Gadsden State Community College recently held its 59th annual Honors Day at Beck Conference Center for students attending campuses in Gadsden and Centre. The program included student achievements and scholarship presentations.
A second Honors Day was held in the Learning Resource Center at the Ayers Campus for students attending that campus. Over 300 awards and scholarships were given at the Honors Days, which spanned April 15-16.
Traditionally, one of the highest honors presented each spring is the Allen-Ray Award. The award, which has been presented at every Honors Day program over the past 59 years, is presented in honor of the late Sen. James B. Allen and the late Jack Ray, former CEO of the Exchange Bank of Alabama. Both men were active supporters of Gadsden State. Chris Ray, a relative of Jack Ray, presented the 2024 Allen-Ray Award to Ashley Marie Hawk of Gadsden.
Hawk is a wife and mother of three who has maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA during her time at Gadsden State. She will be a summa cum laude graduate next month and will receive an Associate in Applied Science in Office Administration-Word Processing Specialist at the Spring Commencement.
In addition to winning this prestigious award, Hawk received the first Kathy Brown Memorial Scholarship given by the Support Personnel Association in memory of the late administrative assistant in the College’s Public Relations and Marketing Department. Hawk was also named Outstanding Speech Student and Outstanding Office Administration Student and was honored as a Student of Distinction. She has also been on the President’s List for each of the full-time semesters she has attended.
Hawk has volunteered extensively with the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, including at the Cardinal Gala, Candy with the Cardinals, Get on Board Day, Worlds of Work and the Water Festival. In the community, she has volunteered for the Gadsden Community Thanksgiving, United Way’s Day of Action and Girl Scout Troop 20379. She is an active volunteer for the Greater Gadsden Housing Authority, where she has provided her time and talents at the Back-to-School celebrations, holiday events and the ESTEEM Program. She also serves as the resident vice president for the Emma Sansom Homes.
The President’s Cup, a designated award for students who demonstrate exceptional success in all phases of college life, is presented each year to students in the academic, health science and technical divisions. It is given by Dr. Kathy Murphy, president of Gadsden State.
The Academic Division recipient for the Etowah County campuses and Gadsden State Cherokee is Gracie Smith of Attalla. At Gadsden State, she serves as an ambassador and is a member of PTK, the Student Government Association and Baptist Campus Ministries. She was also a member of the 2025 Homecoming Court.
Smith has volunteered with PTK’s Quad Beautification Project and served as a volunteer counselor at Camp To Know Him. She will receive an Associate of Science in General Studies at the May 13 Commencement Exercises at Gadsden State Cherokee. She plans to continue her education at a four-year university.
The President’s Cup for the Health Science Division is Tiffany Durham of Leesburg. While excelling in the Nursing Program, she is also working in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Gadsden Regional Medical Center and plans to continue working in critical care upon graduating in May.
Durham was honored as a Student of Distinction during the 2025 Honors Day. She is the past winner of the Outstanding Academic Achievement Award, the Excellent Tutor Award and the Student Success Award. She was the 2024 recipient of the Cardinal Foundation’s Louis and Elaine Marsalis Scholarship and represented Gadsden State at the 2023 Student Leadership Institute. She was also crowned the 2023 Gadsden State Homecoming Queen.
Durham is a member of the PTK, Student Support Services and the Student Nurse Association. She also serves as the vice president of her nursing cohort.
The winner of the President’s Cup for the Technical Division is Cheyenne McCollum of Lineville. She is working towards an Associate in Applied Science in Court Reporting. She said she chose Gadsden State because it has the only program in Alabama approved by the National Court Reporters Association.
At Gadsden State, McCollum has maintained a 3.9 GPA and has plans to graduate in December. She is a Gadsden State Ambassador and has earned placement on the President’s List and the Dean’s List.
Three area students were presented with awards for outstanding achievement. The Outstanding Achievement Awards recognize students who have succeeded in pursuit of higher education despite varying traumas, adversities, personal losses and difficulties.
The Outstanding Achievement Awards given at the Wallace Drive Campus event went to Macey Johnson of Huntsville, Makenzi Mae Collins of Rainbow City and Kristina O’Neal of Centre.
Johnson was only two weeks from becoming a Gadsden State student-athlete when she was diagnosed with epilepsy. She had consistent seizures for the first five months of her collegiate experience but eventually got it under control with medication. She ran into an additional challenge when, as a member of the Lady Cardinals Volleyball Team, she suffered a severe knee injury requiring surgery and long-term recovery.
