Texas State University Outstanding Senior Award

Jessica Myers - 2023 Award Recipient

Ms. Jessica Myers

Jessica Myers will graduate in May 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a dual minor in Honors and Economics. She entered her undergraduate tenure as a National Merit Scholar and is grateful for the opportunity to have pursued her passions in writing, civic engagement, and intramural running. She served two years as the president of Supporting Women in Political Science, helping female students connect with experts and career opportunities in the field. Jessica also served as a Campus Vote Project Democracy Fellow for three years, where she coordinated civic engagement and voter registration opportunities, along with other voting education and advocacy in the Texas State and San Marcos community. Her contributions led to Texas State's achievement of the Voter Friendly Campus distinction for 2021 and 2022 years. 

Jessica spent much of her time at Texas State as the Running Club's president and scored for Texas State as an NCAA cross-country runner during the fall of her junior year. She deepened her connection with university operations and the community around her by working at the LBJ Student Center as a Building Manager, coordinating the Bobcat Build team, and volunteering with the League of Women Voters to register naturalized citizens at citizenship ceremonies. 

She is also passionate about scholarly writing and research. She published in the Texas State Undergraduate Research Journal, for which she served as an editor, and wrote a national security senior seminar thesis paper on unconventional attacks against the United States. She spent much of her last semester finishing an honors thesis on vocational work and community in American capitalism. Jessica is headed to the University of Texas at Austin’s LBJ School of Public Affairs for a graduate degree next fall and hopes to break into public policy at the state level.

Kayla Streber - 2022 Texas State University Outstanding Senior Award Recipient

Ms. Kayla Streber

Kayla Streber graduated Summa Cum Laude with a bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering and double minor in Business Administration and Applied Mathematics in December 2021. Her greatest passions while at Texas State included connecting with and serving others while being involved in the university and San Marcos communities. She was a National Science Foundation H-LSAMP Scholar, where she tutored students in the Collaborative Learning Center and Athletic Academic Center. Throughout her time at Texas State, she actively served at Hays County Food Bank where she was able to utilize her industrial engineering and problem-solving skills to aid in warehouse operations. Her involvement in the Society of Women Engineers led her to become a SWE Sisters Mentor for underclassmen engineering students. Additionally, Kayla pursued her athletic passions as a member of the Texas State University Women's Soccer Team. She combined her love of soccer and working with kids by volunteering for San Marcos Surge Soccer club conducting training sessions for younger players. In her Industrial Engineering Senior Design Project, she worked to develop a linear programming model to optimize the Texas Trauma Care Network, a year-long endeavor that allowed her to gain valuable skills and explore her interest regarding engineering applied in healthcare. Post-graduation, she has been working as a Materials Planner at Tokyo Electron, a semiconductor company in Austin, Texas.

Anna Stewart - 2021 Texas State University Outstanding Senior Woman Award Recipient

Ms. Anna Stewart

Anna Stewart graduated May 2021 with Honors, with a bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders with a Psychology minor. In the Honors College, she pursued one of her passions – health science research. As an undergraduate research assistant, she received the Undergraduate Research Fellowship (URF), completed an undergraduate honors thesis, and received a grant to conduct a joint health science- engineering study. Her study evaluated artificial intelligence created for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). While completing her thesis, the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) accepted her project for presentation at their national convention. As an ASHA Minority Student Leadership Series participant, she learned leadership skills and supported strategies for underrepresented and underserved communities within her field. As a Terry Foundation Scholar, she has participated in community and university outreach, attended financial literacy events, strengthened her networking skills, and learned the importance of gratitude through service. 

            As the Texas State National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) president, she founded a mentorship program for future audiologists and speech-language pathologists. Her leadership role has empowered her to support mental health awareness and self-care management to students in a rigorous and demanding field. She supported the culture of excellence upheld by Texas State by creating open-minded spaces for young leaders to ask questions, access resources, and serve our community together through donations, charity walks, and food drives.

            These formative experiences at Texas State have equipped her to serve those with communication disorders through clinical research and systemic advocacy in her future endeavors. After graduation, she will continue to pursue her love of research by attending Harvard Medical School's Division of Medical Sciences Ph.D. program with a Speech Hearing Bioscience Technology concentration. She is thankful for all that have nourished her growth. She is grateful for her faith in God, her family's loving support, and the opportunities provided by the Department of Communications Disorders, the Honors College, and the Terry Foundation.

Abigail Lacey - 2020 Award Recipient

Ms. Abigail Lacey

Abigail Lacey graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing.  She was born in Dallas, Texas, and grew up in Paris, Texas, where from a young age, Abigail desired a career where she could serve others.  At Texas State, she found her passion for nursing and attended St. David’s School of Nursing where she maintained a 4.0 GPA.  Throughout her years at Texas State and St. David’s, she served as a peer mentor, volunteer within the community, coordinator of various fundraising projects, and was a member of the Student Nursing Organization. She served as Vice-President of her nursing class for two years; also working as the event's chairman where she helped to organize the 2019 and 2020 nurse pinning ceremonies.  Her academic success earned her membership in Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and allowed her to assist fellow students as an academic tutor for four semesters.

Nahara Franklin - 2019 Award Recipient

Ms. Nahara Franklin

Nahara Franklin graduated in May 2019. She developed her call to service at a young age in her home town of Dallas Texas. Texas State allowed her to refine her passion by providing a multitude of service opportunities for their students. One of her favorite service projects was the San Marcos River Clean-Up. She also served along her peers in organizations like Black Women United, Student Foundation, Underrepresented Student Advisory Council, Phi Alpha Delta, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, and many planning committees.  Nahara was also crowned the 2018 Texas State Homecoming Queen. She received her Bachelor's Degree in psychology and minored in criminal justice. She now serves under Americorps and works with Teach For America. She teaches on the West side of Chicago and hopes to eventually become an attorney where she will serve and aid in the support of her community.

Jerrilyn Roberson - 2018 Award Recipient

Ms. Jerrilyn Roberson

Jerrilyn Roberson graduated in May 2018 with Honors, with a Bachelor's Degree in Recreation Administration with a concentration in Therapeutic Recreation. She is a native of Dallas, Texas, where she began her journey and found her love for serving others. 

Erica Osta - 2017 Award Recipient

Ms. Erica Osta

Erica Osta graduated in May 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and minors in Psychology and Biochemistry. Erica immigrated to the United States from Venezuela in pursuit of a higher education.

Kassandra Banda - 2016 Award Recipient

Ms. Kassandra Banda

Kassandra Banda graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science with a concentration in Pre-Physical Therapy from Texas State’s College of Education.