A proud community celebrated past, present and future accomplishments in an annual dual ceremony that honors distinguished alumni and helps launch high school senior scholars to their exciting next step.
The Killeen ISD Education Foundation and Alumni Association honored five distinguished alumni and presented $104,800 in scholarships to 80 seniors set to graduate in May during the Distinguished Alumni Recognition and Student Scholarship Award event Monday at the Killeen Civic and Conference Center.
Education Foundation Director Leslie Gilmore welcomed guests and pointed out this year’s celebration season marks the 25th anniversary of the foundation and the 20th year for the distinguished alumni recognition.
It was former Superintendent Charles Patterson who inaugurated the foundation in 2001. It has been wildly successful raising local donations to fund grants for teachers and scholarships for students. This year, 80 students received $101,350 in scholarships.
The event began with the seniors. Each honored student stepped to the stage as Gilmore explained their specific scholarship, all which held special, distinct meaning. That part of the evening culminated with endowed scholarships with family members of donors introducing the awards.
Once the students received their certificates and posed for photos with Superintendent King Davis and Foundation Board President Brittany Harris, the program shifted to the distinguished alumni.
The 2026 distinguished alumni are Mitch Connell, Lindsey Disher Mandia, Ralph Disher, Charles Hollinger and Christina Dixon Love.
Each took the stage, received their award and spoke to the audience, mainly expressing gratitude to family and other supporters, including specific KISD teachers and also offering praise and motivation to the scholarship recipients.
Disher said he came to realize that his teachers and other school staff members took care of him without him knowing it. From the time he was 12 years old to three days after his graduation, his mother battled cancer and he said educators looked out for him all that time.
He told the seniors that they too have supporters from throughout their schooling that they don’t even realize and that they will continue to offer support after high school.
His daughter, also a distinguished alumni used the platform to praise her mother, Pam Disher, a 26-year retired KISD educator, who she said embodies the care, support and motivation she received her whole life from family and from the school district.
Love reflected on what her childhood self would think of knowing she would be honored by her school district. KISD, she said, gave her a foundation that allowed her the strength to overcome obstacles throughout life.
“Keep believing that you are what you are building today even when it feels small. It matters more than you realize,” she said, explaining to seniors they don’t need to figure out their whole lives today.
“It feels great because it will allow me to continue my education and to allow me to work with children and allow me to pursue the career and the degree I want,” said scholarship recipient Talia Martin, an Ellison High School senior, who also attends Central Texas College and has a job.
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/killeenisd/albums/72177720332836338
Distinguished Alumni bios
Connell, a 1976 Killeen High School graduate, was a talented choir and band student who continued to perform and has played three times at the White House. He was part of the Connell family’s automotive business and is a generous local philanthropist.
Disher, a 1979 Ellison High School graduate served 40 years in law enforcement, including the Texas State Auditor’s Office and the Texas Education Agency Special Investigations Unit. He was KISD police chief when he retired in 2023.
Hollinger, a 1963 Killeen High School graduate has been an entrepreneur 63 years in the furniture, land and real estate industries. He has served on numerous community foundations and service organizations.
Love, a 1991 Killeen High School graduate is the director of the Department of Civilian Leader Development at the Army Management Staff College. At KHS, she was a four-year varsity athlete in three sports, and she played basketball at Prairie View A&M University.
Mandia, a 2006 Harker Heights High School graduate, is senior manager of LIVE Sports at Netflix, managing the company’s Major League Baseball and National Football League coverage.
Scholarship recipients:
Harker Heights HS
James Lowe, Destiny Lee, Bevin Parker, Charli Wozniak, Imani Gardner, Aaliyah Harris, Caroline Vanderburg,
Lillian Moss, Rebekah Koh, Cailey Melvin, Nathan Fortson, Jayse Bias, Janelle Hirt, Larone James, Konnor Winter, Gabriella Kenworthy, Taylor Henderson, Adison Jones, Ricky Brown, Montserrat Hernandez-Martinez, Julian Ruiz, Alexander Kim, Hannah Shin and Gracie Campbell
Shoemaker HS
Amia Cambric, Stephen Nelson, Alyssa Dell, Oluwaseun Adu, Madelyn Dixon, Brenden Logan and Janeen Lashley-Hill
Ellison HS
John Dickerson, Talia Martin, Seraph Sawyer, Garland Potvin, Angelica Contreras DeAza, Keani Pittman, Callie Walker, Isabella Picacio, Aaliyah Martinez-Jones, Krista Garcia, Angelina Wilson, Camille Staples and Rayven Adkins
Early College HS
Journey Clarkson, DeAnna Niles, Tyson Salaiz, Jada Levy, Maxymus Channan, Paris Lee, Kaiyah King, Carina Pitre, Stacy Obeng and Mikel Jeong
Chaparral HS
Josiah Howard, Armie Melton, Blaze Hiapo, Hannah Newson, Alana Green, Emily Peterson, Madelyn Harvey, Derek Myrdahl, Ariana Guzman, Jhawnvier Smith, Philma Nakashima and Hadassah Moon
Killeen HS
Jillian Moody, Melanie Reyes, Fatemah Muhammad, Yolana Allen, Alexis Petty, Zoe Sene-Atkinson, Jake Kilpatrick, Arrayah Sanchez, John Renfrew, Maria Barraza, Miranda Organ-Soto, Evah Servin, Lane Widacki and Emily North