Student Scholar Symposium honors outstanding achievement

April 18, 2005

One student described how to Salsa, another studied the cultural changes occurring in Hamilton’s neighborhood, and yet another student beat the odds and pulled a 3.7 grade point average. These students and others will be honored at Miami Hamilton’s annual Student Scholar Symposium to be held Tuesday, April 19, from noon to 1:30 pm. in the Harry T. Wilks Conference Center. The symposium recognizes outstanding academic merit and gives exceptional students the opportunity to explain to the campus community and especially to fellow students how they achieved particular academic success. This year 12 students will be honored and receive gift certificates to Miami Hamilton’s bookstore. The students include Donnette Gladish, Miranda S. Bartholomew, Kristina N. Hays, Amanda Noe, Amy Bingle, Megan Fields, Gabe Campbell, Chris Stevens, Matthew Carter, Andrew Morris, Jenna Copenhaver, and Lindsay Keith. When Assistant Professor of Anthropology John Cinnamon met Donnette Gladish, he instantly was impressed. The non-traditional student currently is working toward a bachelor’s degree in anthropology. This year, she conducted ethnographic research on cultural change in Hamilton’s fourth ward. Her effort culminated into a well-written term paper she also presented during an anthropology conference. She will discuss her paper, “Transplanted Latin Immigrants, Borders and Revitalization in an Urban Rustbelt Neighborhood.”

From Latin immigrants to the Salsa, student honoree Miranda Bartholomew demonstrates the fancy dance steps. Bartholomew, who is a pre-communication major, expertly taught the dance to her speech communication class and, according to her instructor Cheri Brinkman, “made what seemed difficult to even the most left-footed of my students seem easy to do.” Brinkman added, “I have been very impressed with her incredible gifts as a public speaker.” For Associate Professor of Black World Studies and Sociology Mark Christian, a conversation was all it took to turn Kristina Hays from a struggling student to a student with a 3.7 grade point average. “I impressed upon her not to let her education slip away and to make use of her talents. Working full time at Fort Hamilton Hospital, she became a member of the Racial Legacies Advisory Council and embraced cultures of other groups.” The student group of Amanda Noe, Amy Bingle and Megan Fields earned recognition for their work on a psychology study, which compared parental discipline in two college student populations. All four made outstanding contributions to the study and will present a poster on the topic at Miami’s Department of Psychology at the end of April. Gabe Campbell and Chris Stevens also produced outstanding work through their work in computer forensics. The two impressed their instructor Laurie Werner with their detailed work in lab activities and reports in their computer information technology class. Matthew Carter, Andrew Morris, Jenna Copenhaver, and Lindsey Keith joined forces compiling background information and teaching resources for a presentation in Connie Turner’s literacy foundation course. “They have utilized the strengths of each member to produce a professional video,” Turner said. “They are all enthusiastic, high achieving students in class, but also outstanding when asked to put theory into practice in the field.”