2019 Outstanding Young Alumni Nominees Honored at Board of Young Associates Banquet

(ABILENE, Texas)–On Friday, March 1, Hardin-Simmons University hosted the 16^th annual Outstanding Young Alumni Banquet to honor the Board of Young Associates’ three OYA nominees. This year’s Outstanding Young Alumni awards were presented to Mr. Barret Thomas, J.D., Mrs. Melissa Wickham, and Mr. Ash Wright.

Present at the banquet were members of the Board of Young Associates, members of the Board of Trustees, HSU President Mr. Eric Bruntmyer, J.D., and President Emeritus Dr. Lanny Hall, and BYA scholarship nominees. After the dinner, Mrs. Lisa Stegner, president of the BYA, and Mr. Eric Bruntmyer made their welcoming remarks. Bruntmyer congratulated all in attendance, and shared that in his experience at HSU, students have repeatedly shown him that they do three outstanding things; climb over walls, tear down barriers, and intervene on behalf of those around them.

President Eric Bruntmyer addresses the nominees at the BYA banquet on Friday.

Outstanding Young Alumni award recipient Mrs. Shanna Smith Hetterley then presented the three recipients with their awards. Each recipient gave an acceptance speech upon getting their award. Mr. Barrett Thomas shared stories of his time at HSU and thanked the university’s faculty and staff for giving him a home and a family throughout his education. He stated, “I needed a home at that time. I needed a family at that time… I was not ready, as a 17-year-old kid, to go to a large university and be told ‘do what you will’… I certainly found that (a family) at Hardin-Simmons,” Thomas is a former police officer and currently works as a trial attorney.

During her speech, Mrs. Melissa Wickham shared her gratitude and love for HSU. Wickham was a member of HSU’s first leadership class, and she is described as a leader, even within a group of leaders. She said that she is “very grateful for Hardin-Simmons for instilling the need to help someone else,” Wickham is currently the Assistant Controller Director with Interstate Batteries.

Mr. Ash Wright gave the final acceptance speech of the night, in which he told a story of his late grandmother, a well-known HSU alumna. When asking his grandmother for advice regarding his acceptance speech, she told him to “keep it short, don’t get a big head, and get back to work,” Wright claimed that “as I work in politics, I find it’s a small group of people from Hardin-Simmons that I get to work with, but they all have a characteristic of love and faith in the lord that’s unmatched,” Wright

The Board of Young Associates is a group of alumni under the age of 40 who have graduated no more than 20 years prior. The board fundraises for the university, offers scholarships, and works to advance and develop their alma mater.