Alumni Association Honors Outstanding Juniors

    The Alumni Association presented ten members of the Class of 2W3 with their Student Academic Achievement Award during a special chapel on April 20th.

    The students honored are: Construction Technology-Carpentry: Gideon J. Cyr and Nikolas J. Stamper; Construction Technology-Masonry: Steven R. East and Andrew Beattie; Horticulture, Landscaping and Turf Management: Shane E. Titus and Vincent T. Garyantes; Machine Tool Technology: Richard F. MacMullen and Christopher T. Boc; and Power Plant Technology: David T. MacMullen and Shamar K. Kerr.

    The awards go to two juniors from each shop who have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.

    In presenting the awards, Kevin Welde 9W7, the Association’s 2nd vice president, told the students of a  movie titled “14 Mountains” about a Nepalese man and his team who took on the enormous task of reaching the summit of 14 mountain peaks, each over 8,000 meters high, in seven months, to beat the previous record that took seven years.

    Welde said, “He called it Project Possible and wanted to demonstrate that a person can do anything if he pushes himself and that it takes people working together to reach your goal. Climbing a mountain like Everest is done in stages, not all at once, and this reminds me of a Williamson education.

    “You come in as a freshman and get the lay of the land and get comfortable, then you become a junior and learn your trade, and then become seniors. My instructors and my seniors helped me through my journey here. No one climbs alone. You seniors should help your juniors. You should give accolades to those who helped you. I urge you to come back after you graduate and stay involved.

    “You juniors and freshmen should get one percent better every day and help each other along the way. Remember, the hardest climbs have the best views.”

    In his welcoming remarks, President Michael Rounds said “This is the 27th presentation of the Alumni Association’s Student Academic Achievement Awards. This is a nice event because it is one of the few times that juniors get recognized.”

    In his introduction of Welde, he pointed out that he received the award at one of the earliest ceremonies. A graduate of the Paint and Coatings Technology Program, he now works at Oracle as an application sales manager focusing on construction management companies.

    He was instrumental in developing and launching the current alumni/student career mentoring program where he serves as an alumni mentor.

    Chaplain Mark Specht 7W7 opened the chapel with the pledge of allegiance, responsorial, and prayer. James McChesney, senior class president, closed the ceremony leading everyone in the singing of the alma mater.

    Each award recipient received a certificate and trophy.