Top Students Honored by WSU College of Ag and Home Ec

PULLMAN, Wash. — A 1995 December graduate from Moscow, Idaho, was honored Saturday as Washington State University’s top senior in agriculture. An honors student from Colbert was recognized the top senior in family and consumer sciences.

Sarah Maki, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Steve Maki, 534 N. Blaine St., was named “Aggie of the Year” at the annual awards banquet of the College of Agriculture and Home Economics.

Maki maintained an overall grade point average of 3.97 (4.00 scale) at WSU. She was named to both the Dean’s and President’s honor roll and was inducted into National Golden Key, Phi Kappa Phi and Gamma Sigma Honor societies.

She has been active outside as well as in the classroom finding time to serve as assistant show manager of the Washington State Block and Bridle Club, as student representative on an animal sciences department search committee and on a steering committee for the Center for the Study of Animal Well-Being.

Valeri Pritchard, Colbert, was named the “Family and Consumer Scientist of the Year.”

Pritchard, whose goal is to teach kindergarten or the first grade, is completing double majors: child, consumer and family studies; and elementary education.

Pritchard’s 3.93 grade point average placed her on both the Dean’s and President’s honor rolls. She has been inducted into the Golden Key Honor Society, the National Residence Hall Honorary and the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society.

She served as a peer academic advisor and freshman seminar leader; served as a volunteer companion for special needs children and their siblings; and planned and implemented recess activities for pupils at Franklin Elementary in Pullman.

Pritchard is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Pritchard 16624 N. Greenbluff Rd.

Erica Traxler, Pullman, was named the top junior in family and consumer sciences. She is a student in the Coordinated Undergraduate Option in General Dietetics. Tiffany Somers, an agricultural economics major from Ohio, was named outstanding junior in agriculture.

Both students received $500 cash awards from the Capital Press of Salem, Ore.

Traxler, a returning student, has maintained a 3.89 GPA at WSU while finding time to volunteer for such organizations as the Humane Society, Home Health, the Palouse Hills Nursing Home and Meals on Wheels.

Somers, who is interested in pursuing a career in international agricultural policy and trade, has already completed a minor in French and is working on a minor in English.

The honors student is president of Pi Beta Phi sorority, helped rewrite her sorority’s national constitution and served as student ambassador for the WSU President’s Association, Alumni Centre and Athletic Department.

Somers is the daughter of Sherri Somers, 346 N. Oregon, Johnstown, Ohio.

Sheri Babb, a sophomore from Cheney, was named the recipient of the Freshman of the Year by the Elliott Chapter of Alpha Zeta Honorary society for agriculture and home economics.

The 4.00 student is majoring in agricultural molecular genetics in cell biology. Her goal is to become a plant breeder.

She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Babb, Route 3, Cheney.

Scholarships worth more than $230,000 were announced at the banquet and the names of 117 undergraduate students were added to the Dean’s Honor Roll.

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