Randolph-Macon College sociology and anthropology students were lauded at the Sociology and Anthropology Celebration of Student Achievement, which took place April 26, 2017 in Birdsong Hall.

Thirty-five students and many of their families attended. Joining them were Sociology/Anthropology Professors Sarah Cribbs, Scott London, Debra Rodman, Jack Trammell, Sociology/Anthropology Instructor Heather Heckel, and History and Black Studies Professor Alphine Jefferson.

Showcasing Accomplishments
The event honored 18 graduating seniors, recognized the accomplishments of sociology/anthropology majors and minors and announced four award recipients. In addition, six new members were inducted into Alpha Kappa Delta (a sociology honors society). Professor Timothy Haney from Mount Royal University served as keynote speaker. Haney’s work focuses on how families, neighborhoods, and communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from catastrophic events.

“The Sociology and Anthropology Celebration of Student Achievement showcased the amazing accomplishments of our majors and minors,” says Cribbs, who worked alongside Bissler and Sabrina Granderson, faculty secretary, to organize the event. “It was an honor to shine the spotlight on their hard work of the last academic year. This impressive group of students, from academic all-stars to social-justice gladiators, all work to make the world more just place.”

Marcus Mitchell ’17, a sociology/anthropology major and political science minor, says he was honored during the event to light the celebratory candles for the Alpha Kappa Delta inductees. Mitchell, a member of the football team and mentor at John M. Gandy Elementary School, will enter law school in the fall at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

“Professor Bissler is a wonderful academic advisor,” he says. “Her willingness to work tirelessly resulted in internships for many of us, and she is a blessing to be around.”

Award Winners
The following students, all sociology/anthropology majors, were presented special awards.

Chelsea Deaton ’17 was presented the Charlotte Fitzgerald Award for Outstanding Sociology/Anthropology Major. The award, created by Professor Charlotte Fitzgerald in 1991, is presented to an outstanding senior whose academic efforts in the field of sociology and anthropology reflect excellence in scholarship, critical reflection and social and moral responsibility.

Deaton, whose post-RMC plans include graduate school, was humbled to receive the award.

“I cannot express how much my sociology professors have helped me, not only in my college career, but also in planning for my future career goals,” she says. “They encouraged me to push myself in my studies and to continue to challenge stereotypical norms of society and how social institutions create inequalities for people based on their race, class, and gender.”

Dashonte Temoney ’17 won the Paige Perry Student Award, which is given to a student who inspires other students by being particularly engaged in the classroom or in extracurricular activities of sociological or anthropological importance.

Bailey Holland ’18 was presented the Fitzgerald Scholarship Award, which is presented to a student who demonstrates strong scholarship in a social science discipline and has a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75.

Kayla Watts ’17 won the Beth Gill Student Activist Award. Created in honor of Sociology/Anthropology Professor Beth Gill, who taught at RMC for many years, this award is given to the student who shows a deep dedication to social activism and the liberal arts.