Kristin Britt and Warner West have been awarded the 2019 Williams Baptist University Founders Awards. Britt is from Chandler, Tex., and West is a Walnut Ridge native. WBU President Dr. Stan Norman presented the awards during the university’s annual graduates luncheon on Friday, May 3

Founders Award winners are selected from each graduating class at Williams. Recipients are chosen by a vote of the faculty and administration as outstanding representatives of the university and its ideals. Britt and West graduated from WBU at commencement exercises Saturday, May 4.

Britt, who is originally from Portageville, Mo., received her degree in English education. She is the daughter of Darla Britt of Chandler and the late David Britt.

“Kristin has been a fantastic student, and we have been delighted to have her in the English department,” said Professor Jerry Gibbens, chair of the English department at WBU. “She’s participated fully in campus life, the religious, the scholarly, and the dramatic. She is as close to an ideal student as anyone you’ll find.”

West earned a degree in English with a minor in history. He is the son of Alan and Kristen West of Walnut Ridge.

“Warner West is one of the brightest students I have ever known. He is an avid reader, a deep and analytical thinker, and a brilliant writer. On top of his scholarly gifts, his work ethic is exceptional and his moral character is outstanding. Warner embodies the highest ideals of the Williams Christian liberal arts educational experience, and we couldn’t be more proud of him,” said Dr. Blake Perkins, chair of the WBU history department.

WBU is a private, Christian university in Walnut Ridge, Ark.