By Jennifer Tonnaer
Every school year, Pensacola State College (PSC) recognizes outstanding students with the Student Excellence Awards Ceremony. This year’s ceremony, held April 23 at the WSRE Amos Studio, saw nearly 150 students awarded.
The following awards presented in the ceremony include: Program Scholars, Department Scholars, Scholastic Achievement, All-Florida Academic Team, Leadership, Service, Volunteer Service and the Sharlene E. Burkhardt awards.
Program and Department Scholar recipients are selected by the separate academic departments in order to recognize their performance in the classroom as well as to notice their high test scores on competitive departmental examinations from the past academic year.
Scholastic Achievement recipients have maintained a GPA of 3.9 or better while also completing at least 80% of their degree requirements.
The All-Florida Academic Team honors outstanding students in the Florida College System for their achievement, leadership and service to the community.
Recipients of the Leadership award are honored for their participation in numerous campus activities.
Volunteer Service awards are presented to students who have shown dedicated activity such as volunteer work, tutoring other students and involvement in other service programs.
Finally, the Sharlene E. Burkhardt award recipients have represented the same spirit as Sharlene Burkhardt herself, a noble young woman who was once a student at PSC and who dedicated time to helping the community as well as the school.
Each award holds it’s own significance and criteria that students can work to achieve.
Steve White, chair of the Student Excellence Awards Committee, said student qualification also comes from “being involved with school activities and the community.”
One way students can accomplish this is by joining the different volunteer clubs at PSC.
Judy Floyd, a member of the committee, described the awards ceremony as “a wonderful opportunity to see the students that have excelled in their academics and their community service and see what they’ve achieved since they’ve been here.”
Some students who received an award were surprised, not realizing that PSC held this award ceremony for the students.
“I appreciate getting recognized for volunteering, because usually volunteers don’t get recognized,” said Brittany Hockey, who received the Individual Volunteer Service Award and the Presidential Volunteer Service Award.
Students who were simply aspiring to reach their goal by working fervently every day found it humbling to be honored for all their hard work.
Haley Seabrook, who achieved the Program Scholars for Facials Specialty, explained how she dove into her work wanting to learn as much as she could about skin care in order to reach her dream of opening a boutique spa.
“I’m blown away, I can’t believe it. When I received it, I didn’t even know it existed. It just really validates all my hard work that I put in this whole semester. I’m so honored and humbled,” she said.
Other students were familiar with the ceremony and strove to attain an award throughout the year.
“I’ve been working hard, trying to do the best job I could,” said Thomas Nolan, who achieved the Leadership Award said. “It’s going to look really good on a resume, too.”