7 WT Nursing Faculty, 8 Alums to Be Honored as Panhandle Great 25 Nurses

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — Six faculty members and eight alumni from West Texas A&M University’s Laura and Joe Street School of Nursing will be honored Nov. 6 as 2025 Panhandle Great 25 Nurses.

Additionally, four current WT nursing students and a faculty member will receive Panhandle Great 25 scholarships.

The ninth-annual celebration will be held at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 6 in Legacy Hall in the Jack B. Kelley Student Center on WT’s Canyon campus. To purchase tickets, visit panhandlegreat25.org/events.

The list was chosen by the Panhandle Great 25 Nurses committee. Criteria include leadership qualities, service to the community, compassionate caregiving and significant contributions to the profession of nursing.

“Once again, we are honored to have so many of our nursing faculty being named among the Panhandle Great 25 Nurses,” said Dr. Holly Jeffreys, dean of WT’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences. “The faculty not only are leaders in education and nursing, but they also are leaders throughout their communities. Together, they form an amazing team that is doing a phenomenal job educating the next generation of nurses throughout the Texas Panhandle.”

Faculty members on the Panhandle Great 25 list are Azra Barakovic, the Mary Wendler Professor of Nursing; Dr. Priscella Correa, the Baptist Community Services Professor of Nursing; Dr. Alee Friemel, the High Plains Christian Ministry Professor of Nursing Leadership; Carole Harkins, instructor of nursing; Michelle Smith, instructor of nursing; and Austin Wiseman, the Eunice King Professor of Nursing.

Ryann Thompson, instructor of nursing, will be awarded the Dr. Valerie Kiper Doctoral Leadership Scholarship, which will assist her in completing her pursuit of a Doctor of Nursing Practice in executive leadership at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi.

Thompson, who joined the faculty in 2023 after earning degrees from Tarleton State University and Aspen University, said she was inspired to enter nursing because of chronic illnesses in both her grandmother and mother.

“Now, as I pursue my doctoral education, my passion has expanded beyond the bedside. Amd I have developed a commitment to educating nursing students and fellow nurses,” Thompson said. “This scholarship represents more than financial support. It is a meaningful affirmation of my mission to lead, educate, and advocate for better care and stronger nurses.”

Barakovic, who earned her Bachelor and Master of Science in Nursing at WT, joined the faculty in 2020.

“This award reflects my passion for uplifting others, guiding nursing students with patience and encouragement, and fostering a supportive environment that promotes learning and growth,” Barakovic said. “I am truly humbled to be recognized among nurses who lead with compassion, strength and heart in the Texas Panhandle.”

Correa, who earned degrees from the University of New Mexico and WT, joined the WT faculty in 2012.

“Receiving this award is a significant honor,” Correa said. “It is a privilege and blessing to inspire future nurses and to serve my community in a meaningful way.”

Friemel, who earned multiple degrees from WT and a Doctorate of Nurse Practicing from Texas A&M–Corpus Christi, joined the faculty in 2020. She is the RN-to-BSN program director.

“Being named one of the Panhandle Great 25 Nurses is such an honor,” Friemel said. “It celebrates not just my journey, but the amazing students and colleagues at WT who make nursing such a joyful, life-changing profession.”

Harkins, who earned degrees from the University of Texas School of Nursing and Texas Woman’s University, taught full-time at WT for 21 years and has continued to teach parttime since retiring in 2019.

“I am humbled and honored to be recognized by my colleagues for my contributions in the nursing profession,” Harkins said. “My love for nursing is my passion that inspires me to take a role in the education of our future nurses to uphold the standards of excellence and compassion inherent in our profession.”

Smith, who earned degrees at WT, joined the faculty in in 2021. She is a part-time instructor and works full time as a nurse practitioner at Happy Health and Wellness.

“It is a true honor to join a distinguished group of professionals who exemplify compassion, excellence and dedication to the nursing profession,” Smith said. “This recognition is a humbling reminder of the many lives and experiences that have shaped my nursing journey, offering me countless opportunities to grow as both a nurse and a nurse practitioner—and of the wonderful colleagues who have become cherished friends along the way.”

Wiseman, who earned her Bachelor and Master of Science in Nursing at WT, joined the faculty in 2018.

“Being recognized among the Panhandle’s 25 Greatest Nurses is deeply humbling. It's a goal that a lot of nurses in this area aspire for, and I am forever grateful. Nursing has always been more than a career to me. It’s a calling to serve, to teach and to make a difference in the lives of others, whether that’s actual patients or the future nurses who care for patients.”

WT alumni on this year’s Panhandle Great 25 list include:

• Camille Graves, who earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2019 and is an LVN instructor at Amarillo College;
• Luann Meyer, who earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2001 and works at Haven Health Clinic;
• Amaka Nwokedi, who earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2010 and works at Thomas E. Creek Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center;
• Brenna Payne, who earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2008 and works at Panhandle Obstetrics and Gynecology;
• Sarah Riley, who earned a biology degree in 2005 and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2010 and works at Thomas E. Creek Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center;
• Elisha Rosier, who earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2007 and is CEO of Castro County Hospital District;
• Michelle Switzer, who earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2005 and is a medical instructor at AmTech Career Academy; and
• Emily Vallejo, who earned Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2018 and works at BSA Health System.

Also recognized on this year’s list are Kevelin Becerril, Kathryn Britain, Savannah Childress, Veronica Gafford, Amanda Garcia, Karaesa Gudgell, Karen Jeffers, Rosa Jimeniz, Ashley Seal, Lacy Sims and Lori Sorensen.

Panhandle Great 25 Nurses also awarded $2,000 scholarships to seven additional students, including four attending WT: Citlali Botello, a graduate student in nursing from Dumas; Heaven Cantu, a senior nursing major from Dimmitt; Nasayha Estrada, a senior nursing major from Amarillo; Bryson Osborne, a senior nursing major from White Deer.

Established in 1972 and graduating its first students in 1974, WT’s Street School of Nursing currently provides about 70 percent of nurses employed throughout the Texas Panhandle.

WT nursing graduates, over the past five years, have averaged a 92 percent score on the National Council Licensure Examination, required by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing to test the competency of nursing school graduates in the United States and Canada. Nationally, the average is 85 percent; in Texas, it’s 87 percent.

Educating nurses is a key component of WT’s mission to address regional challenges, as set out in the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign has raised more than $175 million and will continue through 2025.

About West Texas A&M University

A Regional Research University, West Texas A&M University is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. A Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The University also is home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

Photo: Faculty members from West Texas A&M University's Laura and Joe Street School of Nursing who will be honored Nov. 6 include, from left, Dr. Alee Friemel, Austin Wiseman, Azra Barakovic, Dr. Priscella Correa, Carole Harkins, Michelle Smith and Ryann Thompson. The first six were named Panhandle Great 25 Nurses for 2025, and Thompson will be awarded the Dr. Valerie Kiper Doctoral Leadership Scholarship.

—WT—