Student Achievement
College of Charleston students distinguish themselves every day in areas ranging from academic accomplishment to volunteer service.
Over the past academic year, students have gained recognition by winning national contests (Jordan Thomas became one of CNN’s Top 10 Heroes for his philanthropic work), and volunteering to address significant needs in the community and beyond.
During the 2009-’10 academic year, students at the College raised more than $100,000 to benefit several important causes. More than 250 students participated in the College’s fourth annual Dance Marathon and raised $75,038 to benefit the MUSC Children’s Hospital. Other students raised additional funds for causes as wide-ranging as the American Cancer Society, the Red Cross and the Haitian earthquake relief. Individually and collectively, students applied their time, energy and talent to benefit numerous organizations and individuals including Habitat for Humanity, Keep Charleston Beautiful, the Charleston Area Children’s Garden Project and a small orphanage in rural Nicaragua.
Other students have distinguished themselves in the academic realm:
Sara M. Sprehn '11 received a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Chiapas, Mexico. She is the first student from the College ever to receive this vaunted award. Sprehn, a Hispanic studies major, with minors in chemistry and anthropology, is spending two years in southern Mexico as a graduate student, studying nutrition among indigenous populations.
Melissa A. Huber '11 received the Lionel Pearson Scholarship from the American Philological Association. This is the organization’s top national honor, and it means that this Classics major will be fully funded to spend a year doing postgraduate work in the M.A. City of Rome program at the University of Reading in Berkshire, England, as well as two months researching in Rome, Italy.
Two graduates of the class of 2010 – Joseph Saei, a triple major (philosophy, communication and French) and Laura Ferguson (marine biology) – shared the Bishop Robert Smith Award, which is the College's highest honor for undergraduates. This award is given annually in recognitions of the student(s) demonstrating the most outstanding combination of high academic performance and student leadership. Saei also won the Lowcountry Phi Beta Kappa Outstanding Student Award.
Nivardo Vivar '13, a political science major, received the inaugural William V. Moore endowed scholarship. Vivar is committed to expanding outreach to Hispanic communities, fostering parental involvement and helping to inspire a love of learning in all students. He serves on the College’s Honor Board, as a senator in the student government and volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House. (This scholarship, which honors the legacy of Dr. Moore, a professor of political science from 1974 to 2009, is intended to assist students committed to improving the quality of life for all South Carolinians and promoting understanding among diverse groups.)
Alex Jackson '10, a communication major, won the Lucille Whipper Award, which each year recognizes outstanding scholarship, service and social responsibility.
Caroline Burns '10, a political science major was named as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. She will studying and working for a full year in Uganda beginning in the fall of 2010.
Amanda Adams '10 an education major with a focus in Spanish and Cecilia Menniti '10 (elementary education major), both achieved perfect scores on the Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) test. (All teacher education graduates must pass the Praxis test before receiving certification to teach. Perfect scores are rare.)
J.R. Armstrong (computer science) '10) assisted in developing the first iPhone application in computer science, which is now being sold at the Apple Store. Armonique Lite, the app, allows iPhone users to personalize music playlists based on their aesthetic preferences.
Graduate student Jonathan Craft (marine biology) was awarded the Link Foundation/Smithsonian Institution Graduate Fellowship and the Lerner-Gray Grant for Marine Science. He was granted a Masters of Science in Marine Biology .
Stevan Harris, who graduated with a Master of Arts in Teaching Elementary Education this spring, is the first Volpe Fellow to graduate from the Graduate School at the College of Charleston. The Volpe Fellowship program was initiated in 2008 to encourage more men of color to enter the teaching profession.
Joe Pollock, who graduated with a Master of Science in Marine Biology this spring, was honored for his important research on coral disease with a Fulbright Fellowship last year. This spring, he was awarded the Sir Keith Murdoch U.S. to Australia Fellowship by the American Australian Association, a Ph.D. Mobility Scholarship from the Australian National Network in Marine Science, and an International Research Fellowship from James Cook University.
