WT to Honor Students Lost During 2024-2025 Academic Year

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

CANYON, Texas — West Texas A&M University flags will fly at half-staff April 25 in honor of students who died during the 2024-25 academic year.

The 42nd-annual student memorial service also will be held at 10 a.m. April 25 in Joseph A. Hill Memorial Chapel on WT’s Canyon campus. A reception will follow.

The service and half-staff flags will commemorate the lives of six students who died during the academic year:

• Jesus Jose Alaniz, a senior sports and exercise science major from Roma;
• Kaley N. Bilyeu, a freshman nursing major from Pampa;
• Elyjah J. Black, a senior biology major from Amarillo;
• Trevor C. Gibbs, a junior accounting major from Ballinger;
• Matthew P. Loyd, a junior music education major from Amarillo; and
• Jodi Vance-Furlow, a senior sports and exercise science major from Tucumcari, New Mexico.

“The Student Memorial is a heartfelt and meaningful tribute to honor the lives of WT students who have passed. It serves as a reminder that every Buffalo is part of our WT family, their presence is deeply missed, and their impact will never be forgotten,” said Student Body President Kyal Browne, a senior agribusiness major from Waxahachie. “This ceremony honors their lives and reminds us to value each moment. They may be gone, but the love and influence they shared live on.”

Scholarships of $350 for the 2025-2026 academic year will be given by SGA in memory of those six Buffs to current students in the same field of study:

• Kylie Velasquez, a sophomore sports and exercise science major from Amarillo, in Alaniz’s memory;
• Betha Riddley, a senior nursing major from Amarillo, in Bilyeu’s memory;
• Ava Olivas, a sophomore biology major from Seminole, in Black’s memory;
• Kami Drinnon, a junior accounting major from Vega, in Gibbs’ memory; 
• Christofer Gaspar, a junior music education major from Amarillo, in Loyd’s memory; and
• Arantza Covarrubias, a sophomore sports and exercise science major from Roy, New Mexico, in Vance-Furlow’s memory.

To be eligible for the scholarships, students must be at least sophomores with a 2.5 GPA or higher and be active in extracurricular or community service activities.

Recognition of the lives lost is one way WT demonstrates its values, as outlined in the University’s 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 $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. 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 more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and 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.

—WT—