Oglethorpe University

The following people recently were initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.

Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honor Society, welcomed 626 new initiates from 23 universities during December 2021. Students initiated into the Society must be sophomores, juniors, seniors, or graduate/professional students in the top 35% of their class, demonstrate leadership experience in at least one of the five pillars, and embrace the ODK ideals. Fewer than five percent of students on a campus are invited to join each year.

Every year as part of commencement, three awards are presented to exceptional students in the graduating class. Congratulations to this year's honorees! Syeda Bano '20, a Politics and Sociology double major, and Erin Raquel Battaglia '20, a Psychology major, received the esteemed James Edward Oglethorpe Awards. This award is presented annually to two individuals in the graduating class who, in the opinion of the faculty, have excelled in scholarship, leadership, and character. Mathematics major Zoe Nelson '20 earned the 2020 Sally Hull Weltner Award for Scholarship, which recognizes the student in the graduating class who has attained the highest grade-point average with the greatest number of hours in course work completed at the university. This award is given annually in loving memory of Sally Hull Weltner, wife of Dr. Philip Weltner, who was president of Oglethorpe University from 1944-1953.

The Southeastern Pastel Society has awarded scholarships to two aspiring Oglethorpe art students. Art History majors Hayleigh Stonham '22 and Julia Preston '22 were selected by the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art (OUMA) to receive the awards. Both budding museum professionals, Stonham and Preston were recommended by art faculty Alan Loehle and Jeffrey Collins. Stonham is currently interning at OUMA, and Preston is enrolled in Museum Studies classes. "I'm really grateful to have the chance to work one-on-one with my professors and especially the curators of the museum," said Preston. "The fact that the school is small enough to allow that kind of experience to be possible is really special and so educational. It definitely offers opportunities to students that they couldn't imagine beforehand and gives them the chance to experience something new, and (to) do so hands-on. I'm really excited to see what else is in store for me at Oglethorpe and in the museum." The Southeastern Pastel Society (SPS) was established in 1988 as a nonprofit dedicated to promoting pastel painting in the Southeast. With members across the U.S., SPS seeks to provide an environment in which pastel artists may flourish. The two student scholarships are an important part of their community involvement and supporting inspiring artists. Previous Oglethorpe SPS scholars include Sidney Lang '14, Ivy Kilpatrick '15, Larissa Randall '18, Rachel Farrington '18, Kim Phan '20, and Caroline Phipps '20. SPS was set to open its 19th International Juried Exhibition, featuring works selected out of hundreds submitted, on May 8 in the university's museum. While the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has forced the museum to close its doors, the exhibition will still be made available digitally. The exhibition will be juried by Debora Stewart, a Signature Member and a Master Pastellist of the Pastel Society of America and a member of the Master's Circle of the International Association of Pastel Societies. Learn more about SPS at southeasternpastel.org.

The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) named Oglethorpe University graduating senior cross-country star Mateo Villa to their 2020 Academic All-District Men's Track and Field/Cross Country Team on Friday. It marked his first time receiving the honor, which goes to the student-athletes who show the best combination of academic and athletic performance in each district. Villa finished 31st at the NCAA Division III South/Southeast Regional meet in the fall, earning All-Region honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) in the process. He also earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors for the 2019 season, finishing in the top 25 percent of participants at the regional meet and earning a cumulative GPA of 3.88 at Oglethorpe while studying engineering. The Stormy Petrel runner was named to the SAA Fall Academic Honor Roll three times over the course of his career and earned spots on the SAA Winter/Spring Academic Honor Roll twice as a member of the track and field squad. Villa garnered five Dean's List honors during his time at Oglethorpe. The CoSIDA Academic All-District team for NCAA Division III District 5 was voted on by sports information directors at schools in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Villa joined a group of 11 cross country/track and field athletes from the district to earn a spot on the team, four of which hailed from SAA institutions. Student-athletes are nominated for Academic All-District consideration by the sports information directors at their respective schools and must accrue a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3 while being either at least a sophomore or in their second year at their current institution. Nominees must also serve as major contributors to their respective teams on the field and have participated in at least half of their team's official competitions during the season. By earning a spot on the Academic All-District team, Villa automatically advanced to the CoSIDA Academic All-America ballot.

