April 13, 2015
MARSHALL, Texas (4/10/15) - East Texas Baptist University's oldest, most honored tradition returned for its 68th year on Friday, April 10, 2014, naming the 2014-2015 Senior Girl Call-Out. The ceremony was held on the front lawn of Marshall Hall.
This year's Senior Girl Call-Out is Jovana Nieto of Pittsburg. Miss Nieto is a Biology major with a minor in English. Her parents are Martin and Antonia Nieto. She is a member of First Baptist Church in Pittsburg. As a member of First Baptist she has helped with First Kids Academy as a day care professional and as a Sunday School and Vacation Bible School teacher. She is also an intern at her home church.
While at ETBU, Miss Nieto was a member of the college chapter of the Texas Academy of Science. She was awarded the Mickey Leland Environmental Internship for the Texas Commission Environmental Program, the second largest environmental agency. She was offered a full-time position with the Texas Commission Environmental Quality as an environmental investigator. She will be a first generation college graduate and supported and helped hold her family together when her mother was diagnosed with cancer. After graduation, Miss Nieto plans on furthering her education by attending graduate school and majoring in environmental science with a concentration in occupational health safety.
The Senior Girl Call-Out ceremony is a simple, but beautiful ceremony honoring senior women who best reflect the values of the University. The one "called-out" is a young woman who is courteous, kind, loves scholarship, appreciates beauty, and shows evidence in her daily living of spiritual perception and reverence.
Miss Sallie Duncan, then Dean of Women initiated Senior Girl Call-Out in 1947. The script for the ceremony, which was written by former librarian Dr. Mary K. Armstrong, has remained the same for 68 years. Armstrong also wrote the arrangement for the ETBU school hymn.
This year, 20 senior girls participated in the ceremony along with their "little sisters" who are underclassmen chosen by the seniors. From all the senior girls who choose to participate in the Call-Out, the ETBU faculty and staff elect one to honor as the Call-Out recipient.
Senior Girl Call-Out participants were: Haylie Amison of Mount Pleasant, her little sister, Bailey Kinnaird of North Richland Hills; Kayla Cradit of Richmond, her little sister, Sasha Kotowych of Houston; Amanda Gill of Austin, her little sister, Brinsley Chance of Port Neches; Tiana Gray of Los Angeles, Calif., her little sister, Jordan Anderson of Carthage; Hannah Green of Texarkana, her little sister, Kellye Roby of Saginaw; Sharolyn Haynes of El Campo, her little sister, Zhari Taylor of Shreveport, La.; Samantha Jackson of Gilmer, her little sister, Corrie Andrews of Cypress; Kimberly Ledbetter of Mount Pleasant, her little sister, Harlie Gooch of White Oak; Megan Merrill of Marshall, her little sister, Shelby Sparks of Richardson; and Elizabeth Nesbitt of Almaty, Kazakhstan, her little sister, Ashley Mexicano of Pasadena.
The others are: Leyah Neuman of Devine, her little sister, Stephanie Harrington of West Plains, Mo.; Jovana Nieto of Pittsburg, her little sister, Rosanna Roach of Mount Pleasant; Paige Redmon of Bonham, her little sister, Natile Orr of Lumberton; Janet Rodriguez of Dallas, her little sister, Rachel Burrows of Kountze; Amanda Rucker of Grand Saline, her little sister, Samantha Busby of Winnsboro; Summer Scott of San Antonio, her little sister, Laura Coursey of Franklin; Jessica Shans of Tatum, her little sister, Arlette Henderson of Houston; Alena Vaughn of Newton, her little sister, Tierra Bennett of Newton; Lillian Williams of Emory, her little sister, Madison Cockrill of Lamasco; and Audrey Winders of Kingwood, her little sister, Jaelan Burris of Nashville, Tenn.
East Texas Baptist University offers graduate programs in business, counseling, religion and education, as well as 40 undergraduate degree programs. ETBU provides a Christ centered education that emphasizes the integration of faith and learning. The ETBU experience is known for "Embracing Faith, Engaging Minds, and Empowering Leaders." For information, visit www.etbu.edu.