Brannon Of Puryear Named MSU Outstanding Senior

 
Murray, Ky. — Caleb Brannon of Puryear and Elaina Barnett of Shelbyville have been named Murray State University’s Outstanding Seniors for fall 2017.
Caleb Brannon is the son of Dr. Tony and Lisa Brannon from Puryear, Tennessee. He will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness with a crop production emphasis. The Dean’s List student holds a 3.95 cumulative grade point average and will graduate summa cum laude.
Brannon currently assists with the operation of Brannon Farms, a fourth-generation family farm, and has completed internships with Tennessee Farmers Co-op, River Valley Ag Credit and Beck’s Superior Hybrids.
Brannon currently serves as a student ambassador for the University and the Hutson School of Agriculture, where he helps recruit future Racers. Brannon is also a member of the Student Government Association, acting as the current director of government relations and previously holding the position of senator for the Hutson School of Agriculture.
Brannon has international experiences in Australia with the Hutson School of Agriculture and in Costa Rica with the FFA Proficiency and Stars Travel Seminar.
After graduation, Brannon will pursue his master’s degree at Murray State in the Hutson School of Agriculture.
Elaina Barnett is a graduating senior from Shelbyville and is the daughter of Sondi and Jeff Barnett. She will receive a bachelor’s degree in December with an honors focus in studio art with enhanced art history and an emphasis in drawing and sculpture. The Honors College student holds a 4.0 cumulative grade point average and will graduate summa cum laude.
Her professional experience includes being a gallery worker at the Clara M. Eagle Gallery, where she initially began working voluntarily, and a worker in the department of art and design’s main office. Previously, Barnett was an assistant to a professor of art education, an assistant at a visiting artist’s printmaking workshop and a live-in educational assistant at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
After graduation, Barnett plans to pursue gallery work and other jobs within the realm of art or teaching while continuing to build her own personal body of work as a means of attending a graduate program with the intention of teaching studio art at a university level.