Eastern Kentucky University’s chapter of Omega Nu Lambda (ONL), a nationwide honor society created exclusively for online learners, has given its first scholarships in spring 2019. The winners are Ryan Kirk of Woodbridge, Virginia, and Sara Cannon of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Kirk is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in emergency medical care. He was one of the first responders on the scene when a car drove into a crowd of protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017. He was recently named director of the paramedic program at Prince William County Fire and Rescue, a position that requires a bachelor’s degree.
“This is the opportunity I was hoping for,” he wrote in his scholarship application in reference to his promotion. “I set a goal to advance my career by earning this degree.”
Cannon has a human services background and is pursuing a career in immigration law. She will graduate with a master’s degree in public administration in May. She feels more engaged in her online classes than she did in her face-to-face undergraduate classes. That’s due, in part, to her professors.
She says she is impressed with the amount of time EKU faculty devote to their online students. She credits them with helping her stay on track when her husband’s career required a move from Georgia to Pennsylvania in the middle of her program. They often take extra time to speak with her individually and answer all her questions.
“It’s good to see that level of commitment from professors,” she said.
ONL celebrates academic success and helps foster a sense of community among online students. Students must have completed 15 credit hours on online coursework and earned a GPA of 3.2 or greater to qualify for membership.
The Omega Nu Lambda Scholarship is presented to one undergraduate student and one graduate student on the basis of academic achievement, community service and overall success as an online student.
In addition, the EKU chapter welcomed 66 new members from 19 states this semester, which brings the membership total to nearly 200.
To learn more about EKU Online degrees and certificate programs, visit www.go.eku.edu/ONLSpring2019.
The newest members are:
Rebecca L. Adams – Nicholasville, Ky.
David J. Akers III – Indiana, Pa.
Kimberly Ann Ballensky – Lexington, Ky.
Ashley Nicole Beckley – Monticello, Ky.
Brian P. Berendts – Mason, Ohio
Maggie Bill – Richmond, Ky.
Crystal Blackburn – Richmond, Ky.
Bonnie L. Blair – Jeffersonville, Ky.
Kelli Jo Blair – Inez, Ky.
Travis Bodner – Stanford, Ky.
Kayla Bowling – Florence, Ky.
Leah Boyd – West Chester, Ohio
Jennifer Calvert-Smith – Burlington, Ky.
Sara Medley Cannon – Lancaster, Pa.
Maria Del Mar Carrasquillo – Bloomington, Ind.
Jennifer Cash – Brodhead, Ky.
Shannon E. Catron – Salvisa, Ky.
Haley Shereé Cooper – Hodgenville, Ky.
Melissa Corbin – Bowling Green, Ky.
Maggie Couch – Bonnyman, Ky.
Elizabeth K. Crolley – Harold, Ky.
Bradley Danner – Lexington, Ky.
Erlyn Dalan – Corbin, Ky.
Justin Caleb Durham – Wartburg, Tenn.
Randy Eberle – Prosser, Wash.
Patrick Fischer – Bowling Green, Ky.
Heather Lynn Foster – Berea, Ky.
Toria Gambill – Ashland, Ky.
Courtney L. Griffieth – Harrodsburg, Ky.
Jamie M. Hobbs – Lawrenceburg, Ky.
Andrea Hopson – Paintsville, Ky.
Brian Lamar Hudson – Wilmington, Del.
Michaela Dawn Johnson – Louisville, Ky.
Todd C. Johnson – State College, Pa.
Keara Jones-Smith – Honolulu, Hawaii
Martha King – Richmond, Ky.
Lovell L. Larkin – Lexington, Ky.
Heather Latham – Ripley, Tenn.
Sydney Lewis – Berea, Ky.
Michael R. Long – Bristow, Va.
Steven Van Lowry – Herndon, Va.
Stefani Mandrigues – Garner, N.C.
Breanna Nicole Milburn – Danville, Ky.
Patrick Napier – Caruthersville, Mo.
Brian D. Nelson – Rockwall, Texas
Peyton Nolley – Louisville, Ky.
Maria I. Peña – Colorado Springs, Colo.
Cynthia Lynn Prater – Georgetown, Ky.
Jason J. Prestien – Ozark, Mo.
Jimmy Rachal – Spring, Texas
Shannon Christina Ramey – Randolph, Mass.
McKenna Revel – Richmond, Ky.
Clinton James Risi – White Lake, Mich.
Danielle Elizabeth Root – Winchester, Ky.
Dawn Raegene Mendenhall Scott – Lebanon, Ky.
Jennifer Lynn Shapiro – Coatesville, Pa.
Tommy Sipsy – Marietta, Ga.
Samantha R. Slayton – Jericho, Vt.
Gary Smart – Elizabethtown, Ky.
Tristan Thomas Syck – Richmond, Ky.
Lynn Timmons – Yemassee, S.C.
Carla Mae Weismantel – Lexington, Ky.
Ethel White – Corbin, Ky.
Chance Michael Wilson – Youngsville, La.
John R. Wines, Jr. – Barberton, Ohio
Laura Michele Wolf – Hillsboro, Ohio
Consistently recognized as having some of the nation’s best online degree programs, Eastern Kentucky University strives to make quality education accessible to everyone. EKU is an accredited, brick-and-mortar institution that has offered online degree programs since 2006. Today, more than 40 degree and certificate options are available in a variety of fields.