Students Tapped for Awards

As the academic year drew to a close, Winthrop University honored four seniors for their outstanding achievements. The seniors received the awards at the Alumni Reunion Celebration so alumni gathered in Tillman Auditorium could hear the accomplishments of this special group.

We wanted to share their stories. The first two students were selected as students who have given unselfishly while attending Winthrop and show great promise in continuing that service upon graduation.

* The recipient of the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award was Ryan J. Sheehan of Columbia, S.C., who earned a business administration degree with an emphasis in finance. He served as president of the Student Alumni Council and participated in Rolling in Rock Hill, Hispanic Education Fair, Adopt a Highway and Interfaith Hospitality Network of York County.  Sheehan will purse his M.B.A. degree at Winthrop in the fall.

* Catherine E. Luepkes, a political science major from Racine, Wis., was selected as the Mary Mildred Sullivan Award winner. A student activist, she founded Amnesty International at Winthrop and took the organization to Birmingham, Ala., to participate in a national conference on the civil rights movement and human rights. She also has been active in the Student Socialist Union, Stand up Against Violence and the RH Factor. She has been accepted at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, where she will her begin her doctoral studies this fall. 

The American Legion rewards a male and female student for showing courage, companionship, character, service and scholarship.

Those winners were:

* Shamona M. McClary, a mass communication major from Gaffney, S.C. She volunteered at Safe Passage to help domestic violence victims, at Park Avenue Adult Day Care Center and at Westminster Towers to help the elderly, at Habitat for Humanity, at the Boys and Girls Club and at the Rock Hill Democratic Campaign Center.  Shamona participated in annual walks in the fight against breast cancer, assisted with freshman move-in day for the last three semesters and tutored at-risk children. The journalism student worked this spring to sell bracelets to raise money for literacy programs in York County.

* Michael M. Morant of Columbia, S.C., majored in chemistry. He served as a mentor at Sullivan Middle School, Rock Hill High, Northwestern High and the Big Brother program at Boyd Hill Community Center.  He has participated in numerous community service projects including walking in Relay for Life in Rock Hill and his hometown and participating in clothing and food drives. 

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