Students Honored For Character, Leadership and ServiceTwo Berry College students were recognized with the prestigious Sullivan Foundation Award at the recent Honor’s Convocation.
DeShon Battle, of Kennesaw, Ga. and Abby Akridge, of Waycross, Ga. were nominated by fellow students and faculty members for the award. Battle and Akridge graduated May 5.
The Algernon Sydney Sullivan and Mary Mildred Sullivan Awards are given annually to a man and a woman whose remarkable character and dedication to service sets them apart as examples for others. The awards were created nearly 100 years ago to honor the service of the husband and wife for whom the awards are named. Berry, along with four other colleges and universities in Georgia, was selected to participate in the prestigious awards program last year.
Battle has served as a leader and mentor for the PLUS Summer Program, the Multicultural and International Student Programming Work Team, and the Bonner Scholars Program. He has also served as a presidential ambassador and research assistant. Battle was recognized for his desire to help others in need, including planning the “Hearts for Haiti” benefit concert to raise money for Haitians after the earthquake.
While at Berry, Akridge has served as a resident assistant and served in leadership roles for The African SOUP (Sponsorship of Orphans in Uganda Project) and a local non-profit Young Moms. She has also worked at an orphanage in China, interned at a home for mentally handicapped adults and worked with teen moms through Three Rivers Church in Rome.
Students are nominated for the Sullivan Award based on their nobility of character, leadership skills, service, and spiritual values.
The Sullivan Foundation was created in 1930 to honor young men and women who show remarkable character and integrity, and who demonstrate a commitment to service to others. In addition to the four new schools, the foundation presents annual awards to graduating seniors at 57 other institutions and provides scholarships to rising juniors at 31 colleges and universities. Most of the colleges and universities are in the Appalachian region of the Southeastern U.S. Today, the Sullivan Foundation is growing beyond scholarships and awards to encourage the study of philanthropy, service and social entrepreneurship on all college campuses.
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