4 WT Faculty, 9 Alumni, 5 Students to Be Honored by Panhandle Great 25 Nurses

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, [email protected]

CANYON, Texas - Three faculty members and nine alumni from West Texas A&M University's Laura and Joe Street School of Nursing will be honored Nov. 7 as 2024 Panhandle Great 25 Nurses.

Additionally, five current WT nursing students and one faculty member will receive Panhandle Great 25 scholarships.

The celebration will begin at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 7 in the Alumni Banquet Hall on WT's Canyon campus.

The list was chosen by a committee in collaboration with Texas Nurses Association District 2 and the Panhandle Great 25 Nurses committee. Criteria include leadership qualities, service to the community, compassionate caregiving and significant contributions to the profession of nursing.

"I am elated that the amazing talents and outstanding service of our WT nursing faculty are being recognized through Panhandle Great 25 Nurses," said Dr. Holly Jeffreys, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. "Each one of our faculty receiving the recognition are well deserving and key to the success in our mission and vision for the Laura and Joe Street School of Nursing. The faculty collectively produce the highest quality nurses serving this region, and a portion of that success is because our students are outstanding individuals dedicated to skillfully caring for the needs of those around us. I greatly value the faculty and students alike and am so appreciative and thankful for the opportunities provided through scholarship and recognition for these well deserving nurses, nurse practitioners, and future nurses."

Faculty members on the Panhandle Great 25 list are Shravan Devkota, the Dr. Wesley L. Langham Professor of Nursing; Sherri Drinnon, instructor of nursing: and Shaina Neely, the High Plains Christian Ministries Foundation Professor of Psychiatric Mental Health.

Devkota earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from WT and a Master of Science in Nursing from Lubbock Christian University. He joined the WT in 2011.

"Being selected for Panhandle Great 25 Nurses is an incredible honor that signifies recognition for my dedication, skill, and commitment to the nursing profession," Devkota said. "The acknowledgement not only validates the positive impact I strive to make in the lives of my students, but also inspires me to continue growing as an educator and a nurse leader."

Drinnon earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing-Family Nurse Practitioner from WT and has worked in pediatrics, newborn nursey, labor and delivery, family practice, and public health before joining the WT faculty in 2019.

"I love being a nurse because it provides countless opportunities to make a positive impact on people's lives," Drinnon said. "Receiving this award is a tremendous honor, and I am humbled to be recognized alongside so many outstanding nurses in our community. I am truly grateful for the hard work of everyone involved in this program and cannot thank them enough for this award."

Neely earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from WT, a Master of Science in Nursing-Family Nurse Practitioner from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and a post-master's certificate in psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner from Midwestern State University. She joined the WT faculty in 2018.

"This award represents not just personal success, but also a connection to a larger community of amazing nurses in the Texas Panhandle," Neely said.

Laura Wagner, instructor of nursing, was the recipient of the $2,500 Dr. Valerie Kiper Doctoral Leadership Scholarship as she pursues a degree from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

Wagner joined the WT faculty in 2022 after earning degrees from the Covenant School of Nursing and Lubbock Christian University. She has worked in surgical intensive care unit and concierge primary care nursing.

"Nurses have always been foundational in shaping the future of healthcare, demonstrating compassion, critical thinking, and unwavering support for our communities," Wagner said. "I am grateful for the opportunity to represent my fellow nurses and to further our shared mission of advancing nursing through education, leadership, and community service."

WT alumni on this year's Panhandle Great 25 list include:

• Jennifer Carreon, who earned her BSN in 2015 and works at Northwest Texas Healthcare System's J.O. Wyatt Clinic;
• Trisha Diaz, who earned her BS in 2015 and works at Northwest Texas Healthcare System;
• Paula Edwards, who earned her BSN in 2023 and works at Baptist St. Anthony's Healthcare System;
• Fraya Hammons, who earned her BSN in 1986 and works at the Wellington Care Center;
• Linda Kinzer, who earned her BSN in 1984 and works at Northwest Texas Healthcare System;
• Amber Lopez, who earned her BSN in 2015 and works at Northwest Texas Healthcare System;
• Tabatha Mathias, who earned her BSN and MSN in 2008 and works at Amarillo Veterans Healthcare System;
• Jamie Moore, who earned her BSN in 2008 and works at Baptist St. Anthony's Healthcare System; and
• Annette Watts, who earned her BSN and MSN in 2011 and 2015, respectively, and works at Amarillo College.

Also recognized on this year's list are Angela Adams, Anna LaVon Barrett, Janetta Bitting, Alicia Castillo, Belinda Rose Crow, Lisa Garay, Jennifer James, Brandi Lehning, Kimarie Maddox, Rebecca Matthews, Tina Reagan, Katrina Tokar and Rebeca Toribio.

Panhandle Great 25 Nurses also will give $2,000 scholarships to seven additional students, including five attending WT: Lezley Cummings, a senior nursing major from Amarillo; Ingrid De Santiago, a Plainview native pursuing a second bachelor's degree in nursing; Maria Esqueda, a senior nursing major from Dimmitt; Raven King, a senior nursing major from Amarillo; and April Martinez, a junior nursing major from Nazareth.

Established in 1972 and graduating its first students in 1974, WT's Street School of Nursing currently provides about 70 percent of nurses employed throughout the Texas Panhandle.

WT nursing graduates, over the past five years, have averaged a 97 percent score on the National Council Licensure Examination, required by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing to test the competency of nursing school graduates in the United States and Canada. Nationally, the average is 85 percent; in Texas, it's 87 percent.

Educating nurses is a key component of WT's mission to address regional challenges, as set out 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 58 undergraduate degree programs, one associate degree, 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.

Photo: Faculty members from West Texas A&M University's Laura and Joe Street School of Nursing honored in 2024 by Panhandle Great 25 Nurses are, from left, Shaina Neely, Shravan Devkota, Sherri Drinnon and Laura Wagner.

-WT-

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