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Southern Conference Announces 2015 Graduate Scholars
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference announced its 10 postgraduate scholarship recipients for the 2014-15 academic year Monday. The 10 student-athletes will be honored for their accomplishments at the Southern Conference Honors Dinner in Hilton Head Island, S.C., on Wednesday, May 27.
This year’s honorees include: Dave Hart Graduate Scholarship recipient Justin Whitaker (Wofford); Dorothy Hicks Graduate Scholarship recipient Michaela Reesor (Samford); David Knight Graduate Scholarship recipient India Robinson (Furman); Bob McCloskey Insurance Graduate Scholarship recipients Adam Chase (ETSU) and Mariana Garcia Torres (The Citadel); William Moore Graduate Scholarship presented by McMillan Pazdan Smith recipient Makensey Campbell (Western Carolina); Southern Conference Presidential Scholarship recipients Aleshia Reese (Western Carolina) and Alyssa Althoff (Furman); and Mike Wood Graduate Scholarship recipients H. Kirkpatrick “K.P.” Hicks (Western Carolina) and Hannah Dickinson (VMI).
The recipients are nominated by their schools and selected by the Southern Conference Graduate Scholar Committee. The scholarships, worth $2,000 each, are awarded to student-athletes about to receive their undergraduate degrees who intend to pursue advanced degrees in graduate or professional school. The student-athletes are evaluated on academics, athletics and community service.
Justin Whitaker, Wofford – Dave Hart Graduate Scholar
Wofford distance runner Justin Whitaker is the 2015 recipient of the Dave Hart Graduate Scholarship. A member of both the cross country and track and field teams, Whitaker has been a part of two school records in track, running legs of the Terriers’ record-setting 4x400-meter relay in the 2014 outdoor season and the distance medley relay at the 2014 SoCon Indoor Track and Field Championships. Whitaker, who aspires to become a meteorologist, is double-majoring in physics and mathematics and holds a 4.0 GPA. He was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa honor society in 2014 and earned honorable mention from the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. He has also earned an American Meteorological Society Named Scholarship and was a CoSIDA Academic All-District IV selection in 2014. An active member of Wofford’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Whitaker has mentored autistic children and served as a teacher’s aide at McCarthy Teszler School, a school in Spartanburg, S.C., for children with special needs. Whitaker, who has had weather-related internships with CBS Atlanta, Texas A&M and Penn State, plans to pursue a doctorate in atmospheric science.
Michaela Reesor, Samford – Dorothy Hicks Graduate Scholar
Samford volleyball player Michaela Reesor is the 2015 recipient of the Dorothy Hicks Graduate Scholarship. The outside hitter is a three-time first-team All-SoCon selection, was the league’s Player of the Year in 2013, and helped the Bulldogs win the SoCon Volleyball Championship and appear in the NCAA tournament in 2011 and 2014. She is also a member of the Volleyball Canada National Team. A journalism and mass communication major with a 3.896 GPA, Reesor is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honor society, and vice president of Samford’s chapter of Kappa Tau Alpha, a journalism and mass communication honor society. She is also president of Samford’s chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. Reesor, who writes for the Samford Crimson student newspaper, is a member of the school’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and has been active in the Samford community and beyond, helping her earn the Francis Marlin Mann Center for Ethics and Leadership’s Joe McDade Academic Scholarship. Reesor has volunteered at the Alabama Kidney Foundation Walk and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk and with the organization Hippo Africa to gather and ship sports equipment to an orphanage in Uganda. She intends to pursue a Master of Business Administration degree to further her aspiration of working in sports marketing and event planning.
India Robinson, Furman – David Knight Graduate Scholar
Furman women’s soccer player India Robinson is the 2015 recipient of the David Knight Graduate Scholarship. The midfielder finished her career second in SoCon history with 52 career assists, including an NCAA Division-I best 17 in 2013. She went on to lead the nation with 1.19 assists per game in 2014. A three-time All-SoCon selection, Robinson helped the Paladins to SoCon regular-season and tournament titles in 2013. In the community, Robinson has volunteered with a Salvation Army soup kitchen, an after-school YMCA program and St. Anthony’s after-school program in addition to teaching math and science to local students. After beginning her collegiate academic career on a pre-med track, Robinson shifted to a psychology major and poverty studies minor. During a poverty studies internship in New York City in 2013 working with nonprofits assisting individuals and families recovering from Hurricane Sandy, Robinson realized her desire to help people was inspired by her mother, a doctor, and turned her focus back to medicine. Robinson, a religion major with a 3.675 GPA, plans to take a gap year doing clinical research at the South Carolina Endoscopy Center and working with local doctor’s offices to promote nutrition and exercise awareness before enrolling in medical school in 2016.
