LaRaven Temoney and Tadean Page took top honors with the Sullivan Awards at the Student
Life Awards Ceremony. Frank Ardaiolo, vice president for student life, will retire this summer following
29 years of service, and he was presented a special plaque for his leadership and
dedication to students throughout his career.
ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA A business administration major who graduated in three
years and the chair of the Council of Student Leaders captured top honors at the 2018
Winthrop University Student Life Awards ceremony on April 19 at the DiGiorgio Campus Center.
LaRaven Temoney, who is a senior business administration major and economics minor from Sumter, South
Carolina, was given the Mary Mildred Sullivan Award. Temoney, who graduated in three years and became the first student in the College
of Business Administration's history to receive a National Science Foundation Graduate
Research Fellowship Program grant, volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, the Young
Women's Christian Association, the American Cancer Society and the Children's Attention
Home. She also held numerous leadership positions on campus. Temoney also received
the Cynthia A. Cassens Resident Assistant of the Year Award at the ceremony.
Tadean Page, a senior individualized studies major with a concentration in organizational leadership
and social justice, was presented the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award. Page is the chair of the Council of Student Leaders and has served as the director
of educational programs for Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. While in high school, Page
founded the I am H.I.M. Scholarship Foundation for which he has given more than 200
hours of his time to mentor and fundraise for the organization.
The ceremony was sponsored by the Division of Student Life. Various staff members and Frank Ardaiolo, vice president for student life, presented the awards. Ardaiolo, who will retire
in July following 29 years of service, was presented a special plaque for his leadership
and dedication to students throughout his career.
The prestigious American Legion Award was given to Sonya Sawyer of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Tanner Slagle of Nichols, South Carolina. The award is presented annually to graduating students
who display outstanding courage, companionship, character, service and scholarship.
Sawyer, a human nutrition major who will graduate in December, served as a combat
Army medic for four years and now serves as vice president of Winthrop's Student Veterans
Association.
Slagle, a senior early childhood education major, has been an active member of the
Emerging Leaders program and the highly selective Teaching Fellows program. He has
served as the Resident Students' Association national communications coordinator and
worked with the Department of Residence Life.
Senior Michaela Sanford, a senior modern languages major from Irmo, South Carolina, was recognized with the
Gloria Godfrey Jones Outstanding Tutor Award for her approachability, enthusiasm and patience. She provided tutoring in history,
math and Spanish for three and a half years in the Academic Success Center.
Kinetic Fever won the Outstanding Student Organization Award, which was accepted by President Justin Johnson and Vice President Timaya Forman.
The group has taken its love of dance and spread it across campus, performing for
a wide range of audiences.
The Outstanding Student Organization Program Award went to the Muslim Student Association for organizing World Hijab Day, a two-part event where women could try on a variety
of hijabs and where a speaker and panelists informed attendees on Islam and the significance
of the hijab in Islam.
Additional awards given were:
The Diversity and Student Engagement Award: Beth West, a senior political science student who has spent her time at Winthrop advocating
for diversity and inclusion. She has held various leadership roles for The Johnsonian,
the Council of Student Leaders, Chi Omega Sorority and the College Panhellenic Council
Judiciary Board.
Exemplary Service by an Individual: Melina Burkell, a middle education major, serves as a volunteer firefighter with the Sharon Fire
Department. She has contributed more than 450 hours of service to various causes and
events that assisted the Sharon community.
Exemplary Record of Service by a Group: The Winthrop Community Counseling Clinic, a training facility for graduate students in the counseling and development master's
degree program, which provides free professional counseling to couples, families and
children.
Active Bystander Award: Nathan Crunkilton, a junior political science major from Lyman, South Carolina, for his assistance
with the Department of Residence Life.
Greek Chapter of Excellence Award, Sorority: Delta Zeta
Greek Chapter of Excellence Award, Fraternity: Pi Kappa Phi
Club Sport of the Year: Skydiving Club
Grant Scurry Dedication Award: Josh Rogers, a senior mass communication major from Irmo, South Carolina, for his work to continually
improve the Recreational Services experience.
Staff Accessibility Advocate of the Year Award: Dawn Sayer, an assistant director of assignments and administration in the Department of Residence
Life.
Faculty Accessibility Advocate of the Year Award: Sarah Reiland, assistant professor of psychology.
Wellness Advocate Award: Meagan Leigh Holland, a senior political science major from Greenville, South Carolina.
Fred Angerman Quality Staff Award: De Wells, an administrative specialist, and Dawn Sayer, an assistant director of assignments and administration in the Department of Residence
Life.
For more information, contact Monica Bennett, director of communications, at 803/323-2236 or bennettm@winthrop.edu.
