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Two Ouachita students recognized by Alpha Chi national honor society

May 07, 2012 - Breanne Goodrum

Two Ouachita Baptist University students were recently recognized by Alpha Chi national honor society.

Reuben Cash, a senior accounting major from Springfield, Tenn., earned first place in the business division of presentations at the society’s recent national convention in Baltimore. His presentation focused on “Bailing Out America.”

Jason Curlin, a junior English major from Arkadelphia, Ark., has been named an alternate for Alpha Chi’s Alfred H. Nolle Scholarship, which is awarded to rising seniors. Twenty-six members of Alpha Chi have been awarded national fellowships and scholarships totaling $60,000 for the 2012-13 academic year. Curlin worked with Dr. Amy Sonheim, professor of English, to submit his paper “The Importance of a Proper Education: A Deconstructionist Marxist Reading of To Kill a Mockingbird” for the scholarship.

“Reuben and Jason’s accomplishments reflect that they are not only among the strongest scholars and best students on the Ouachita campus, but they are among the brightest in the country,” said Dr. Lori Hensley, associate professor of biology and faculty advisor of Ouachita’s Alpha Chi chapter.

Cash presented at the national convention, a two-day conference featuring student presentations in a variety of academic disciplines. “There are several hundred students from Alpha Chi representing their schools,” Cash said.

Cash’s presentation was a portion of his Ouachita honors thesis, which he has worked on with Dr. Phil Rice, professor of business administration since his freshman year.

“My thesis focuses on the financial downfall in 2008 where home values and mortgages values went down,” Cash explained. “From that I analyzed the effects of the crisis on the financial markets and the impact of the subsequent government intervention through the bailout legislation.

“I didn’t expect to win,” Cash said. “I knew I had a good presentation but I didn’t expect this at all.

“I’ve already used the award to help me in my job search,” Cash added. “Through this competition and with this prize I have gotten a great job by applying my assets and will be working as a member of the FDIC after graduation.”

Alpha Chi inducts only the top 10 percent of students from all disciplines in the junior and senior classes and graduate programs. There are now more than 300 active chapters across the U.S.

For more information about Alpha Chi, visit www.alphachihonor.org or contact Lori Hensley at [email protected] or 870-245-5529.

By Breanne Goodrum

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