Adam Chase, ETSU – Bob McCloskey Insurance Graduate Scholar
ETSU distance runner Adam Chase has earned one of two Bob McCloskey Insurance Graduate Scholarships. Chase is an all-conference performer in both cross country and track, earning the distinction in both in the Atlantic Sun Conference and just missing All-SoCon cross country honors with a 15th-place finish in his first SoCon Championship before winning the steeplechase in this weekend’s SoCon Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Chase, who also won the A-Sun title in the steeplechase at the 2013 outdoor championships with a meet-record time of 9:09.85, is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American and was named the A-Sun Outdoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year twice and the A-Sun Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2013. A mathematics major with a 4.0 GPA, Chase has worked on the National Science Foundation-funded Collaborative Research on the Arthropod Way of Life (CRAWL), an undergraduate research program for mathematics, statistics and biology students in which faculty and students research bees, flies or spiders, conduct experiments, analyze data and write papers. In the community, Chase has volunteered with the Boys & Girls Club, helping build a new playground, and has helped conduct several local track meets, races and triathlons. Chase, whose lifelong ambition has been to be a statistician, will attend graduate school in the fall for either statistics or business analytics.
Mariana Garcia Torres, The Citadel – Bob McCloskey Insurance Graduate Scholar
Citadel women’s soccer player and track and field runner Mariana Garcia Torres is one of two recipients of a Bob McCloskey Insurance Graduate Scholarship. One of the most decorated soccer players in Citadel history, Garcia Torres was named the SoCon Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year and was a Soccer America All-Freshman second-team selection in 2010 and was a Senior CLASS Award candidate in 2013. She finished her career as The Citadel’s all-time leading goal-scorer and 10th in SoCon history with 37 goals. After graduating with dual degrees in biology and psychology with a 3.8 GPA, Garcia Torres enrolled in The Citadel’s clinical counseling graduate program, using her fifth year of athletic eligibility on the track team, where she has made her mark despite an ACL injury that curtailed her senior soccer season. Garcia Torres earned all-conference honors at the SoCon indoor and outdoor track and field championships as part of the Bulldogs’ 4x400-meter relay teams, which both turned in third-place finishes. Garcia Torres, a native of Colombia who came to the United States knowing little English, has learned the language and served as a nurse assistant and medical translator. In the classroom, Garcia Torres was named the Outstanding Undergraduate Major in both the psychology and biology departments and won the Outstanding Undergraduate Award from the School of Science and Mathematics. Garcia Torres plans to get a doctorate in developmental disabilities after completing her graduate degree.
Makensey Campbell, Western Carolina – William Moore Graduate Scholar presented by McMillan Pazdan Smith
Western Carolina women’s basketball player Makensey Campbell is the 2015 recipient of the William Moore Graduate Scholarship presented by McMillan Pazdan Smith. Campbell, a guard/forward who finished her career fourth in school history with 145 made 3-pointers, was a CoSIDA Academic All-District III selection in 2015. A double-major in biology and environmental health, Campbell owns a 3.928 GPA and intends to pursue a career in the public health field. Her excellence in the classroom is reflected in the numerous prestigious awards she’s won, as she was named a WCU Honors College Merit Scholar in addition to being named the Most Outstanding Biology Student and the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Outstanding Scholar. Campbell has also been active in the community, volunteering at the Jackson County Christmas Store, the Jackson County Community Table and a Remote Area Medical clinic. She has also served as a peer mentor at Cullowhee Valley Elementary School. Last summer, Campbell completed a 400-hour internship focusing on environmental and occupational health. Campbell will pursue a Master of Public Health degree in graduate school.
