Nine Buena Vista University business students, as well as nine science students, have been named as 2023 Clifford A. Rae Academic Achievement Award winners.
The annual awards can range up to 98-hundred dollars. They are presented to three academically high-performing BVU business and science students in their second, third, and fourth years of school. The list of this year’s winners can be found at stormlakeradio.com.
The awards were created 12 years ago by two separate 750-thousand dollar endowments from the Siebens Foundation, established by Dr. Harold Walter Siebens. They are named after Clifford A. Rae, the longtime adviser and counsel to the Siebens Foundation.
The competitive program rewards business and science students who excel in their academic pursuits. It is open to students who live in Iowa or adjacent states and meet specific financial-need guidelines.
The nine students who earned the award from the Harold Walter Siebens School of Business are:
Second-year winners: Halley Joel, an accounting and Spanish double-major from Stuart, Iowa; Christian Voss, a business major from Everly, Iowa; and Kiera Altwine, an accounting major from Tabor, South Dakota.
Third-year winners: Libby Birdsell, an accounting and business double-major from Sioux City, Iowa; Puritie Smith, a business major from Jolley, Iowa; and Joe Langbein, an agricultural business major from Sac City, Iowa.
Fourth-year winners: Brock Jordan, a corporate mathematics and accounting double-major from Newton, Iowa; Taylor DeMey, an accounting major from Alta, Iowa; and Lauryn Teel, a business major from Whiting, Iowa.
The nine students who earned the award from the School of Science are:
Second-year winners: Octavio Sanchez, a mathematics major from Storm Lake, Iowa; Danika Demers, a biomedical science and Spanish double-major from Storm Lake, Iowa; and Zachary Sigler, a rehabilitation health sciences major from Dallas Center, Iowa.
Third-year winners: Jarett Rodriguez, a biomedical science major from Spencer, Iowa; Olivia Grooters, an agricultural science and agricultural education double-major from Sanborn, Iowa; and Lillian Hoffman, a biology and pre-vet major from Ida Grove, Iowa.
Fourth-year winners: Abby Sorgdrager, a biology and agricultural science double-major from Cherokee, Iowa; Shekina Mwamba, a biology major from Alta, Iowa; and Vinh Nguyen, a biology and agricultural science double-major from Greenfield, Iowa.
