ADA, Okla. – Six graduating seniors at East Central University have been selected as finalists for the George Nigh Award to be presented Friday, May 15, at the 7 p.m. spring commencement ceremony to be held at the Koi Ishto Football Stadium.

The George Nigh Award goes to the top graduating senior from ECU annually and is named in honor of the former governor of Oklahoma and ECU alumnus. In addition to his terms as governor, Nigh served multiple terms in the Oklahoma House of Representatives and as lieutenant governor. He also served as president of the University of Central Oklahoma.

The late Julian Rothbaum, a Tulsa oilman, banker, and state regent for higher education, established an endowment through the ECU Foundation, Inc., to fund the Nigh Award. Each year top ECU seniors are invited to apply and undergo a rigorous application and interview process.

The 2026 finalists are Alexus King, Taylen Middendorf Miller, Alyssa Rogers, Charlie Rogers, Seth Spady and Abigail Welt. All finalists are members of the ECU Honors Program.

Alexus King will graduate with University Honors and receive her B.A. in Biology-Health Sciences with a minor in Services to the Deaf while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. A dedicated and resilient student, she has balanced her academic success with multiple jobs, demonstrating a strong work ethic and the ability to overcome adversity.

Active across campus, King has served as a Peer Mentor for Tiger Connect, Greek Representative for the Student Government Association, a President’s Leadership Class mentor and Vice President of the Panhellenic Council, while also holding leadership roles within the Honors Program and Chi Omega. These experiences strengthened her commitment to advocacy, inclusion, and collaboration.

King has gained hands-on healthcare experience as a medical assistant, medical scribe and receptionist, and has contributed to research examining insecticide resistance in disease vectors as her Honors Thesis. She will continue her education at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in the Physician Associate program, where she plans to serve rural and underserved communities.

Taylen Middendorf Miller is a dedicated educator and graduate student pursuing a Master’s in Curriculum & Instruction in English at Southeastern Oklahoma State University while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. A University Honors Program graduate from ECU, she earned her B.A. in English Education with a strong record of academic excellence, including an Honors Thesis.

Now in her first year as a high school English teacher, Miller is committed to student-centered instruction and continued professional growth. She completed her student teaching at McLoud High School, where she developed full curriculum units while building strong classroom relationships and refining her instructional practice. Her earlier experiences as a Writing Consultant and Peer Mentor for ECU’s Academic Success Center further strengthened her skills in communication, adaptability, and leadership.

Across her time at ECU, Taylen held numerous roles, including SGA Director of Campus Activities and President’s Leadership Class member. She has also been actively involved in campus organizations, youth ministry, and community service, reflecting a long-standing commitment to service and education.

She is committed to remaining in the classroom, where she can continue to develop as an educator and positively impact the students she serves through both instruction and mentorship.

Alyssa Rogers will receive her B.A. in Education with University Honors, while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. She is a member of Alpha Chi Honor Society and has distinguished herself through consistent academic excellence, including an Honors Thesis focused on Scarborough’s Reading Rope and its application in the classroom.

Rogers is a founding member of the Tiger Education Association, where she has helped promote teacher readiness and support local schools through community engagement. Within Chi Omega, she has held multiple roles, including DEI Chair and Alumni Relations Chair, while also serving on the ECU Panhellenic Council as Recruitment Chair. Her commitment to service extends into tutoring students in the Ada community and participating in numerous campus and nonprofit volunteer initiatives.

Rogers has gained hands-on classroom experience as a daycare teacher and teacher’s assistant intern, where she has taught the foundations of reading, early math concepts, and student development across multiple age groups.

Following graduation, she plans to teach in Title I, rural elementary schools in Oklahoma, with a focus on long-term student growth and fostering a love for literacy. She plans to pursue a master’s in reading instruction and become a reading interventionist, dedicated to improving literacy outcomes across the state.

Charlie Rogers is a Biology major and Chemistry minor at ECU, where she is set to graduate with University Honors and a 4.0 GPA. An incoming medical student, she has combined rigorous academics with leadership, clinical experience and research focused on service and lifelong learning.

Rogers has served as Pre-Professionals Club President, Tri-Beta Biology Club Vice President, Senior Representative in Student Government Association and Book Club President within the ECU Honors Student Association Leadership Team. She has also worked as an Anatomy Supplemental Instructor and Chemistry Teacher Assistant on campus.

Her clinical experience includes serving as a Patient Care Associate at Mercy Hospital and completing extensive physician shadowing. Rogers’s research centers on histopathology, culminating in an Honors Thesis on Bulldog Anasarca, which she has presented at multiple academic conferences, including ECU Research Day and the Oklahoma Academy of Sciences.

Beyond academics, she is involved in community service, peer mentoring, and animal welfare work and is also a certified Water Safety Instructor and competitive barrel racer and horse trainer. She plans to pursue medical school at Oklahoma State University and will continue developing the knowledge and skills to become an effective physician, particularly in communities with limited healthcare access.

Seth Spady is a Business Administration major at ECU with a focus in Entrepreneurship and a Certificate in Banking and Finance, graduating with a 4.0 GPA and University Honors. An ECU Honors Program student and Scholar Leader in the Stonecipher School of Business, he has combined academic success with leadership in athletics, business and campus organizations.

Spady has served as Secretary of the Business Leadership Association, a member of Alpha Chi, Delta Mu Delta, the ECU Honors Program and Business Scholars Program. He has also been a four-year member of ECU Tiger Football team, where he has developed leadership, discipline and teamwork as a defensive line leader while earning recognition as a 2025 Great American Conference Elite Scholar Athlete.

He has gained experience as a Financial Planning and Analysis Intern at 4C Analytics and held a property management position with Tim Rhynes and Crew LLC. He also previously owned and operated a lawn care business.

Spady plans to pursue a career in banking and finance as a relationship banker or loan officer, while continuing to serve part-time as a financial analyst for 4C Analytics. He will continue to build long-term entrepreneurial ventures that support his family and community.

Abigail Welt is a Biology major with a concentration in Health Sciences and a Chemistry minor at ECU, graduating with a 3.9 GPA and University Honors. Welt is a member of the ECU Honors Program and the Tri-Beta and Alpha Chi Honor Societies. She was also selected for the Oklahoma IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence program.

Welt has been deeply involved in research and academic scholarship, completing her Honors Thesis, “Analysis of the Alpha Globin Cluster in Bulldogs Afflicted with Fetal Anasarca.” She has presented her work at both the Biology and Environmental Sciences Seminar and the Oklahoma Academy of Science.

Welt has also demonstrated leadership through her two-year role on the Baptist Student Union leadership team, where she served as prayer leader and helped coordinate meetings and engagement. She expanded this service through multiple mission trips and volunteer work with local organizations and community events.

Her professional experience includes work in biomedical research, summer program staff roles and file management for Home Title Guaranty Co. Welty plans to attend medical school and become a family physician serving rural communities, with a focus on compassionate, patient-centered care.

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