Aleshia Reese, Western Carolina – Southern Conference Presidential Scholar
Western Carolina distance runner Aleshia Reese is one of two recipients of a Southern Conference Presidential Scholarship in 2015. Reese has helped the Catamounts to Southern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship titles in each of the last three seasons, highlighted by her anchoring WCU’s distance medley relay team that claimed third place at the 2014 conference meet. In cross country, Reese owns the seventh-fastest 5K time in school history and the fourth-fastest 6K time, which she posted at the 2012 NCAA Southeast Regional. Reese has been active in her community, volunteering for multiple years at the Cullowhee Valley Elementary School Fall Festival and with the Jackson County Special Olympics. She has also served as a leader in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Reese, who owns a 3.83 GPA in recreational therapy, has battled numerous injuries throughout her career, fueling her desire to become a physical therapist. She will continue her education at Western Carolina, where she will pursue a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.
Alyssa Althoff, Furman – Southern Conference Presidential Scholar
Furman women’s soccer player Alyssa Althoff has earned one of two Southern Conference Presidential Scholarships. Althoff was a four-year defensive starter, helping the Paladins earn SoCon regular-season and tournament titles in 2013 and earning SoCon All-Tournament honors in 2011 and 2014. A two-time team MVP, Althoff led the team in minutes played as a senior in 2014. A neuroscience major with a 3.66 GPA, Althoff is a member of the Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Health Honor Society and was a Furman Advantage teaching assistant fellow in anatomy and physiology. Althoff, who was a medical research assistant at the Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine in the summer of 2013, was an undergraduate presenter at the Society for Neuroscience National Research Conference in Washington, D.C., in fall 2014. She has immersed herself in the Greenville, S.C., and Furman communities, teaching and tutoring local elementary students and interning with the Children’s Hospital’s New Impact, a comprehensive weight management program for children, to fight childhood and adolescent obesity. She has also served as a Furman Victim Advocacy Mentor, a certified sexual assault victim advocate confidant. Althoff’s efforts have extended beyond her local community, as she went to Costa Rica on a medical mission trip in March 2014. Althoff will attend medical school in South Carolina in the fall after conducting clinically based research in Seattle, Wash., this summer.
H. Kirkpatrick Hicks, Western Carolina – Mike Wood Graduate Scholar
Western Carolina football player H. Kirkpatrick “K.P.” Hicks has earned one of two 2015 Mike Wood Graduate Scholarships. The Catamount linebacker began his career as a walk-on but eventually became a scholarship player and team captain, helping the squad to a 7-5 record and second-place SoCon finish in 2014, good for its most wins since 2001 and highest finish since 1992. Hicks, who appeared in 33 of a possible 35 games over the last three years, is a biology major with a 3.67 GPA. An active member of his community, Hicks has volunteered with the Jackson County Special Olympics, the Cooperative Christian Ministry’s soup kitchen, Cullowhee Valley Middle School and Scotts Creek Elementary School, among various other organizations. Hicks is also an executive board member of Western Carolina’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and served as the SAAC’s Community Service Chairman from 2013-14. The Charlotte, N.C., native plans to attend medical school and help people in North Carolina as well as the outback of Brazil. Hicks, who intends to focus on orthopedic surgery with a specialization in shoulders and knees, has taken several trips to Brazil, motivating him to help those in the outback who cannot afford medical attention and suffer from a dearth of available doctors.
Hannah Dickinson, VMI – Mike Wood Graduate Scholar
VMI runner Hannah Dickinson is one of two recipients of a 2015 Mike Wood Graduate Scholarship. Dickinson, who has emerged as the Keydets’ top cross country and middle-distance runner over the last two years, entered the top 10 in school history with her personal-best time of 18:27 in her inaugural SoCon Cross Country Championship appearance in the fall. A biology major with a 3.92 GPA, Dickinson is a member of Beta Beta Beta, the national biological honor society, and was a member of the Phi Eta Sigma freshman honor society. Dickinson, who aspires to be a doctor, has served as a biology tutor and has been heavily involved in Keydets Without Borders, a program for VMI students to enhance the living conditions of developing areas worldwide. Dickinson has traveled with KWB to Pampoyo, Bolivia, installing water lines and eco-latrines. As a sophomore, Dickinson was the secretary of the club and was in charge of raising more than $60,000. She became vice president as a junior and now serves as president of KWB, overseeing all local projects and international trips. Dickinson has also volunteered with the Special Olympics and with the Daily Planet, a nonprofit charitable organization, in its healthcare center that serves uninsured and homeless patients, logging 300 volunteer hours. Dickinson has been accepted into the Air Force’s Health Professional Scholarship Program and will enter the Air Force as a doctor after graduating medical school.
