Hall of Fame welcomes six new members

Seniors earn highest award bestowed to student at LSMSA
Six seniors were recently inducted into the LSMSA Hall of Fame during the Senior Recognition Ceremony held Friday, May 18, in the A.A. Fredericks auditorium located on the campus of Northwestern State University.

Each year, a committee comprised of faculty and residential life staff selects seniors for the Robert A. Alost Award. Selection into the Hall of Fame is the highest honor a student can be awarded and is based on exceptional performance in academics, residential life, extracurricular activities and service.

The honor is named for the school’s founding director, Dr. Robert A. Alost. Alost served as director of the school for four years before moving to NSU as president. He has since retired from education, but remains committed to and interested in LSMSA.

“This award is named for Dr. Alost because of his vision and dedication those first crucial years in the history of LSMSA,” said Dr. Steve Horton, executive director.

The inductees are Kathleen Barrios of Houma, Ruby Kharod of Opelousas, Amy Liu of Alexandria, Abby Pace of Iowa, Hannah Rice of Mandeville and Marcus Shallow of Elton.

Kathleen Barrios has walked the halls of the LSMSA campus with an unbridled enthusiasm for this school and its mission. Barrios has stood out as a smart and articulate presence in the classroom, a talented and multi-faceted artist and an invariable cheerful participant in residential life.
“Watching young people grow into maturity, and perhaps assisting them in that process, is always a privilege,” said Horton. “But the experience of observing Kathleen coming of age – someone who is brilliant, gifted and kind – has been truly gratifying.”
Barrios is the personification of the infinitive “to excel.” She strives for excellence in all she attempts – not out of concern for her grade point average or the opinions of a college admissions counselor, but for the sheer satisfaction found in a job well done. She devours books with delight, learns languages with discipline and humility, and performs with precision and poise. Even more important than these attributes is the fact that she is remarkably gracious, empathetic and thoughtful. She is driven yet easy going, formal yet friendly and highbrow and hilarious at the same time.
“Her friends will tell you that there exists no better friend in the world,” said Horton. “Her instructors will tell you that she makes their days better and their jobs easier. Whether she is singing a French aria or eagerly expounding upon the history of America’s space program, Kathleen Barrios has left a lasting legacy in the annals of LSMSA and set a standard for those who follow.”

Ruby Kharod is the definition of a well-rounded LSMSA student. She is an ambassador, a member of the Future Scientist Program and a member of several clubs and organizations, all while taking more than eight classes and maintaining an excellent grade point average.
As a member of FSP, Kharod embodies what Rosalind Franklin once said, “Science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated.”
Whether Kharod is performing research or studying for an upcoming exam, she is constantly looking for the connections between concept and reality.
She can be found hanging out on the third floor during the day, in the dorms tutoring her peers in the evenings, or, on some weekends, solving a wardrobe crisis for a theater production. She has shown her dedication to chemistry by taking every single chemistry course offered in the LSMSA course catalog, being the first student to do this in more than a decade.

Amy Liu entered LSMSA with lofty expectations and managed to exceed them all. While she never had a grade below a B, what is even more impressive is how she managed to excel academically despite one of the busiest extracurricular calendars on campus.
While serving as an ambassador, Liu went well above and beyond what was expected of someone in that role. If a candidate for a teaching position needed a tour, Liu was quick to volunteer. When the enrollment office needed someone to wake up much earlier than their first class to work a registration table, Liu was there, then, too.
The list of accomplishments, service and awards that Liu has received can fill more time than there was during the ceremony, but maybe even more impressive than all of the accomplishments is the way Liu’s very presence can lift the spirits of those in any room she happens to walk into.
Whether in class, at work service, or running a meeting of one of the many clubs or organizations she takes part in, Liu will have a smile on her face and a genuine appreciation for those around her.

Many LSMSA students excel in more than one area at the school. A number of Eagles are strong in math and in music. It is not unusual for students to demonstrate understanding of high level physics while also producing lovely essays for the English faculty. For a student to demonstrate excellence in every area she attempts – that is no small thing.
Abby Pace came to LSMSA for her junior year, bringing with her a curiosity for Newton’s laws and a talent for mathematics. She has doubled up in math every semester she has been here. She has also taken every physics course offered.
Pace completed a distinction project in physics, while also continuing her work with the mixed ensemble. Faculty have noted that she challenges herself in every context they have seen her in.
Her distinction advisor explained that she is the first person on the Earth to directly measure the rate of exponential error growth in a chaotic, mechanical system. Dr. Robert Dalling had to wait 25 years for Pace to finish his Ph.D. thesis.
Whether she is finishing Dalling’s Ph.D. thesis, or donning dark glasses to play the saxophone for the jazz ensemble; whether she is writing science fiction stories or strapping on the gloves for work with the speed bag in boxing, Pace is disciplined, curious and impressive in her natural talents and her personal drive.

Hannah Rice has perfected the art of excelling in academics, extracurricular activities and personal relationships at LSMSA.
Perhaps this is why she has had universities competing for her to join their program. According to her student life advisor, she is “someone who has that infectious enthusiasm and smile that makes everyone around her happy – even when she is having a difficult day.”
While balancing rehearsals for a leading role in a play, practicing with the A Capella Club, or learning complicated musical pieces, Rice can also produce outstanding writing – not only in terms of argument, but in terms of voice, style, grace and intellectual insight.
Last year she wowed in “Little Women” with her singing and acting, and this year, she made audiences slap their knees in raucous laughter with her performance in “A Servant of Two Masters.”
Her senior recital in voice and piano was nothing short of brilliant: not only did she beautifully sing difficult classical pieces in multiple languages, she also played, from memory, on of Chopin’s most challenging nocturnes – all while making it look easy.
Rice’s singing so impressed Gov. Edwards during his campus visit that he later invited her to sing the national anthem before the House of Representatives.

When teachers look out on the new flock of Eagles every year, they often feel like kids looking at wrapped presents under a Christmas tree. This particular “gift” was one that was tucked way under the tree, relatively unobtrusive. It took a while to get to it, but once opened, Marcus Shallow has proven to be the gift that keeps on giving.
Let’s count the ways Shallow has given to the school.
His personal achievements are amazing and most of his teachers would attribute this to his extreme work ethic and willingness to work and rework an assignment until he gets it right.
One teacher said that Shallow doesn’t come in for just one consultation or one edit. He comes in for FOUR edits. This determination to do it – and do it right – is evident in life outside of academics as well.
Shallow always pushes himself to do more and do better. He also pushes those around him. He can be found in the Student Success Center, helping the mathematically disinclined, or tutoring any number of subjects in Prudhomme.
His contributions to dorm life have gained notice, even if he doesn’t draw attention to himself. His student life advisor noted that “besides being a master at multitasking in the living/learning community of his friends and fellow learners, his composed and meditative presence in the community of his hallmates barley makes a splash, which underscores his skillful diving into the living-is-an-art pool.”
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