City recognizes Newberry College seniors

NEWBERRY — Since about 2014, Newberry City Council has had a tradition of recognizing seniors at Newberry College that have given back to the community, with a proclamation.

“Newberry College students volunteer in the community as much as any group or individual and they contribute in so many ways across the county. Some really stand out for their volunteer work and so in 2014 we started recognizing those individuals and we are glad to do it. This is a small thank you for their contributions,” Mayor Foster Senn

Senn said the ways students choose to volunteer and contribute to the community are wide ranging.

“I was impressed by this year’s group on the diversity of the areas they volunteered, some with youths, nursing homes, veterans, one with Westview on substance abuse prevention. Every year there are seniors to recognize and you just go ‘wow.’ They really contribute and each class really adds a lot to the community,” Senn said.

The following students were recognized this year for their contributions, the following information was provided by Newberry College:

• Ty’Ran Dixon, of Columbia, captain of the football team, has served as a peer mentor for local children, training youth during his off-season. He is also co-president of the Newberry Society of Sport Professions and a member of the Order of the Gray Stripe, the football team’s leadership council. Dixon graduated with majors in exercise science and sport management.

• Benjamin Gilmore, of Columbia, a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., has worked as a peer mentor in local schools, and has lent his services to F. B. Pratt & Son Funeral Home when needed. On campus, he has been president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council and an Alpha Leader. Gilmore earned a degree in physical education, with a concentration in leisure services.

• Antoinaya Grant, of Charleston, has served as a leader on campus and off, from heading the Social Justice Club to mentoring local students via the Bridge to Big Ideas summer program. She has also interned at Newberry County Memorial Hospital, assisted with focus groups for the Gallman School Project and helped lead a Martin Luther King Jr. service day project at the Newberry Museum. Grant plans to graduate in December with a degree in sociology.

• Aubrey Guyton, of Cordova, Tennessee, a member of the women’s golf team, has served the community in a variety of ways. She has volunteered at Oakland Community Center food drives, Central United Methodist Church, Newberry Elementary School, and the Newberry Alternative School, where she also conducted a mindfulness study. She is youth director at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Newberry, and a camp counselor for the Muller Center’s Called to the Common Good program. She has served as a representative to the Student Government Association and as a leader in the Student Athletic Advisory Committee. Guyton graduated with Summerland honors and majors in psychology and religion, with a concentration in church leadership.

• Julie Kinard, of Prosperity, a two-time captain of the women’s basketball team, has volunteered with the Newberry County Humane Society, with the YMCA for basketball clinics, with Screaming Eagles Special Needs Athletics, and with Newberry Academy as an after school mentor. After graduating with majors in biology and exercise science, Kinard will continue her education and earn her doctorate in physical therapy.

• Nathan Lee, of Irmo, has done volunteer work in multiple neighboring communities, providing music lessons to young musicians and assisting church music programs. At Newberry College, Lee has performed in almost every musical ensemble, including the wind ensemble, Jazz Big Band, Scarlet Spirit Marching Band and Newberry College Singers. Lee graduated with a major in music in performance.

• Brianna Meador, of Lexington, has volunteered numerous hours at Westview Behavioral Health, where she compiled valuable needs assessment information for substance abuse prevention. She has also been a member of the Highlander Battalion ROTC. Meador earned her degree in psychology, with an interest in criminal justice.

• Paige Meyer, of Georgetown, Indiana, student body president and a member of the softball team, has volunteered at J.F. Hawkins and Springfield Place nursing homes, at local elementary schools, and with various softball camps and clinics. She has been an active member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and she plans to travel on a mission trip to Haiti this summer. Meyer graduated with a major in elementary education.

• Nycholas Millington, of Summerville, a member of the Highlander Battalion ROTC, has assisted with Veterans Day lunches and other such events in the community. On campus, he has served on the Student Government Association, All Campus Entertainment and as the campus recreation program intern. Upon graduation, Millington will be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.

• Preslee Sikes, of Graniteville, a student ambassador and a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority, has volunteered at Newberry’s Boys Farm, at the animal shelter, and with Newberry’s Oktoberfest and Pork in the Park festivals. She has served as president of the first-year experience, a resident advisor, peer mentor and Alpha Leader. Sikes graduated with a degree in chemistry, with concentrations in biochemistry and forensic chemistry.

• Denelle Williams, of Johannesburg, South Africa, a member of the field hockey team, has volunteered with the City of Newberry’s Oktoberfest, county voter registration, Boys Farm and Living Hope Food Bank. She has also interned with Samsung and Pope, Parker and Jenkins law firm. On campus, she founded the Newberry International Student Organization, and has been a member of the Social Justice Club. She has served as a resident assistant, treasurer of the Newberry College chapter of the Alpha Phi Sigma criminal justice honor society, and a member of the campus disciplinary board.

• Jacob Williams, of St. Augustine, Florida, a member of the men’s soccer team, has volunteered with the Newberry County Parks and Recreation Department with various activities, including youth soccer clinics. After graduating with a degree in sport management, Williams plans to pursue opportunities in parks and recreation services.