This year’s honorees include: Dave Hart Graduate Scholarship recipient Justin Whitaker (Wofford); Dorothy Hicks Graduate Scholarship recipient Michaela Reesor (Samford); David Knight Graduate Scholarship recipient India Robinson (Furman); Bob McCloskey Insurance Graduate Scholarship recipients Adam Chase (ETSU) and Mariana Garcia Torres (The Citadel); William Moore Graduate Scholarship presented by McMillan Pazdan Smith recipient Makensey Campbell (Western Carolina); Southern Conference Presidential Scholarship recipients Aleshia Reese (Western Carolina) and Alyssa Althoff (Furman); and Mike Wood Graduate Scholarship recipients H. Kirkpatrick “K.P.” Hicks (Western Carolina) and Hannah Dickinson (VMI).
The recipients are nominated by their schools and selected by the Southern Conference Graduate Scholar Committee. The scholarships, worth $2,000 each, are awarded to student-athletes about to receive their undergraduate degrees who intend to pursue advanced degrees in graduate or professional school. The student-athletes are evaluated on academics, athletics and community service.
Justin Whitaker, Wofford – Dave Hart Graduate Scholar
Wofford distance runner Justin Whitaker is the 2015 recipient of the Dave Hart Graduate Scholarship. A member of both the cross country and track and field teams, Whitaker has been a part of two school records in track, running legs of the Terriers’ record-setting 4x400-meter relay in the 2014 outdoor season and the distance medley relay at the 2014 SoCon Indoor Track and Field Championships. Whitaker, who aspires to become a meteorologist, is double-majoring in physics and mathematics and holds a 4.0 GPA. He was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa honor society in 2014 and earned honorable mention from the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. He has also earned an American Meteorological Society Named Scholarship and was a CoSIDA Academic All-District IV selection in 2014. An active member of Wofford’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Whitaker has mentored autistic children and served as a teacher’s aide at McCarthy Teszler School, a school in Spartanburg, S.C., for children with special needs. Whitaker, who has had weather-related internships with CBS Atlanta, Texas A&M and Penn State, plans to pursue a doctorate in atmospheric science.
Michaela Reesor, Samford – Dorothy Hicks Graduate Scholar
Samford volleyball player Michaela Reesor is the 2015 recipient of the Dorothy Hicks Graduate Scholarship. The outside hitter is a three-time first-team All-SoCon selection, was the league’s Player of the Year in 2013, and helped the Bulldogs win the SoCon Volleyball Championship and appear in the NCAA tournament in 2011 and 2014. She is also a member of the Volleyball Canada National Team. A journalism and mass communication major with a 3.896 GPA, Reesor is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honor society, and vice president of Samford’s chapter of Kappa Tau Alpha, a journalism and mass communication honor society. She is also president of Samford’s chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. Reesor, who writes for the Samford Crimson student newspaper, is a member of the school’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and has been active in the Samford community and beyond, helping her earn the Francis Marlin Mann Center for Ethics and Leadership’s Joe McDade Academic Scholarship. Reesor has volunteered at the Alabama Kidney Foundation Walk and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk and with the organization Hippo Africa to gather and ship sports equipment to an orphanage in Uganda. She intends to pursue a Master of Business Administration degree to further her aspiration of working in sports marketing and event planning.
India Robinson, Furman – David Knight Graduate Scholar
Furman women’s soccer player India Robinson is the 2015 recipient of the David Knight Graduate Scholarship. The midfielder finished her career second in SoCon history with 52 career assists, including an NCAA Division-I best 17 in 2013. She went on to lead the nation with 1.19 assists per game in 2014. A three-time All-SoCon selection, Robinson helped the Paladins to SoCon regular-season and tournament titles in 2013. In the community, Robinson has volunteered with a Salvation Army soup kitchen, an after-school YMCA program and St. Anthony’s after-school program in addition to teaching math and science to local students. After beginning her collegiate academic career on a pre-med track, Robinson shifted to a psychology major and poverty studies minor. During a poverty studies internship in New York City in 2013 working with nonprofits assisting individuals and families recovering from Hurricane Sandy, Robinson realized her desire to help people was inspired by her mother, a doctor, and turned her focus back to medicine. Robinson, a religion major with a 3.675 GPA, plans to take a gap year doing clinical research at the South Carolina Endoscopy Center and working with local doctor’s offices to promote nutrition and exercise awareness before enrolling in medical school in 2016.