Oglethorpe Athletics rounded out the 2019-2020 season on Saturday with the 8th Annual Petey Awards-announced virtually this year. The event, produced by the Oglethorpe Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), allows Oglethorpe student-athletes to honor the best and brightest performances of the year while reflecting on the athletic year as a whole. Included in the awards presented were the SAA Man and Woman of the Year. This award is given to the male and female student-athlete who best exemplifies the traits of leadership, character, and athletic and academic success. In order to be eligible, a student-athlete must have achieved at least junior academic status, qualified for the SAA Academic Honor Roll during their tenure as a student-athlete, and have earned either first or second-team All-SAA status at some point during their career. The SAA Woman of the Year Nominee was awarded to Dreshona Mapps-Whitmore '20 of the Women's Lacrosse Team. "Dre has turned into one of the best players in the history of the Oglethorpe women's lacrosse program, earning All-SAA honors in each of her three completed seasons. She became the first player in program history to garner All-SAA first-team honors, accomplishing that feat in 2019. She also took All-SAA second-team honors in 2018 and honorable mention after her freshman year of 2017. In addition, Dre is a three-time recipient of the SAA Academic Honor Roll, and earned a spot on the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association Academic Honor Roll in 2019." The SAA Man of the Year Nominee was awarded to Andrew Grodhaus '20 of the Men's Soccer Team. "Andrew has been the backbone of the Oglethorpe midfield for the last four years, turning into potentially the best defensive midfielder in the league over the last two years. Not only has he earned All-SAA honors in each of his four years and first-team accolades in each of the last two, but he's also earned regional and national recognition. He earned a spot on the United Soccer Coaches All-South Atlantic Region first-team midfield in 2019 and garnered a spot on the second-team list for that award in 2018. He also earned recognition as a member of the Scholar All-America first team from the same organization in 2019 after garnering Scholar All-South Region first-team honors, as well. As a team leader, Andrew led the Stormy Petrels to four straight SAA regular-season titles during his tenure, as well as two NCAA tournament appearances and the 2018 SAA championship." For more information on Oglethorpe Athletics, visit gopetrels.com.

Sophomore Hayleigh Stonham '22 is among only 15 undergraduates selected for the Mellon Summer Academy, held annually at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. This is the third consecutive year an Oglethorpe student has been selected. During the week-long immersive experience, the students will learn about curatorial practices from Atlanta-area curators, participate in team exhibition workshops, research and present on a favorite collection object, study art museum audiences, and visit local art museums, artists' studios, private collections, and galleries. Due to the pandemic, the program is postponed until next year. "I applied to the program to try to broaden my opportunities and experience the creative atmosphere that working with 14 other students from around the nation will allow," said Stonham, an Art History major. "The opportunity is one of a kind, and having the chance to network with curators and artists is crucial for advancing my career." Stonham currently interns at the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art (OUMA), where she helps to organize OUMA Nights, an evening program for students in the museum. Recently, she was awarded a scholarship from the Southeastern Pastel Society. Stonham is also active in the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity and the Oglethorpe History Club. Students invited to the Mellon Summer Academy are eligible for consideration for the Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellowship, a highly selective, intensive two-year paid program that offers hands-on experience, specialized training, and mentoring in the curatorial profession for students from communities that are historically underrepresented in the museum field. Stonham has now passed the first hurdle to qualify for the fellowship. Opportunities like the Mellon Academy and Fellowship are typically offered to graduate-level students, making the Mellon Foundation program a unique learning experience for freshman and sophomore undergrads in the growing field of museum studies. The rising junior credited her firsthand experience to her work with OUMA's Curator of Collections John Tilford and Museum Director Elizabeth Peterson for giving her the foundational knowledge needed to be a successful candidate for the program. Professor Dr. Jeffrey Collins offered Stonham valuable guidance and encouragement during her application process, as well. With her Oglethorpe degree, Stonham hopes to one day open a non-profit art gallery in Atlanta. "The idea was inspired by an amalgamation of Jean-Michel Basquiat knowledge and the struggling artists that practically line the streets at Little Five Points," she explained. "A non-profit art gallery in that area could give struggling artists an opportunity to work and display their artwork to possible buyers. Because how many possible Basquiats exist that haven't been given that one opportunity like he was given?"

