Williams Baptist University has held its last graduation as a college, before completing its transition to a university.  Williams awarded degrees to 93 graduates during its 2018 commencement exercises Saturday, May 5.

The graduates represented 25 Arkansas counties, 13 states and two nations.
A crowd of over 1,000 filled WBU’s Southerland-Mabee Center for the ceremony.  The commencement address was delivered by Dr. Sheri Midkiff, Professor of English at WBU.
Allison Elkins of Jonesboro, Ark., was recognized as the graduate with  highest honors.
Honor graduates were recognized as being cum laude (3.5-3.69 cumulative grade point average), magna cum laude (3.7-3.84 GPA) or summa cum laude (3.85-4.0 GPA).
Williams is a Christian, liberal arts university in Walnut Ridge, Ark.  It will become Williams Baptist University this summer.

WBU graduates from Arkansas, listed by county, included:

Baxter County – Gassville: Dakota Dwyer.

Benton County – Gentry: Brandon Brigance (summa cum laude), Patrick Grigsby.

Boone County – Harrison: Emily Morgan, Elizabeth Ryan (summa cum laude).

Carroll County – Berryville: Anthony Noftsger.

Clay County – Rector: Alec Scott.

Columbia County – Magnolia: Taylor Davis.

Craighead County – Bono: Brian Whitlow.  Brookland: Kendall Davenport, Cheyenne Hughes.  Jonesboro: Kagen Brown, Allison Elkins (summa cum laude), Tyler Eudy, Clara Fortenberry (cum laude), Anna Gage, Rebekah Harmon (magna cum laude), Erika Isbill (magna cum laude), Samuel Johnson, Sierra Martinez, Madison Ray (magna cum laude), Shelby Slaven.

Crawford County – Van Buren: Cody Harp.

Crittenden County – Marion: Kayla Winfrey.

Faulkner County – Conway: Taylor Archer, Hannah Cates (cum laude).

Fulton County – Viola: Corby May.

Garland County – Jessieville: Andrew McDaniel.

Greene County – Paragould: Sally Barnett, Madison Laubach, Jackson Law, Zachary Steele (summa cum laude), Noah Stoddard.

Independence County – Batesville: Lauren Garrison, Haley Hambrick, Madeline Mead (magna cum laude), Lexie Smith, Leslie Wood (cum laude).

Jefferson County – White Hall: Madison Grigsby (cum laude).

Lawrence County – Black Rock: Alison Turbyeville (cum laude).  Hoxie: Joe Spargo.  Imboden: Elizabeth Scales (summa cum laude).  Lynn: Haley Jones.  Smithville: Daniel Bates (magna cum laude), Randall Scott.  Walnut Ridge: Morgan Durham, Bobby Hatfield (magna cum laude), William Wilcoxson.

Lonoke County – Cabot: Katelyn Estes.

Miller County – Doddridge: Reece Dunlap.

Mississippi County – Joiner: Taylar Harris.  Luxora: Da’Monique Brown.

Prairie County – Hazen: Hunter Ingle (summa cum laude).

Pulaski County – Little Rock: Josh Chiles (cum laude).  North Little Rock: Catherine Burleson, Molleigh Gray.

Randolph County – Maynard: Hannah Roberts (cum laude).  O’Kean: William Hibbard.  Pocahontas: Ionut Bendea, Malerie Bennett, Blake Clements, Josiah Marlow, Brett Thielemier, Rebekah Tyler.

Union County – Junction City: Hayden Smith.

White County – Beebe: Madelyn Hawley (summa cum laude).  Searcy: Collin Whitney (magna cum laude). 

Woodruff County – Cotton Plant: Monica Griffin.

WBU graduates from Alaska, listed by city, include:

Nikiski – Makenzie Moore (cum laude).
WBU graduates from California, listed by city, include:

Kingsburg – Leslie Garza.
WBU graduates from Connecticut, listed by city, include:

Greenwich – Ryan Whittle.

WBU graduates from Florida, listed by city, include:

Miami – Daniel Rodriguez.

Naples – Pedro Lopez, Jr.

WBU graduates from New Jersey, listed by city, include:

Freehold – Tyler Fraley.

WBU graduates from Minnesota, listed by city, include:

Olivia – Zachary Revier.

WBU graduates from Mississippi, listed by city, include:

Starkville – Oni Robertson.

WBU graduates from Missouri, listed by city, include:

Bourbon – Luke Carter.

Charleston – Kyle Johnson.

Defiance – Davis Fetzer.

Farmington – Makayla Marshall.

Gideon – Black Buchanan.

Qulin – Kailee Hicks (magna cum laude).

St. Louis – Conner Linehan.

WBU students from Louisiana, listed by city, include:

Gonzales – Graham Karwath.

Walker – Shawon Isom.

WBU graduates from Tennessee, listed by city, include:

Atoka – Hannah Whitefoot (magna cum laude).

Maury City – Kala Tyus.

Memphis – Erin Gay (cum laude), Marcus Springer, Jr.

WBU graduates from Texas, listed by city, include:

El Paso– Rachel Pirtle (cum laude).

Houston – Marco Palacios II.

WBU graduates from Virginia, listed by city, include:

Henrico – Emily Hewitt (magna cum laude).

WBU graduates from other countries, listed by country and city, included:

Brazil – Jundiaí, São Paulo: Marlon Benevides.  Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul: Bernardo Marconato.