Adam Chase, ETSU – Bob McCloskey Insurance Graduate Scholar
ETSU distance runner Adam Chase has earned one of two Bob McCloskey Insurance Graduate Scholarships. Chase is an all-conference performer in both cross country and track, earning the distinction in both in the Atlantic Sun Conference and just missing All-SoCon cross country honors with a 15th-place finish in his first SoCon Championship before winning the steeplechase in this weekend’s SoCon Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Chase, who also won the A-Sun title in the steeplechase at the 2013 outdoor championships with a meet-record time of 9:09.85, is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American and was named the A-Sun Outdoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year twice and the A-Sun Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2013. A mathematics major with a 4.0 GPA, Chase has worked on the National Science Foundation-funded Collaborative Research on the Arthropod Way of Life (CRAWL), an undergraduate research program for mathematics, statistics and biology students in which faculty and students research bees, flies or spiders, conduct experiments, analyze data and write papers. In the community, Chase has volunteered with the Boys & Girls Club, helping build a new playground, and has helped conduct several local track meets, races and triathlons. Chase, whose lifelong ambition has been to be a statistician, will attend graduate school in the fall for either statistics or business analytics.
Mariana Garcia Torres, The Citadel – Bob McCloskey Insurance Graduate Scholar
Citadel women’s soccer player and track and field runner Mariana Garcia Torres is one of two recipients of a Bob McCloskey Insurance Graduate Scholarship. One of the most decorated soccer players in Citadel history, Garcia Torres was named the SoCon Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year and was a Soccer America All-Freshman second-team selection in 2010 and was a Senior CLASS Award candidate in 2013. She finished her career as The Citadel’s all-time leading goal-scorer and 10th in SoCon history with 37 goals. After graduating with dual degrees in biology and psychology with a 3.8 GPA, Garcia Torres enrolled in The Citadel’s clinical counseling graduate program, using her fifth year of athletic eligibility on the track team, where she has made her mark despite an ACL injury that curtailed her senior soccer season. Garcia Torres earned all-conference honors at the SoCon indoor and outdoor track and field championships as part of the Bulldogs’ 4x400-meter relay teams, which both turned in third-place finishes. Garcia Torres, a native of Colombia who came to the United States knowing little English, has learned the language and served as a nurse assistant and medical translator. In the classroom, Garcia Torres was named the Outstanding Undergraduate Major in both the psychology and biology departments and won the Outstanding Undergraduate Award from the School of Science and Mathematics. Garcia Torres plans to get a doctorate in developmental disabilities after completing her graduate degree.
Makensey Campbell, Western Carolina – William Moore Graduate Scholar presented by McMillan Pazdan Smith
Western Carolina women’s basketball player Makensey Campbell is the 2015 recipient of the William Moore Graduate Scholarship presented by McMillan Pazdan Smith. Campbell, a guard/forward who finished her career fourth in school history with 145 made 3-pointers, was a CoSIDA Academic All-District III selection in 2015. A double-major in biology and environmental health, Campbell owns a 3.928 GPA and intends to pursue a career in the public health field. Her excellence in the classroom is reflected in the numerous prestigious awards she’s won, as she was named a WCU Honors College Merit Scholar in addition to being named the Most Outstanding Biology Student and the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Outstanding Scholar. Campbell has also been active in the community, volunteering at the Jackson County Christmas Store, the Jackson County Community Table and a Remote Area Medical clinic. She has also served as a peer mentor at Cullowhee Valley Elementary School. Last summer, Campbell completed a 400-hour internship focusing on environmental and occupational health. Campbell will pursue a Master of Public Health degree in graduate school.