Freshman Nya Davis '23 has been selected to serve on the College Democrats of Georgia (CDG) Executive Board leadership as Director of Membership. Davis is among three new executive board leaders chosen from a large, competitive applicant pool of college students from across Georgia. An organization of student activists, CDG advocates at all levels of government for policies that support students and young people. The group provides resources, training and advocacy opportunities, with an overall objective of ensuring that young people are involved in Democratic politics now in order to prepare the party's future leaders. "I knew I wanted to become more involved with politics and organizations that focus on government and law practices," said Davis. "College Democrats of Georgia had everything I was looking for!" Davis, a Politics major with a focus in Pre-law Studies, credits Professor of Politics Joe Knippenberg for introducing her to the opportunity. Prior to Oglethorpe, Davis was politically active and heavily involved at her high school in Memphis. Among her many previous endeavors, and with the help of LITE Memphis, she started the nonprofit Helping Uplift Girls (HUG), which focuses on empowering and encouraging young women. LITE Memphis equips African American and Latinx students with 21st-century skills to become entrepreneurs. During her first year on campus, Davis has been involved in Black Student Caucus. "I loved their mission to advocate for the minority community by taking minor and major steps to solve unjust issues," she said. After graduating from Oglethorpe, the rising sophomore plans to pursue a career as a corporate lawyer or criminal attorney.

The end-of-semester finale of the Oglethorpe Idea Incubator program, sponsored by the Oglethorpe Entrepreneur Club and supported by the Hammack School of Business, featured student entrepreneurs pitching their business proposals, similar to TV's "Shark Tank". Congratulations to the five student teams who split $4,000 in grant money to fund their business ideas: $1,500 to Travaly (Yasmina Travaly): Apparel and accessories inspired by national flags $700 to Lokal Markt (Folabomi Oyewo): Unique, limited products sourced primarily from Asia and Africa to US customers $700 to A Night Out (Roi Levi, Danny Ocampo, David Povolotsky): An app to provide real-time updates on bars/restaurants where identified friends are currently congregating $600 to Encore (Drew Luzzatti, Will Ransom): A website to assist job seekers 50-65 in finding part-time, volunteer, or salaried positions $500 to Valdi (Funlola Oyewo): Handcrafted fragrances from natural sources in Asia and Africa Judges were Dr. David Nasser, Hammack School of Business professor; Hammack School of Business Dean Dennis Kelly; and Anita Patterson '97, an Oglethorpe trustee and alumna.

Rising senior Fatima-Ezzahra Boumahdi '21 has been accepted into the highly competitive American Economic Association's Summer Scholars Program (AEASP), marking the third consecutive year that an Oglethorpe student has been selected. AEASP is an eight-week program hosted at Michigan State University. The fellowship provides summer development programs to women and minorities majoring in economics, with the goal of increasing participation of underrepresented groups in economics PhD programs. As many as 20% of the PhDs awarded to minorities in economics over the past 20 years are graduates of the program. The AEASP is an all-inclusive package covering tuition, fees, living expenses, transportation, books, and program excursion costs, and includes a stipend. "Fatima is a great choice for this program based on her strong academic background, her work ethic, and commitment to pursuing a PhD in Economics," said Dr. Cassandra Copeland, professor of economics. "She is a hardworking student and a leader in our Economics program. She has a desire to investigate issues in economics on a deeper level." An Economics major, Boumahdi was first introduced to the program by Dr. Copeland, and credits both her and economics professor Dr. Peter Kower for their guidance, preparation for life after graduation, and encouragement to pursue a PhD. "Oglethorpe and my classes have given me a fundamental understanding of economics as well as skills that have made me a better student and scholar," Boumahdi said. "Oglethorpe has also helped me develop my interpersonal skills through its active campus community." As the first junior among the Oglethorpe students selected for the program, Boumahdi will have the benefit of returning for her senior year with a greater depth of understanding of topics in the discipline, including a "more advanced look into mathematics behind economic theory." She also will be uniquely positioned to serve as an onsite resource for future program candidates at Oglethorpe. An Honors student who consistently earns Dean's List, Boumahdi is currently developing her Honors thesis on the representation of women and minorities in voter turnout. She also works as an economics tutor in Oglethorpe's A_LAB, has served as the President of the Oglethorpe University Economics Club for the past two years and Vice President of the Data Analytics Club, and was inducted into the Omicron Delta Kappa leadership honor society in 2019. In 2018, she interned at Ecolink, a metro Atlanta company. After her time at Oglethorpe, Boumahdi plans to pursue a PhD in Economics and enter a career in academia, where she wants to teach and conduct research. "I am beyond grateful for this opportunity and what it has in store for me!" Boumhadi said. "It will help prepare me for graduate school and will show me what to expect when it comes to coursework and research."

