Jator becomes first APSU student to win Harvill and Drane Awards in the same year

by Colby Wilson

Clarksville, TN (05/09/2025) — In an unprecedented achievement, senior mathematics major Christine Jator has become the first person to earn both of Austin Peay State University's highest student recognitions.

Jator was presented with the William McClure Drane Award and the Halbert Harvill Civitan Citizenship Award at this year's Student Life and Leadership Awards Ceremony, capping off a remarkable academic career at Austin Peay. Upon graduating, she will pursue a doctoral degree in statistics at Southern Methodist University.

"My heart was beating so fast when they started describing the recipient," Jator said. "They mentioned someone who had been admitted to SMU's statistics Ph.D. program, and I thought, 'Wait, I think I did that too.'"

Academic excellence runs in Jator's family, and she developed an early passion for learning. Her mother Eleanor teaches in Austin Peay's Department of Allied Health Sciences, while her father Samuel is a former APSU professor who now serves as the senior associate provost for the Division of Academic Affairs at Lamar University.

Jator's dedication to academic growth has extended beyond the regular school year. In Summer 2024, she participated in the University of Chicago's rigorous Summer Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics Accelerator (SUMSA) program, essentially a boot camp for aspiring statisticians.

She has also distinguished herself through extensive research work and presentations at multiple academic conferences, including the 2025 Joint Mathematics Meetings in Seattle, the Mathematical Association of America Southeastern Conference, and the Southern Demographic Association Conference in San Antonio. She will present additional research at the Joint Statistical Meetings in Nashville this August.

Jator's path to SMU might have begun in Summer 2023, when she was selected for the prestigious National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program at the university.

Working with a team of researchers, Jator conducted an extensive study on how evictions impact vulnerable populations in Dallas counties, analyzing census data to identify patterns affecting low-income families, minorities, and children. The experience proved invaluable, offering Jator insight into the day-to-day life of a researcher while collaborating with other passionate data scientists.

Jator has earned numerous honors, including the Nell Rayburn High Impact Practice Award, the Ken & Amy Landrum Scholarship of Excellence, and the Jim & Sharon Ridenhour Statistics Award. She has also given back to the community through her work as a peer tutor and her involvement in various campus organizations, including the Pi Mu Epsilon Honor Society and STEM Scholars program.

"I'm just really thankful to Austin Peay and all of the opportunities I've encountered here," Jator said. "I'm especially grateful for the faculty and college staff, and all the support they've given me. If I had gone to a different college, I don't think I would have received these same opportunities."

Looking ahead, Jator plans to pursue a career as a statistician or data scientist, with the possibility of eventually transitioning into academia as a professor. Her choice of SMU was influenced by the university's strong statistics program and superior funding as a private institution.

About the Drane and Harvill Awards

The William McClure Drane Award is given to the degree candidate chosen by the faculty of Austin Peay State University on the basis of character, scholarship, leadership and service to the university. The award was established in 1950 by Myrtle Drane and Maud Drane Buckner in memory of their father, William McClure Drane, a prominent citizen of Clarksville and patron of education.

The Halbert Harvill Civitan Citizenship Award has been given since at least 2001 to the graduating student selected by the faculty for having made an outstanding contribution to good citizenship during their college career. The award is not based upon popularity, athletic prowess or scholastic achievement; rather, the award honors the student who has made the best use of their abilities and has worked unselfishly for the betterment of fellow students and the school community.

About the Austin Peay College of STEM

The College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) provides studies for students in the areas of agriculture, astronomy, aviation sciences, biology, chemistry, computer science, earth and environmental sciences, engineering physics, engineering technology, information technology, mathematics, medical laboratory sciences, radiologic sciences and physics. Our outstanding, discipline-based programs are student-centered and designed to prepare students for responsible positions at all levels of research, industry, education, medicine and government.

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