Aleshia Reese, Western Carolina – Southern Conference Presidential Scholar
Western Carolina distance runner Aleshia Reese is one of two recipients of a Southern Conference Presidential Scholarship in 2015. Reese has helped the Catamounts to Southern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship titles in each of the last three seasons, highlighted by her anchoring WCU’s distance medley relay team that claimed third place at the 2014 conference meet. In cross country, Reese owns the seventh-fastest 5K time in school history and the fourth-fastest 6K time, which she posted at the 2012 NCAA Southeast Regional. Reese has been active in her community, volunteering for multiple years at the Cullowhee Valley Elementary School Fall Festival and with the Jackson County Special Olympics. She has also served as a leader in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Reese, who owns a 3.83 GPA in recreational therapy, has battled numerous injuries throughout her career, fueling her desire to become a physical therapist. She will continue her education at Western Carolina, where she will pursue a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.
Alyssa Althoff, Furman – Southern Conference Presidential Scholar
Furman women’s soccer player Alyssa Althoff has earned one of two Southern Conference Presidential Scholarships. Althoff was a four-year defensive starter, helping the Paladins earn SoCon regular-season and tournament titles in 2013 and earning SoCon All-Tournament honors in 2011 and 2014. A two-time team MVP, Althoff led the team in minutes played as a senior in 2014. A neuroscience major with a 3.66 GPA, Althoff is a member of the Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Health Honor Society and was a Furman Advantage teaching assistant fellow in anatomy and physiology. Althoff, who was a medical research assistant at the Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine in the summer of 2013, was an undergraduate presenter at the Society for Neuroscience National Research Conference in Washington, D.C., in fall 2014. She has immersed herself in the Greenville, S.C., and Furman communities, teaching and tutoring local elementary students and interning with the Children’s Hospital’s New Impact, a comprehensive weight management program for children, to fight childhood and adolescent obesity. She has also served as a Furman Victim Advocacy Mentor, a certified sexual assault victim advocate confidant. Althoff’s efforts have extended beyond her local community, as she went to Costa Rica on a medical mission trip in March 2014. Althoff will attend medical school in South Carolina in the fall after conducting clinically based research in Seattle, Wash., this summer.
H. Kirkpatrick Hicks, Western Carolina – Mike Wood Graduate Scholar
Western Carolina football player H. Kirkpatrick “K.P.” Hicks has earned one of two 2015 Mike Wood Graduate Scholarships. The Catamount linebacker began his career as a walk-on but eventually became a scholarship player and team captain, helping the squad to a 7-5 record and second-place SoCon finish in 2014, good for its most wins since 2001 and highest finish since 1992. Hicks, who appeared in 33 of a possible 35 games over the last three years, is a biology major with a 3.67 GPA. An active member of his community, Hicks has volunteered with the Jackson County Special Olympics, the Cooperative Christian Ministry’s soup kitchen, Cullowhee Valley Middle School and Scotts Creek Elementary School, among various other organizations. Hicks is also an executive board member of Western Carolina’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and served as the SAAC’s Community Service Chairman from 2013-14. The Charlotte, N.C., native plans to attend medical school and help people in North Carolina as well as the outback of Brazil. Hicks, who intends to focus on orthopedic surgery with a specialization in shoulders and knees, has taken several trips to Brazil, motivating him to help those in the outback who cannot afford medical attention and suffer from a dearth of available doctors.
Hannah Dickinson, VMI – Mike Wood Graduate Scholar
VMI runner Hannah Dickinson is one of two recipients of a 2015 Mike Wood Graduate Scholarship. Dickinson, who has emerged as the Keydets’ top cross country and middle-distance runner over the last two years, entered the top 10 in school history with her personal-best time of 18:27 in her inaugural SoCon Cross Country Championship appearance in the fall. A biology major with a 3.92 GPA, Dickinson is a member of Beta Beta Beta, the national biological honor society, and was a member of the Phi Eta Sigma freshman honor society. Dickinson, who aspires to be a doctor, has served as a biology tutor and has been heavily involved in Keydets Without Borders, a program for VMI students to enhance the living conditions of developing areas worldwide. Dickinson has traveled with KWB to Pampoyo, Bolivia, installing water lines and eco-latrines. As a sophomore, Dickinson was the secretary of the club and was in charge of raising more than $60,000. She became vice president as a junior and now serves as president of KWB, overseeing all local projects and international trips. Dickinson has also volunteered with the Special Olympics and with the Daily Planet, a nonprofit charitable organization, in its healthcare center that serves uninsured and homeless patients, logging 300 volunteer hours. Dickinson has been accepted into the Air Force’s Health Professional Scholarship Program and will enter the Air Force as a doctor after graduating medical school.
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