Kayla McBride, a senior in biological sciences from Bakersfield, Missouri, has been named Missouri S&T’s Renaissance Student for 2023. She received the award, which included a $1,000 prize, on Tuesday, May 2, at a ceremony hosted by arts, languages and philosophy.

This award is presented each year to a senior student who exhibits the qualities of a “Renaissance” person — someone who excels in multiple intellectual or artistic disciplines. The most famous example is Leonardo Da Vinci, who was a painter, sculptor, musician, mathematician, inventor and writer.

“Kayla McBride demonstrates success, initiative and desire in personal development by being actively engaged with other subjects outside her primary discipline – the Russian language and painting,” says nominator Dr. Irina Ivliyeva, professor of Russian at S&T. “Kayla excelled in being able to creatively integrate the science, the language, and the appreciation of literary expression in an innovative manner, clearly demonstrated in her submissions, class discussions, and email exchanges. Her unique study habits and strong analytical skills allowed her to always succeed in the classroom.”

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