Carrie Hughes, a senior education major from Amarillo; Elizabeth Jennings, a junior education major from Amarillo; Marshall Johnson, a senior sports/exercise sciences major from Hartley; and Doraelia Johnston, a senior education major from Floydada.

Also, Elisa Kenworthy, a junior education major from Amarillo; Jenna King, a junior education major from Willis; Diana Larraga, a senior music education from Mesquite; Adrian Legarreta, a junior sports/exercise science major from Friona; Makayla Madrid, a senior agriculture major from Midland; Daisy Marquez, a junior education major from Hereford; Hope McCollum, a senior English major from Pampa; Matthew McWilliams, a senior history major from Childress; Yoseli Medrano, a senior history major from Perryton; Rosie Mendoza, a senior music education major from Brenham; Emma Miller, a senior art education major from Berthoud, Colorado; Grace Mortenson, a junior agriculture major from Danvers, Minnesota; Jessie Nguyen, a junior mathematics major from Amarillo; Noah Portillo, a senior music education major from Lubbock; Kaela Reeves, a senior art education major from Dumas; Joe Romo, a senior music education major from Amarillo; Kaitlyn Rubinski, a senior music education major from Amarillo; Sebastian Sauceda, a junior sports/exercise science major from Hereford; Dayton Scholz, a junior music education major from Amarillo; James Selman, a junior music education major from Amarillo; Ashlyn Smith, a junior agriculture major from Sachse; Katelyn Starks, a senior education major from Amarillo; Steleigh Stegall, a junior agriculture major from Bridgeport; Zoe Stovall, a junior music education major from Amarillo; Landry Teran, a junior sports/exercise science major from Childress; Melinda Thomas, a junior music education major from Amarillo; Biak Tlem, a junior education major from Amarillo; David Uribe, a junior music education major from Wheeler; Charles Valliant, a senior music education major from Richardson; Trinity Valverde, a senior education major from Canyon; and Hailey Ysaguirre, a junior mathematics major from Hereford.

WT opened in 1910 as West Texas State Normal College, a school that trained teachers. Today, about 75 percent of all teachers and administrators throughout the Panhandle region have at least one degree or certificate from WT.

Training educators is still a vital mission of the University, as laid out in its long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $150 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

Photo: Dr. Gary Bigham, dean ofWest Texas A&M University's Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences, congratulates Brylea Ervin, the first education student to be pinned in a new ceremony at WT on Feb. 6. 

—WT—