BOONE—Appalachian State University diplomas will be awarded this month to 1,321 undergraduates who will complete their degree requirements in December, and 407 graduate students who completed degree requirements in either August or December.

The students will be recognized during ceremonies Dec. 12 in the Holmes Convocation Center on campus.

Students earning degrees from the College of Arts and Sciences and Reich College of Education will graduate at 10 a.m. Students from the Beaver College of Health Sciences, College of Fine and Applied Arts, Hayes School of Music and Walker College of Business will participate in a 2 p.m. ceremony.

Chancellor Sheri N. Everts and Provost Darrell Kruger will preside over the ceremonies.

Students Kory K. Bannon and Nichole M. Gross will deliver remarks at the 10 a.m. ceremony.

Bannon, a native of New England, is earning a Bachelor of Science degree in biological anthropology. Prior to enrolling at Appalachian, he was a survival, evasion, resistance and escape specialist with the U.S. Air Force. He has conducted research on howler monkeys in forest fragments at a field school in Costa Rica. He has also volunteered as a researcher at Asheboro Zoo on a project involving chimpanzee and gorilla metabolism.

Gross, from Andrews, will earn a master’s degree in public administration. She also earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Appalachian. While a student, she was graduate student ambassador and a graduate assistant in the Department of Government and Justice Studies. She attended and presented papers at multiple conferences and is a member of ICMA (International City Managers Association). She will join the North Carolina Department of Commerce-Rural Division in Raleigh as a data and compliance specialist.

Student speakers at the 2 p.m. ceremony are Christopher J. Mayhew, who is graduating with Bachelor of Music degrees in music education and performance, and Christopher N. Schoonover, who will receive a Master of Science degree in appropriate technology.

Mayhew, from Lincolnton, was a North Carolina Teaching Fellow, a member of the Pi Kappa Lambda Honor Fraternity and a founding member of the ASU Afro-Cuban Ensemble. He is also the founder of the Fred T. Foard Indoor Percussion Ensemble and treasurer of the Steely Pan Steel Band. He plans a career as a music educator and will continue work as a freelance percussionist.

Schoonover is formerly from Menlo Park, California. He served in the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army before enrolling at N.C. State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. Schoonover is a licensed professional engineer and designed dams for six years before returning to school to earn a master’s degree. After graduation, he plans to start his own business in sustainable residential design and construction.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

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