Congratulations to all of our 2021 Honors Day award recipients. On Honors Day, Birmingham-Southern students are recognized for excellence in academics, leadership, service, and research, and we are proud of your success.

Hear video messages from Provost Brad Caskey and President Daniel B. Coleman. These will also be shared on BSC’s social media accounts.

Here are a few of our campus-wide awards and honors for the 2020-2021 academic year.

The Donald C. Harrison Honors Program Senior Award recognizes a senior student who shows overall academic excellence and a commitment to interdisciplinary study:

Anna Sophia Herrington, a human rights and conflict studies major from Mobile, Ala.

Harrison Honors Project: “Disastrous Displacement: The Erasure of New Orleans Communities after Hurricane Katrina” with William Holt

The Nancy and Billy McDonald Outstanding Servant Leader Award is presented to an outstanding servant and leader:

Alexandra Haylee Coberly, a history major from Franklin, Tenn.

The Hess Center for Leadership and Service Distinction in Leadership Studies Award goes to a student who demonstrates intellectual curiosity, a commitment to the betterment of society, and a willingness to serve others:

Hope Hamilton Tippett, a political science major from Murfreesboro, Tenn.

The President’s Service Award is presented to members of the campus community who show commitment, character, service, and leadership:

Jackson Hamilton Dominick, a fine arts performance and production major from Birmingham, Ala.
Sutton Elizabeth Smith, a history and religion major from Auburn, Ala.

The Charles B. Vail College Fellows Program provides stipends or academic credit for students to serve as teaching or research partners with faculty:

Laura Alexandra Brown, a history major from Houston, Tex.
“LS 200 Experiential Learning Project Design” with Alan Litsey

Mary Morgan Bullock, a psychology major from Birmingham, Ala.
“A Comprehensive Review of the Gut-Brain-Microbiome Axis in Prodromal Parkinson’s Disease: Early Markers and Treatment Implications” with Joe Chandler

Kaitlyn Noelle Hearn, a psychology major from Franklin, Tenn.
“Racial Bias in the Perception of Pain Sensitivity of Children” with Shane Pitts

Warda Rafiq Merchant, a biology major from Collierville, Tenn.
“Building Health Awareness among Muslin Women in Birmingham” with Lamia Benyoussef

Cole Randolph Myers, an Asian studies major from Alabaster, Ala.
“New Light on the ‘Yangist Miscellany’” with Daniel Coyle

Emma Rei Palmer, a business administration major from Vestavia Hills, Ala.
“Building Community: The Importance of Presence in Community Engagement” with Keely Sutton

Maria Christian Potts, a psychology major from Tuscaloosa, Ala.
“The Methodology of Methodology: A Backwards Design Re-imagining of Research Methods” with Shane Pitts

James Clayton Youngblood, a media and film studies major from Marietta, Ga.
“History Rocks – Documentary Film Series” with Teddy Champion

The William Legg Award is presented to a senior student-athlete who plans to attend graduate school:

Bailey Marie Gardner, a political science major from Mobile, Ala.
Birmingham-Southern Women’s Soccer

The Black Student Union Scholarship was established by the Black Alumni Association to recognize an outstanding rising senior:

Rachel Lily Alane Mixon, a studio art major from Birmingham, Ala.

The Hubbs Award recognizes a student who exemplifies academic excellence and selfless service:

Warda Rafiq Merchant, a biology major from Collierville, Tenn.

The Robert Hewlin Jackson Achievement Award is given to the graduating student who has shown the greatest academic improvement and made a distinguished record in their junior and senior years:

Sarah Anna Noel McCarthy, a history major from Cullman, Ala.

The Robert Hewlin Jackson Meritorious Scholarship Award recognizes students whose overall record places them at the top of their graduating class:

Laura Kathyrn Cohen, a studio art major from Fairhope, Ala.
Josephine Elizabeth Gray, a sociology major from Pelham, Ala.
Jacqueline Lamars, a race and gender studies major from Venetia, Pa.
Chase Garrett Mays, a business administration and economics major from Olathe, Kans.

The Martha Ray and Paul Woodrow Burleson Scholarship is awarded to a student who is studying a discipline that will prepare them for medical school:

Zionne Christian McCrear, a biology major from Gardendale, Ala.

The Dudley Long Leadership Award recognizes a group of students whose efforts during the year added to campus life:

Active Minds
Student Government Association

Phi Beta Kappa recognizes seniors who demonstrate academic excellence, the pursuit of the liberal arts and sciences, breadth of intellectual perspective, and cultivation of capacities of deliberation and ethical reflection:

Isabella Belen Alday, a musical theatre major from Daphne, Ala.
Savannah Elisabeth Busby, a biology major from Vestavia Hills, Ala.
Alexandra Haylee Coberly, a history major from Franklin, Tenn.
Shannon Adelle Gilmore, a health sciences major from Madison, Ala.
Emily Kate Hayes, a history major from Gadsden, Ala.
Anna Sophia Herrington, a human rights and conflict studies major from Mobile, Ala.
Jacqueline Lamars, a race and gender studies major from Venetia, Pa.
Hyun Lee, an applied computer science major from Gangneung, Gangwon-do South Korea
Chase Garrett Mays, a business administration and economics major from Olathe, Kans.
Rachel Grace McKelvy, a chemistry major from Hartselle, Ala.
Allan Roberto Monterrubio, a media and film studies major from Hoover, Ala.
Alexius Alise Pratt, a biology major from Roanoke, Tex.
Christophe Bradley Smith, a physics major from Huntsville, Ala.
Emily Elizabeth Wise, an urban environmental studies major from Hoover, Ala.

