Jenae Alford, a Nursing Technology major, has been named the 2003 RWC Honor Student of the Year. Every year the RWC Scholarship and Honors Committee prepares a list of students who have graduated the previous summer, fall, and winter quarters, and those who will be graduating at the end of the spring quarter with at least a 3.5 GPA.
The student with the highest GPA who has completed at least 80 percent of his or her credits at RWC while carrying an average of nine credit hours per quarter from each department becomes a candidate.
The Scholarship and Honors Committee interviews the students and solicits recommendation letters from faculty identified by the students. From the nominees, the Committee selects only one student as the Honor Student of the Year.
The committee had a hard time selecting the student. As usual, all of the nominees are outstanding students, but Jenae Alford was selected as the best of the best.
Jenae is graduating from RWC this spring, but she plans to continue her education. She is heading for UC’s Clifton Campus and plans to study for a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and then go on to study for a Masters, so she can become a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner.
She is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, coach of a co-ed indoor soccer team, member of National Health and Wellness Club, and a member of the National Arbor Day Foundation.
Jenae has also done some work with the Student Nurse Organization and in the fall of 2002 was a member of the Activist Staff.
She has faced many challenges in her time here at RWC. Her first year she took 18 credit hours and worked to support herself. However, she still managed to make the Dean’s list every quarter of her time here.
“I credit my mother for teaching me the value of education,” Jenae said. “She always said that knowledge was the only thing that cannot be taken from me. She taught me that I can do anything.”
Jenae also had advice for the students. “The important thing is to stay focused on a goal and why you are in college. Don’t let bad grades get you down,” she said. “Just do whatever you need to get that grade up. And remember, stay focused on the positive.”
The faculty had wonderful things to say about this year’s winner. Professor Jan Neal said, “Jenae stands out among her classmates. She is incredibly bright and has a fantastic attitude towards her education.” Professor Marisue Naber had this to say about Jenae: “She is a serious minded, goal orientated student with a mature outlook on her work…She listened carefully to suggestions I would make, and applied them with care. I thought her sensitivity and caring demeanor were also outstanding traits in this clinical setting. Her written work was thorough and complete.”
The following is a list of the other candidates for Honor Student of the Year:
Kathleen Hughes, Radiologic Technology
Eric Molin, Pre-Business Administration
Nicole Moore, Dental Hygiene Technology
Kathleen Niklas, Medical Transcription Technology
Monica Pisati, Veterinary Technology
Elizabeth Ruebusch, Pre-Education, Pre-Early Childhood Education
Marguerite Scheid, Pre-Pharmacy
Jason Stevens, Electronic Media Technology
Karyn Zimmerman, Liberal Arts