On Friday, April 12, Tarleton State University Student Government Association Vice President, Tayler Berlin, awarded Mr. and Ms. TSU at the annual Grassburr Fest.
Junior Business Administration Major, Nathan Powell was crowned the 2019 Mr. TSU.

“I just think it’s an awesome experience. I really attribute it to the TTM program,” said Powell. “I’ve had the opportunity to serve and give back to a lot more people. I just really try to embody what Tarleton and the core values stand for.”

Powell is a student leader that has been heavily involved on Tarleton’s campus since his freshman year. Powell is a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity, a Delta Zeta Sorority Beau, a student director for the TTM program and he has dedicated countless hours of service to the university and the Stephenville community.

Powell expressed the importance of leadership saying, “my favorite core value is leadership. Leadership really embodies all of the other core values and what they stand for,” said Powell. “If you’re a leader you’re going to serve and participate in tradition. If you’re a leader you’re going to have integrity and civility. You’re going to strive for a life of excellence if you’re a leader.”

As Tarleton Texans, tradition is something students hold dear. Powell looks up to the alumni who came before him who knew the value of tradition and have passed that down to current generations.

“I keep tradition alive by really emphasizing participation in our events on campus. I like the L.V. Rislinger quote, ‘Tradition: it may be right or it may be wrong; it may be good if it may be bad; but right or wrong, good or bad, it has always been done this way. We like it done this way and we plan to continue to do it this way,’” said Powell. “I think tradition is important because it makes us who we are and it makes us who Tarleton is. At Tarleton you come here and you see that tradition is what connects us all as students and as alumni.”

After graduation in May 2020, Powell hopes to pursue a career that incorporates his major and his great love for the outdoors.

“My major is business administration with a minor in management,” said Powell. “I really hope to go into outdoor retail. I say all the time if I could get paid a million dollars to fish every day I would but that’s not really reasonable. I really want to stay connected to the outdoor field. I will probably join a sales team or something of that nature. I think it would be really cool to work somewhere like Yeti or Bass Pro.”

Powell expressed his gratefulness to Tarleton and all he has gained from his experiences during his time at the Tarleton.

“Tarleton has made a world of difference,” said Powell. “They’ve given me opportunities to give back and help students know that they can be successful in college.”

The title of Ms. TSU could not have gone to a more deserving student than junior Psychology major, Kendall Kozney.

“It’s kind of like a surreal feeling,” said Kozney. “My freshman year Courtney Hawthorne was Ms. TSU and she was someone I always looked up to. I never thought I could be where she was and achieve the things she achieved because she is so amazing. I looked up to her so much and now I get to be where she was.”

Kozney has given her time at Tarleton to a number of organizations on and off campus. Kozney has been a member of the Delta Zeta Sorority for four years and currently serves on their executive board, she was a part of Tarleton Professional Educators. Kozney is on TTM Leadership Team, she volunteers her time through the Big Brother Big Sister Foundation and she works right here on campus at the rec.

It is apparent that Kozney is no stranger to hard work and service. Kozney strives to embody her favorite core value of excellence in everything she does and is thankful for excellence she sees from the students and staff in the Tarleton family.

“I feel like we expect excellence in everything we do,” said Kozney. “We expect our students to have excellent integrity, we have excellent traditions that we live out every day. We are excellent with our civility and our character. We have excellent service. We have tons of students who have serving hearts and live that out.”

As Kendall reflects on her years here at Tarleton she is grateful for the positive change that has occurred in her life.

“If I could sum it up in one word I would say growth,” said Kozney. “I have grown as a person. I have grown through my mindset of people and judgement. I used to be judgmental and now I have no judgement at all. I have an open mind. I have grown to be a better leader and a better person. There has been growth in all aspects of my life.”

After Kozney graduates in spring 2020, she intends on going into the education field before eventually getting her Master’s Degree.

“I plan to get my alternative teaching certification, teach for a few years, get my masters and become a guidance counselor,” said Kozney.

Kozney is truly the embodiment of a servant leader and he hopes to leave a legacy that models the legacy left for her by those that she holds in high esteem.

“I want to leave the legacy that was left for me. I’m striving to be a better person for the sake of leaving Tarleton better than I found it,” said Kozney. “This award has brought that out so much because all of the older students that left their lasting impact on me that reached out to me. Just to be able to tell them all these years later it was things that they didn’t realize they were doing that made me who I am. I want to do that for others. I want that to be my legacy.”