During its day-long Celebration of Excellence April 30, Hastings College announced two Bronco Award recipients during its annual Honors Convocation — Alyssa Baker of Bentonville, Arkansas, and Riley Clavel of Roy, New Mexico.
Additional photos are available here, and a video is here.
Established in 1924, the Bronco Award is the College’s highest non-academic award granted to students. Recipients of the Bronco Award and the accompanying Who’s Who list are determined through a vote of their peers and a student-faculty committee.
Who’s Who honorees are recognized for having made outstanding campus contributions during their college careers. Up to 10 percent of the graduating seniors may be named to the Who’s Who list.
Between the other honors and announcement of the Who’s Who and Bronco Awards, a previous recipient, Hauli Sabatka of Hastings, Nebraska, gave a short talk.
Sabatka, a 1996 Hastings College graduate and Bronco Award recipient, serves as executive director of advancement for Hastings Catholic Schools. She is also a member of the Hastings College Foundation board of directors. Sabatka, who majored in biology and psychology, began her career at the Arthritis Foundation before joining the Hastings College Foundation office for 18 years, serving as senior director of alumni relations and events. Throughout her career, she has invested in lifelong learning and mentoring in the advancement field through her participation in the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, earning the CASE Distinguished Service Award in 2022. She is a member of the Hastings Community Foundation board of directors, Hastings Give Day committee and Hastings Noon Rotary. Sabatka and her husband Bill Sabatka ‘91 have three children: Anthony, Ryann and Andrej.
Bios for the Bronco Award recipients and the other Who’s Who honorees are listed below.
Alyssa Baker of Bentonville, Arkansas, is a biology major and has been on the Dean’s List. She was Student Association president this year after serving as vice president last year, and has been actively involved with the Beta Beta Beta biology honor society, Chi Omega Psi, Association of Student Athletes, Food 4 Thought and Catholic Social Services. She was a member of the women’s basketball team, the homecoming court, the Black Student Union, and served as vice president of Health Ministry for the Juniata United Methodist Church. She was also named Outstanding Young Church Woman by the Methodist Women United.
Myah Brown is a biology major from Grand Island, Nebraska. The Dean’s List and Scott Scholar student has been active in the Honors Program and was a member of Alpha Chi, Beta Beta Beta biology honor society, co-president of the Student Health Advisory Council, was an Irish Fellow and in the Athletic Management Program. She was on the homecoming court and has served as the president for Diabetes Link.
Vincent Byrne of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, is a member of the Dean’s List, Alpha Chi, Lambda Pi Eta and Bronco Catholic. The communication studies major also participated on the Bronco baseball team and was active in student media.
Riley Clavel is a business administration and exercise science double major from Roy, New Mexico. The Dean’s List and Scott Scholar student has been a member of Alpha Chi, Chi Omega Psi, Bronco Catholic, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Future Business Leaders of America and the homecoming court. She has been a starting guard for the Bronco women’s basketball team, where, her first year, she was named All-Conference Honorable Mention.
Kyle Collins is an economics and mathematics double major from Upper Bogue, The Bahamas. He has been active with the Student Senate, the HCLS Student Symposium Committee, CRU and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. A member of the Dean’s List, he has also served as a resident assistant, a math tutor, as a Career Services ambassador and was a member of the Bronco Advisory Council.
Mireia del Val Fernandez from Madrid, Spain, is a business administration, economics and finance triple major and a member of the Dean’s List and Honors Program. She is a member of Alpha Chi, student media, Model United Nations and a resident assistant, and has also played on the women’s soccer team and interned in the Hastings College Business Office.
Jermaine Francis Jr., a health systems major from Nassau, The Bahamas, is a Dean’s List student and a member of the cheer team, student media, the Student Association entertainment committee, Student Senate and the homecoming court. He has also been actively involved in theatre productions.
Riley Lanning is a psychology and history & philosophy double major from Glendale, Arizona. She’s been involved in Phi Alpha Theta; Psi Chi, where she served as president; the Beta Beta Beta biology honor society; HCLS Student Symposium Committee; and Alpha Chi, where she was named Outstanding First Year Student and the Outstanding Second Year Student. The Dean’s List and Honors Program student has also served as a tutor for Studio 200, a campus tour guide, head resident assistant in Taylor Hall and a research assistant in the Department of Psychology and Sociology. Lanning was named Academic Athlete of the Year as a member of the women’s golf team, participated on the dance team and was on the homecoming court. She founded the Association for Women’s Health Education & Research, completed a summer research program in Belgium and worked as an English as a Second Language intern for the Hastings Literacy Program.
Karl Ludwig of La Junta, Colorado, is a philosophy & religion major. They are a Dean’s List student, and has been a member of the Hastings College band, choir and bell choir, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. They were also on the Homecoming Court and has participated with the Hastings Symphony Orchestra, Chorus of the Plains and Chancel Choir, and was a member of the Nebraska Intercollegiate Band
Josephine Parker is a business and community development major and Scott Scholar from Omaha, Nebraska. She was an Irish Fellow, spent a semester abroad in Scotland and recently collaborated in developing a program that will be funded by a grant to address community revitalization and brain drain. She was also a summer program lead for Prairie Loft for three years and is creating curriculum for its new partnership with an international school in Ghana to teach global agricultural learning.
Lily Teeple is a business administration and marketing double major from Gering, Nebraska. A Dean’s List and Scott Scholar student, she has been involved with the Student Association executive council and recently collaborated in developing a program that will be funded by a grant to address community revitalization and brain drain. Teeple also works for the Hastings Business Improvement District.
Tymia Thompson is a history & philosophy and political science double major from Nassau, The Bahamas. The Dean’s List student has been an active member of the Hastings College Choir and Choral Union, Pi Sigma Alpha, Student Senate, student media and Black Student Alliance. A member of the forensics team, Thompson has also served as a resident assistant, Campus Connect worker, campus tour guide and won the campus Big Idea competition.
Cecilia Velarde of Loveland, Colorado, is a communication studies and marketing double major. The Dean’s List student is a member of Alpha Chi, where she served as president this year; Lambda Pi Eta; and the track and field team. She also interned in the Office of Marketing and Communications and was co-host of the BroncPod podcast.
Victoria Vondra is a biology major from Crete, Nebraska. The Dean’s List student is a member of Alpha Chi, the Beta Beta Beta biology honors society, Student Association and Student Health Advisory Council. She has also been a resident assistant, served as a tour guide and was actively involved in CRU and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Christian Wiegert of Grand Island, Nebraska, is a biology major. The Honors Program student has been a member of the Student Health Advisory Council, CRU, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Beta Beta Beta, the biology honors society where he served as treasurer. A resident assistant, Wiegert has also served as a campus tour guide and has participated on the cross country and track and field teams.
Claire Wiegert is a business administration and secondary education double major from Greeley, Colorado. A Dean’s List and Scott Scholar, Wiegert has been active in CRU, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a Youth for Christ volunteer and a member of the homecoming court.
Hastings College is a four-year residential college that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement. Discover more at hastings.edu.