Mortar Board is a national honor society recognizing college seniors for their exemplary scholarship, leadership, and service:

Emma Wolfe Begley, a business administration major from Longmont, Colo.
Madison Taylor Brook, an elementary and collaborative education major from Los Altos, Ca.
Rachael Aileen Brooks, a biology major from Birmingham, Ala.
Ryan Abney Brown-Ezell, a biology major from Chattanooga, Tenn.
Samuel Tucker Carden, an English major from Huntsville, Ala.
Caroline Elaine Creager, a chemistry major from Huntsville, Ala.
Ansleigh Theresa Dailey, a health sciences major from Fairhope, Ala.
Elizabeth Leary Drummond, an elementary and collaborative education major from Jasper, Ala.
Mallory Birch Ely, an architectural studies major from Homewood, Ala.
Chloe Elizabeth Gardner, a psychology major from Baton Rouge, La.
Mary Frances Gaston, a religion major from Homewood, Ala.
Claudia Grace Glasgow, an English major from Florence, Ala.
Mary Brandon Harrell, a business administration major from Baton Rouge, La.
Lauren Elizabeth Hayes, a biology major from Pensacola, Fla.
Laura Alice Hillhouse, a business administration major from Florence, Ala.
Constance Carson Hodges, a political science major from Anniston, Ala.
Carol Elizabeth Johnson, a biology major from Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Anna Blake Lowe, an English major from Haleyville, Ala.
Anna Jordan Luth, a health sciences major from Pensacola, Fla.
Carson Robert Maggio, a business administration major from Acworth, Ala.
Warda Rafiq Merchant, a biology major from Collierville, Tenn.
Rachel Lily Alane Mixon, a studio art major from Birmingham, Ala.
Evie Elizabeth Morton, a health sciences major from Birmingham, Ala.
Thornton Taylor Muncher, an English major from Sumiton, Ala.
Mary Emerson Owen, a Spanish for the workplace major from Baton Rouge, La.
Maria Christian Potts, a psychology major from Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Cassady Danielle Quintana, a media and film studies major from Orlando, Fla.
Richard Watkins Rein, a biology major from Ridgeland, Miss.
Viktoria Patience Solfronk, a health sciences major from Birmingham, Ala.
Divya Lakshmi Sriram, a biology major from Clarksville, Tenn.
Ansley Lane Turley, a business administration major from Knoxville, Tenn.

The Donald C. Harrison Honors Program focuses on interdisciplinary approaches to topics, issues, and questions. During their senior year, Harrison Scholars conduct interdisciplinary, independent projects framed in collaboration with the program director and a faculty sponsor:

Isabella Belen Alday, a musical theatre major from Daphne, Ala.
“ In Support of the Death of Chivalry: Analyzing the Narrative Critiques of a Broken System” with Jessica Hines

Kallie Breanna Brown, a political science major from Spanish Fort, Ala.
“The Gentrification of Southern Cuisine: From Classic to Contemporary” with Melinda Thompson

Savannah Nicole Dye, a health sciences major from Eagleville, Tenn.
“Safe Haven or Deadly Jail Cell: Policies and Procedures of Kill and No-Kill Animal Shelters” with Mary Harrison

Emily Kate Hayes, a history major from Gadsden, Ala.
“Julian of Norwich: The Woman, the Mystic, and the Theologian” with Jessica Hines

Anna Sophia Herrington, a human rights and conflict studies major from Mobile, Ala.
“Disastrous Displacement: The Erasure of New Orleans Communities after Hurricane Katrina” with William Holt

Sarah Anna Noel McCarthy, a history major from Cullman, Ala.
“Realism in the Depiction of PTSD in the Hunger Games Trilogy” with Jessica Hines

Sarah Trammell McCullough, a religion major from Homewood, Ala.
“From the Maiden City to the Magic City: An Investigation into the McCuiston Family” with GK Armstrong

Rachel Grace McKelvy, a chemistry major from Hartselle, Ala.
“The Genesis of Rosemaling: How it Began and How to Create It Now” with James Neel

Cynthia Lauren Mims, a chemistry major from Chelsea, Ala.
“Meals with the Matriarchy: How Food and Cooking Practices Have Shaped Female Status in the Southern United States” with William P. Hustwit

Alexius Alise Pratt, a biology major from Roanoke, Tex.
“Music Is the Medicine of the Mind: The Effects of Music on College Students with Test Anxiety” with Lynne Trench

Hope Hamilton Tippett, a political science major from Murfreesboro, Tenn.
“The House Makes the South: Urban Houses as a Visual Representation of the South” with Pamela Venz

View the full Honors Day 2021 Program to see other awards, scholarships, and honors.