The results for the 2020-2021 Student Government Association and Programming Board election have been announced. Congratulations to the following student leaders, who will represent the student body during the next academic year! Student Body President: Taylor Roberts VP of the Senate: Makayla Adams Secretary: Jazmine Faircloth Parliamentarian: Bryce McNealey Treasurer: Justin Bennett VP of Programming Board: Michael Woods Senior Class President: Kiana Perkins Junior Class President: Brandon Jackson Sophomore Class President: Marc Collins Senior Class Senators: Michael Morgan, Vivan Manso, D'Zerrea Richarte, Lola Oyinloye Junior Class Senators: Courtney Davis, Coja Jones, Nnaemeka Nwosisi, Olivia El Ramlawy Sophomore Class Senators: Tyler Benson, Jen Ramirez Soto, Jakeb Sanders, Elva Diaz Posades Senior Class Programming Board: Tivionte Russell, Vivian Manso, D'Zerrea Richarte, Lauren Adams Junior Class Programming Board: Rebecca Castro, Beca Westin, Lola Oyewo, Jill Heatly Sophomore Class Programming Board: Karah Lindsey, Ashley Clark, Erica Gerez, Rachelle Chery

On February 22, Oglethorpe University students participated in a beautification project at Piedmont Park in Atlanta, as a part of Oglethorpe's civic engagement Service Saturday program. The program is designed to expose students to diverse communities around Atlanta and their service needs. When reflecting on the experience, student volunteer Justin Bennett said, "I was really happy when Erica [a horticulturalist who led the project] said that she really appreciated our work and that we were the best group she has had." The Service Saturday volunteers included the following Oglethorpe students: Victor Navarrete Skylar Buggs Andrea Carlos Natalia (Taly) Torrens-Soto Jazmyne Everett Justin Bennett Kaniya Bates Lillian Coleman

Sophomore Jalina Rodriguez of the Oglethorpe women's lacrosse team has been named the OU Female Athlete of the Week. Rodriguez led Oglethorpe to a 14-11 win over Truett McConnell University. The Stormy Petrel midfielder finished with five ground balls, six caused turnovers, and totaled two goals on four shots. She currently holds the early SAA lead in caused turnovers with those six, while also placing herself in the top three in ground balls. Rodriguez also earned Southern Athletic Association Women's Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Week honors for her performance.

Oglethorpe University's Atlanta Laboratory for Learning hosted a Service Saturday event on Saturday, February 1 at Friends of Disabled Adults and Children (FODAC). FODAC's mission is to provide durable medical equipment, such as wheelchairs and hospital beds, at little or no cost to individuals with disabilities and their families. The following students volunteered at Friends of Disabled Adults and Children by cleaning and sorting medical supplies, equipment, and home health care supplies: Michael Morgan Deedee Boney Gabby Huff-Streiter Syeda Bano Jamie Aiken Andi Kezh Fernanda Stelzer Rodrigues Amber Phillips Eva Barineau Hannah Roberts Olivia El-Ramlawy

Congratulations to the 428 students named to Oglethorpe University's Fall 2019 Dean's List, honoring those who achieved at least a 3.50 term grade-point average while earning 12 or more semester hours.

The election results for Oglethorpe University's student organization Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow (STAT) 2020 leadership have been announced. The following students will lead the student organization for the next year: President: Michael Woods Vice President: Elijah Istre Treasurer: Sharon Olubajo Secretary: Jakeb Sanders PR/Marketing: Imisha Sayani STAT strives to create connections between students and alumni, to provide networking opportunities for students, to work together to uphold cherished Oglethorpe traditions, and to benefit the entire Oglethorpe community in any way possible. The following students will join the Executive Officers in carrying out all that STAT does for the university and its alumni: Mikayla Carter Kelli Bryant Makayla Adams Sukrat aloboh-bakare Fantasia Smith BreAnna Malone Deanna Long Megan Heintz Melinda O'Connor Aaliya Adame Alyssa Givance Rachel Lester Kathryn Thompson Alivia Mattiace Lauren Adams Karah Lindsey Ally Benisek Emma Istre Kushboo Patel Jalia Killings Miguel Enea