Belton grad named top female senior at UCM in Warrensburg

A student from Belton has been designated the top female member of the senior class at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg.

Christina Parle, a criminal justice and political science major, is a 2014 recipient of the prestigious Charno Award, presented each year to the top male and female senior. Chase Neill, an aviation major from Lawrence, is the male recipient.

Parle is a 2010 graduate of Belton High School.

In college, she was selected to represent UCM at the Sue Shear Institute for Women in Public Life. She is a member of The Honors College, Rho Lambda honors society and Sigma Kappa sorority, and she is both a student and an alumni ambassador.

Parle is a McNair Scholar and has been active with many UCM boards and committees. She also has served as president of the Honors College Association and as vice president and president of the UCM Student Government Association.

The Charno Award is named for George Charno Sr., a Kansas City attorney who established the award in 1940 to recognize the outstanding male member of the graduating class. The companion award for the outstanding female was established in 1941.

This story was originally published April 29, 2014 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Belton grad named top female senior at UCM in Warrensburg."