Ohio State CFAES names its top seniors

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The most prestigious undergraduate award at The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) will be presented to 23 seniors in April.

The Distinguished Senior Award honors top graduating seniors on the Ohio State Columbus campus who exemplify the CFAES mission in areas such as academics and scholarship, research and innovation, service and involvement, and influence and leadership.

“We hope these 23 award recipients feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment in their success as a student in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences,” said Ann D. Christy, CFAES professor and associate dean for academic programs. “It’s remarkable how they have succeeded in the classroom, throughout our community, among fellow classmates, and will continue to make powerful impacts as graduates of The Ohio State University.” 

Listed below are the Distinguished Seniors, including their academic units, majors, and hometowns:

Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership
Kiley S. Holbrook, Agricultural Communication, Amanda, Ohio
Kylie J. Ramirez, Agricultural Communication, Killbuck, Ohio
Branson D. Van Fleet, Agriscience Education, Pleasant City, Ohio

Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics
Ryanna L. Tietje, Agribusiness and Applied Economics, Deshler, Ohio

Department of Animal Sciences
Hannah M. Largen, Animal Sciences, Rocky Mount, Virginia
Cameron P. McCurdy, Animal Sciences, Cochranton, Pennsylvania
Michael L. Zuccaro, Animal Sciences, Henrico, Virginia

Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering
Ashley M. Bergman, Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Yorkshire, Ohio
Zachary D. Johnson, Construction Systems Management, New Albany, Ohio
Kyle D. Northup, Agricultural Systems Management, Crown City, Ohio
Timothy M. Sullivan, Agricultural Systems Management, London, Ohio

Department of Food Science and Technology
Liddie Ainsworth, Food Business Management, Dublin, Ohio
Rachel L. Barrett, Food Science and Technology, Rockford, Ohio
Noah C. Dameron, Food Science and Technology, Griswold, Connecticut
Talia M. Katz, Food Science and Technology, Deerfield, Illinois

Department of Horticulture and Crop Science
Grant M. DeBruin, Sustainable Plant Systems, Good Hope, Ohio
Caitlyn M. Tasney, Professional Golf Management, Columbus, Ohio

Department of Plant Pathology
Keely W. McQuain, Plant Pathology, North Royalton, Ohio

School of Environment and Natural Resources
Devin Headrick, Environmental Science, North Ridgeville, Ohio
Raygan L. Kirk, Environmental Science, Ste. Anne, Manitoba, Canada 
Alexandra Kushnir, Environmental Science, Ravenna, Italy
Regina Loayza, Environmental Policy and Decision Making, New Albany, Ohio
Emma R. Robinson; Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife, Dublin, Ohio

The students and their success will be celebrated via social media, professional networking platforms, and an invitation-only reception for the award recipients, which will be held on Thursday, April 4, hosted by Ann D. Christy and Cathann A. Kress, Ohio State vice president for agricultural administration and CFAES dean, at the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center at 5:30 p.m. Afterward, everyone may join them online at 8 p.m. to celebrate the students via a YouTube video release at go.osu.edu/CFAES2024DSA.

“Honoring the 23 recipients for their excellence will be a highlight for us this spring. These students have excelled and most certainly will continue to thrive in their future careers,” said Christy.

In autumn 2023, there were 2,224 undergraduate students in CFAES pursuing bachelor of science degrees in 21 majors. Learn more about CFAES academic programs at go.osu.edu/B4V2.