Despite the challenges, Johnson has maintained a 3.7 GPA and is a member of Baptist Campus Ministries, Student Government Association and PTK. She has volunteered during the Campus Clean-up Campaigns and at Candy with the Cardinals and serves as an academic tutor in Computer Information Technologies. Johnson was also named Outstanding Economics Student and a Student of Distinction at Honors Day, and she received a transfer scholarship to the University of Alabama at Birmingham. she will graduate with an Associate in Science at the May 13 graduation ceremony.
The second recipient, Collins, has overcome many challenges and hardships, including the loss of her mother and her sister. After her father suffered a stroke, she became responsible for his care as well as a portion of the living expenses. She still maintained a 3.9 GPA at Gadsden State and was awarded a Presidential Scholarship. She is a peer tutor in the Cardinal Tutoring Center and is a PTK member. At Honors Day, Collins was recognized as a Student of Distinction for her academic success. She will graduate in May and plans to continue her education at Jacksonville State University, where she will study elementary education.
The last recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award is O’Neal, who survived a challenging childhood that included poverty, food insecurity and loss. Her grandmother and father passed away, leaving her distraught with no direction. As a high school student, she started skipping school and failing classes. A counselor intervened and encouraged her to live up to the promise she made her father to earn a degree and break the cycle of poverty.
O’Neal enrolled at Gadsden State and is now a tutor in the Cardinal Tutoring Center and Student Support Services. At Honors Day, she also received the Outstanding Cardinal Tutoring Center Peer Tutor Award. She is a member of Cardinals for Success Club and the Student Nurse Association and has volunteered at Candy with the Cardinals and the Cardinals for Success Rummage Sale. She is the secretary of her nursing cohort and will receive an Associate in Science in Registered Nursing at graduation in May. O’Neal has secured a job as a nurse in the emergency department at RMC in Anniston.
Departmental awards were given to students during the Wallace Drive Campus Honors Day. They include:
Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Technology – Brandon Reaves
Auto Collision Repair Technology – Juan Carlos Diaz Gonzalez
Automotive Services Technology – Tucker Bain
Chemistry – Emily Roe
Child Development – Brigitte Connally
Choral Student – Afton Yarnell
Civil Engineering Technology – Ariel Miller
Computer Science – Jacob Bartley, Richard Lee Thompson Jr. and Cade Smith
Construction Technology – Sawyer Maybry
Court Reporting – Summer Cornelius
Economics – Charles McIntire and Macey Johnson
Electrical Engineering Technology – John David Cunningham
Electrical Technology – Darrien Bossie
English – Levi Benefield, Felicia Hunter and Thierry Missika
History – Jane Ayres, John Ross Whaley, Nathan Helms and Felicia Hunter
Industrial Automation Technology – Austin Bromley
Mathematics – Eidan Zalo Gonzalez
Mechanical Design Technology – Alejandra Franco
Precision Machining – Dalton Maye
Pre-Engineering – Kaleb Barber
Nursing – Alexis Russell and Erin Adderhold
Office Administration – Ashley Hawk
Office Administration-Medical Coding and Scribing – Jada Lett
Office Administration-Health Information Technology – Shandaysha Byers
Salon and Spa Management – Amber Newborn
Speech – Ashley Hawk
Welding Technology – Jose Garcia
Students receiving scholarships to four-year universities are:
University of Alabama Transfer Scholarship – Malaina Ellen and McKinley Kay
University of Alabama at Birmingham Transfer Scholarship – Macey Johnson, Chase McIntire and Lilly Rebarchik
The Cardinal Foundation awarded the following scholarships:
Benjamin Steinberg Nursing Scholarship – Rosita Zendejas
Boys and Girls Club Career Academy Scholarship – William Anderson
The Past Presidents’ Honorary Scholarship – Artaevious McCloud
Louis and Elaine Marsalis Scholarship – Tamara Rollins
Michael Joe Wofford Memorial Scholarship – Joshua Long
