MC community members receive 2021 Leadership Awards
April 17, 2021
Maryville College students, faculty, staff and student organizations received awards for outstanding campus and community leadership, the College announced April 17, 2021.
The awards are typically given out during the Leadership Awards Ceremony, held every April in the Clayton Center for the Arts; however, the College could not hold the in-person event this year, due to COVID-19 guidelines for indoor gatherings. Instead, award recipients, along with recipients of this year’s Academic Awards, were honored virtually, through videos posted on Maryville College’s official social media channels during the week leading up to the April 17 announcement (see videos below). Awards are being mailed to the recipients.
“Over the course of the past week, we recognized several bright and shining students whose effort in and out of the classroom left an indelible mark on our campus community during this unique academic year,” said Dr. Melanie V. Tucker, vice president and dean of students at Maryville College, in the video that was released April 17 and marked the culmination of this year’s leadership and academic awards. “These are students who went above and beyond, consistently demonstrating compassion and passion, students who sought the opportunity to serve and give back. Each year I am humbled by our students’ successes and their stories.
“Taking time to celebrate provides us an opportunity to highlight how our campus lives out the mission of our college – a mission which reflects our commitment to prepare students for lives of citizenship and leadership, as we challenge each one to search for truth, grow in wisdom, and work for justice, urging our students to live a life full of creativity and service to the world,” Tucker continued. “Our award recipients throughout the week are living proof of the Maryville College mission and associated creativity.”
Recipients of Maryville College's 2021 Academic Awards and Leadership Awards were honored virtually this year, through a series of videos posted on Maryville College's official social media channels during the week leading up the April 17 announcement of the awards.
Students, faculty, staff and organizations recognized are listed below.
Spirit of the Covenant Award
Ten members of the campus community were named recipients of the College’s Spirit of the Covenant Award, which recognizes individuals who embody the spirit of the principles of scholarship, respect and integrity as outlined in the College’s Covenant.
Recipients are: Dr. Naji Bsisu, assistant professor of political science at MC; Dr. Nathan Duncan, associate professor of chemistry at MC; Elea Forester, a senior history major from Memphis, Tenn.; Madison Gilliam, a senior biochemistry major from Sewanee, Tenn.; Kelly Hernandez, a junior Spanish major from Nashville, Tenn.; Mackenzie Lamb, a sophomore chemistry major from Knoxville, Tenn.; Dr. Danielle Lincoln, chemical hygiene officer and Natural Sciences officer at MC; Kylie Sliger, a sophomore political science and economics double major from Maryville, Tenn.; Bettye “Maddie” Taylor, a sophomore political science and sociology double major from Memphis, Tenn.; and Katelyn Witucki, a senior design and marketing double major from Seymour, Tenn.
Residence Life Awards
Christina LaFreniere, a sophomore sociology major from Knoxville, Tenn., was named Resident Assistant of the Year. Kayla Zimmerman, a senior biochemistry and exercise science double major from Knoxville, Tenn., received the Resident Assistant Distinguished Service Award.
Nonprofit Leadership Alliance
The Nonprofit Leadership Alliance recognized the following students who received Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP) credentials: Remington Green, a senior marketing major from Houston, Texas; McCall Smallwood, a senior biology major from Maryville, Tenn.; Benjamin Kamdem-Talom, a senior biology major from Katy, Texas; and Kayla Zimmerman, a senior biochemistry and exercise science double major from Knoxville, Tenn.
Community Engagement and Spiritual Life Awards
The Community Engaged Students of the Year award went to two students: Bryan Crouser, a senior biology major from Flintstone, Ga., and Madison Gilliam, a senior biochemistry major from Sewanee, Tenn.
The Student Activist of the Year award went to Jane Meadows, a senior political science major from Greenbrier, Tenn.
The Community Engaged Faculty Member of the Year award went to Dr. Rebecca Lucas, associate professor of education at MC.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley-Fort Craig Club was recognized as the Community Agency of the Year.
The Charles and Mary Ensign Scholarship, which recognizes students’ contributions to the religious life of the campus, was presented to two students: Elea Forester, a senior history major from Memphis, Tenn., and Jordan Stafford, a writing communication major from Kennesaw, Ga.
The Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award, established by the Tennessee State General Assembly, recognizes students, faculty and staff across the state who have engaged in exemplary community service. This year’s nominees are: Bryan Crouser, a senior biology major from Flintstone, Ga.; Dr. Ariane Schratter, professor of psychology at MC; and Kayla Zimmerman, a senior biochemistry and exercise science double major from Knoxville, Tenn. The award recipients will be announced by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission this spring.
The Tennessee Volunteer Star Award goes to Anya Dunn, a senior biochemistry major from Winston, Ga., and Remington Green, a senior marketing major from Houston, Texas. The Governor’s Volunteer Stars Awards (GVSA) is an initiative from Volunteer Tennessee that seeks to recognize outstanding volunteers from each of Tennessee’s 95 counties.
Kris Seiber, a sophomore child development and learning for teacher licensure K-5 major from Maryville, Tenn., was honored for being named a 2021 Newman Civic Fellow. The Newman Civic Fellowship is a year-long program for students from Campus Compact member institutions. The students selected for the fellowship are leaders on their campuses who demonstrate a commitment to finding solutions for challenges facing communities locally, nationally and internationally.
MC Ambassador Awards
Maryville College’s Admissions Office recognized outstanding leadership in its Ambassador program, which trains current students to give tours, assist with special events and represent the campus community to prospective students and their families and other guests to the campus.
The Spirit of the Ambassador Award went to Bailey Mary, a senior history with teacher licensure major from Maryville, Tenn.
The Maryville College Ambassador of the Year Award went to Leah Alsobrooks, a sophomore psychology (counseling) major from Knoxville, Tenn., and Emily Christian, a sophomore management major from Church Hill, Tenn.
The Maryville College Ambassador Outstanding Lifetime Service Award was presented to Jordan Dopp, a senior biochemistry major from Caryville, Tenn.
Diversity Awards
Angela Anderton, a junior sociology major from Knoxville, Tenn., was honored with the Sojourner Truth Award, which recognizes outstanding leadership in a Maryville College female student of color.
Christopher “CJ” Bryson, a junior psychology major from Humboldt, Tenn., accepted the College’s W.E.B. DuBois Award, which recognizes outstanding leadership in a Maryville College male student of color.
Shokhrukh Samadov, a sophomore computer science major from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, received the Outstanding International Student Leader of the Year Award.
Jessica “Twitch” Twitchell, resident director and coordinator for access and inclusion at MC, received the Spirit of the Tartan Award, which recognizes campus partners whose work positively reflects inclusive excellence and impacts student success on campus.
Career Center Award
Terry “Meridith” Daffron, a junior writing communication major from Ragland, Ala., received the Outstanding Career Senior Award, which is awarded annually by the Maryville College Career Center to the graduating Peer Career Coach who has shown exemplary performance in their personal career management and their investment in developing career readiness competencies and skills in their peers.
Student Leadership Awards
The Outstanding Freshman Leader Award went to Zineb Aarab, an international business major from Casablanca, Morocco. This award is given to a rising sophomore who has shown outstanding performance as a campus and community leader in their first year and who shows excellent potential of continuing in leadership roles at Maryville College or in their pursuits after college.
Bettye “Maddie” Taylor, a political science and sociology double major from Memphis, Tenn., was awarded the Outstanding Sophomore Leader Award. This award is given to a rising junior who has shown outstanding performance as a campus and community leader in their sophomore year and who shows excellent potential of continuing in leadership roles at Maryville College or in their pursuits after college.
Nicholas “Nico” Starcher, a management major from Charlotte, N.C., received the Outstanding Junior Leader Award. This award is given to a rising senior who has shown outstanding performance as a campus and community leader in their junior year and who shows excellent potential of continuing in leadership roles at Maryville College or in their pursuits after college.
Alexa Maqueo-Toledo, a junior sociology major from Oak Ridge, Tenn., received the Sharon A. Murphy Crane Memorial Award, which is awarded to a rising junior or rising senior who is an active participant in the College theater and/or student programming activities and who deeply loves the College and is willing to raise issues intended to benefit the entire Maryville College community.
Ryan Indelicato, CCM/Bonner program coordinator, was named Student Organization Advisor of the Year for his service as advisor of the MC Votes student organization. The award recognizes the advisor who has enabled their organization to reach its goals and make a significant contribution to student activities at Maryville College.
Maryville College’s MC Votes was named the Student Affairs Organization of the Year. The award is presented to the student organization that throughout the year has made a significant contribution to student activities at Maryville College.