Meghan Travis a Ms. Wesleyan nominee
Meghan Travis is one of six female students at Dakota Wesleyan University to be nominated for the prestigious Ms. Wesleyan Award. Travis, a graduate of Minneota, is the daughter of Mary Jeremiason and Michael Travis.
She is double-majoring in Biochemistry and Psychology.
Travis is a lab tech and tutor for chemistry and biology, and has taken part in a medical mission trip to the Dominican Republic, and a mission trip to Peru.
She has also presented her research numerous times over the year to places like Philadelphia, PA; Orlando, FL; and Chicago, IL.
The Ms. Wesleyan Award began in 1929 and is given to a senior at the university based on campus leadership, service, community leadership, academics and character.
The nominated student must maintain a GPA of 3.25 or better. Dakota Wesleyan University is located in Mitchell, SD.
The Scotchman, which began in 1939, is awarded to a senior male student at the university. The title for the Scotchman Award was taken from the university's song.
Each of the six female and six males students must be nominated by a faculty member and are then required to submit a personal biography outlining their scholastic achievements.
A Student Senate-appointed panel chooses the top male and female candidates, and they are then interviewed by a committee of students, staff and faculty, who then select the Scotchman and Ms. Wesleyan.
The winners will be announced at Honors Night on Friday, April 26 in the Sherman Center on campus.
"I didn't find out that I was nominated until two days before the paper I had to write was due," said Travis.
"At first, I wasn't going to write it because I was so busy. "But I got it done on the day it was due. But I didn't think I would get to be a finalist because I wrote it so fast."
Travis was on a trip for school to Orlando when she received a text telling her she was one of the six finalists. "Yeah, that was pretty exciting," she said. "I was surprised."
Travis, who sports a 3.80 GPA, will graduate in May. Her goal is to become an Emergency Medicine Doctor. "I'm going to take a year off from school and work in a hospital and travel," she said.
"Then I will apply for medical school." Travis is a member of a Science Club called CHAOS at Wesleyan. She received the Sigma Zeta Honor Ward in 2017 and the Homer Carhart Prize in Science in 2018.
She also volunteers for Special Olympics. The former Minneota standout athlete was also a member of the Dakota Wesleyan women's basketball and track and field teams.
She has only been able to compete in track this spring on a limited basis because of her studies.
Besides Travis, the other Ms. Wesleyan finalists are: Sierra Carter of Cavour, SD; Lily Jones of Omaha, NE; Maria Koenen of Rock Valley, IA; Niki Nelson of Platte, SD; and Rachel Parsons of Milesville, SD.
The Scotchman finalists are: Nathan Bader of Pierre, SD; Bryce Blank of Rapids, City, SD; Thanael Certa-Werner of Superior, WI; Nicholas Garofalo of Windsor, Ontario, Canada; Brady Hicks of Allen, SD; and Seth Soesbe of Box Elder, SD. Dakota Wesleyan University is a private, liberal arts university associated with the Dakotas Conference of the United Methodist Church.