The SPA Kathy Brown Memorial Scholarship – Ashley Hawk
Swoop Spring 5K Scholarship – Kimberly Lopez-Francisco, Layla Kissic, William Watts and Amari Headen
Stephen and April LaFollette Scholarship – Kayleigh Lee and Nakia Birdsong
Tim and Laura McCartney Career Technical Education Scholarship – Taylor Elrod, Jacob Herring and Kendal McCants
William Thomas Dawson Family Scholarship – Kimberly Flores and Elijah Hammett
Named scholarships given to students to further their educational journey at Gadsden State are:
Barry Boatwright Scholarship – Lane Brasher
Chad Hawkins Educational Foundation Scholarship – Cheryl Henrickson
Dr. Jesse L. Walker Jr. Business Faculty Scholarship – Samantha McClellan
Joe Robertson Scholarship – Jasie Brooks
Jim Vanderford Scholarship – Gerardo Guerrero-Trejo Jr., Bryan Lara Benitez and Chase Donovan Archer
Nan Pentecost Scholarship – Kayleigh Lee
Nell Thomas Scholarship – Kyndal Alvarez
Sue McMeekin Griffith Scholarship – Abigail Read
West/Pentecost Scholarship – Roberto Gallegos
Additional accolades include:
All-Alabama Academic Team – Collins Davis and Chase Lopas
Outstanding Ambassador – Ava Wilson
Outstanding Cardinal Tutoring Center Peer Tutors – Kristina LaRae O’Neal, Levi Benefield and Lillian McDill
Outstanding Student Support Services Student – Joseph Lockridge
Students were recognized with the Rising Scholar Award are Ashley Adams, Samantha Adams, Charles Akes, Kyndal Alvarez, Ashlyn Bain, Levi Benefield, Lane Brasher, Campbell Burford, Cherri Burt, Leah Campbell, Raven Clegg, Marisela Ramirez Custodio, Heather Darbo-McClellan, Amber Day, Aaron England, Kaylee Fluharty, Ash Gallardo, Addison Gilliland, Briley Hincy, Allison Hindman, Chrislynn Hoge, Sara Beth Holly, Breunna Holt, Macie Hunt, Felicia Hunter, Alyah Jackson, Kelly Juan Jaimes, Cooper James Jarvis, Denise Johnson, Ashley King, Chloe Kiser, Layla Kissic, Julian Lake, Jamika Lee, Janet Rodriguez Loarca, Jalyn Marbuary, Olivia Monterrojas, Natalie Morris, Makenzie Neely, Amelia Nixon, Raegan Nunez, Anna Pace, Gracie Patterson, Abigail Payne, Abigail Argraves Read, Brooklyn Reid, Hannah Richards, Deriyana Riddle, Daniel Robinson, Jordanna Roden, Luke Russo, Albertoni Serrano, Marion Sigmon, Jackson Sims, Rachel Sobzcak, Allie Stansell, Jacob Steed, Lana Tatum, Samantha-Lynn Thomas, Tanler Thomas-Whaley, Judith Timmons, Selena Urbina, Sidney Vance, Ezekiel Voytek, William Watts, Gabrielle West, James White, Selena Whitman, Makya Wilson, McKinley Wilson, Samuel Wilson, Taylor Witt and Rosita Zendejas.
Students from the Gadsden campuses or Gadsden State Cherokee earning the Student of Distinction Award are Tala Abbassi, Kyire Adams, Maghan Alford, Emkenson Amazan, Kaleb Barber, Lilly Barber, Natasha Bearden, Daniel Brown, Shandaysha Byers, Dalton Chestnut, Crimson Colbert, Makenzi Collins, Collins Lee Davis, Natalie Marie Davis, Angela Dummar, Tiffany Durham, Allyson Graben, Kara Grace, Kaylee Green, Ashley Hawk, Marli Emma Haynes, Jerlissa Henderson, Ella Hines, Kaitlyn Hughes, Briteon Husk, Breanna Jacobs, Macey Johnson, McKinley Kay, Kaitlynn Lane, Kayleigh Lee, Andrea Lindsey, Deborah Magouirk, Stephanie Maldonado, Autumn Martin, Christopher Mccurley, Rebecca McNew, Mikalia Merciers, Thabo Moeng, Victoria Monroe, Emalee Morrison, Macee New, Faviola Maritza Mendoza Ortiz, Brenda Payton, Hayleigh Perez, Gwenivere Perry, Katelyn Quigley-Cole, Hondra Reneman, Kara Lynn Reynolds, Kailey Rhoades, Courtney Roberts, Emily Roe, Angelica Ruiz, Tiffany Savin, Derek Schmitz, Elisha Sims, Jaxson Sizemore, Kathryn Smith, Rilee Schall Smith, Matti Sprayberry, Erika Steapleton, Tabatha Steed, Nena Stephens, Tracy Williams, Ashley Woodward and Dorice Young.
Paralegal Studies students were recognized for their inclusion in Lambda Epsilon Chi National Honor Society, which is for those who have demonstrated superior academic performance with at least a 3.25 overall GPA and at least a 3.5 GPA in paralegal classes. Students are Kyrie Adams, Natalie Davis, Allyson Graben, Andrea Lindsey, Christopher McCurley, Mikalia Merciers, Kailey Rhoades, Autumn Martin, Rilee Kate Schall Smith and Derek Schmitz.
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