每日大赛

By: Tiffany King

Five 每日大赛 seniors will be graduating this May with not only a bachelor鈥檚 degree, but also with the distinction of successfully completing the Honors Program. The Honors Program at the College challenges students to engage in a dynamic and enriching academic experience. It requires students to seek connections among academic disciplines, collaborate on undergraduate research, and become leaders among their peers and in the community. To graduate from the Honors Program, students must earn a minimum of 12 honors credits by taking designated Honors level courses and/or working with a faculty member through an Honors contract, which could include a capstone project. Students Tea Autry, Kristen Darley, Precious De Jesus, William Ellis, and Izaiah Matthews will have the distinction of successfully meeting this challenge and completing the program.

Tea Autry

Tea Autry will be graduating with a bachelor鈥檚 in environmental science with concentrations in marine science and natural sciences. She is originally from Sylvania, Georgia, and heard about Coastal Georgia from her visit to Jekyll Island. When she learned about the College鈥檚 Environmental Science program, she was sold.

鈥淚 loved the idea of learning about the unique coastal environment while in the classroom, but in the field as well,鈥� Autry said. 鈥淲hen I graduate, I hope to find a career in environmental education or outreach with an organization such as the National Park Service or state parks. I am especially passionate about helping connect with nature and understanding the importance of conservation.鈥�

While taking a Wetland Plant Taxonomy and Identification course, Autry fell in love with learning about different plant families and how to identify them. This led to exploring her interest further through the Honors Program. For her honors project, Autry curated a collection of wetland plants for the College鈥檚 herbarium. Autry sorted, selected, and identified more than 500 specimens, prepared and documented each specimen selected for the collection, and finalized the presentation of the specimens for long-term archival use. She also created a digital catalogue of the specimens鈥攅ssentially creating a lasting educational resource for future students. Her faculty advisor, Associate Professor of Environmental Science Dr. James Deemy, described Autry as 鈥渁n incredibly special student.鈥�

鈥淪he arrived on campus in August 2021, which was approximately three weeks after she made the decision to pursue a college education. Tea鈥檚 impact on the Environmental Science program during the last four years can be measured in how she helps bring out the best in people around her,鈥� Deemy said. 鈥淗er leadership on field trips and immersive travel courses has been absolutely profound. Tea is also a stellar peer mentor to her colleagues, and can be counted on for adding humor into any activity being completed under taxing field conditions.鈥�

The main values of the Honors Program are critical thinking, interdisciplinary learning, undergraduate research, and leadership and civic engagement. Deemy said that Autry鈥檚 academic career at the College is a manifestation of all these values.

Autry鈥檚 project was a massive undertaking, Deemy said, that deepened her understanding of wetland plant taxonomy, herbarium protocols, and long-term storage of natural history specimens.

鈥淎dditionally, this project provided an incredible service to the Department of Natural Sciences because this plant collection will serve students in multiple courses each year,鈥� he said. 鈥淭ea鈥檚 time as an undergraduate student at Coastal may be nearing completion, but her impact on the students that follow will last far beyond graduation.鈥�

Autry shared that through the Honors Program, she not only learned a lot about project management and plant identification, but also developed skills in time management, public speaking, and science communication鈥攁ll of which are valuable in future careers. She highly encourages other students to join the Honors Program.

鈥淲ith the Honors Program, you have the opportunity to dive further into what interests you, while also building future career skills. Through the Honors Program, you also get to work more closely with your professors and peers, sharing with them your growing knowledge,鈥� she said. 鈥淏eing part of the Honors Program has allowed me to bring together many parts of my environmental science degree, creating a final product that not only reflects on my interests and own growth, but will benefit future students as well.鈥�

Autry found value in being able to apply what she鈥檚 learned and contribute to something meaningful for others.

Kristen Darley

鈥淚 am glad it worked out like it did, because I decided to participate in the Honors Program during the last summer of my senior year,鈥� she said. 鈥淟uckily, I had wonderful professors willing to work with me and put in extra time to help me complete this program.鈥�

Darley currently works at the Federal Bureau of Prisons and is certified as an advanced emergency medical technician. After earning her bachelor鈥檚, Darley plans to attend medical school to study osteopathic medicine and become an emergency medical doctor and/or a neuro or trauma surgeon. Darley is fascinated by perplexing medical cases and is drawn to diagnostic medicine. She hopes to work in rural medicine and serve in disaster areas to help hospitals that are overrun or nonexistent.

Darley jumped at the chance to participate in the Honors Program.

鈥淚 thought you could only be in the Honors Program if you completed the honors lower-level courses, so I was excited to find out it wasn鈥檛 too late. I originally signed up because I thought it would look good on my application to medical school. I am so glad I did because I received so much from it,鈥� Darley said. 鈥淚 liked being able to complete the program with upper-level courses because I felt like I learned more than I would have by just completing the regularly-assigned work. There鈥檚 nothing like researching a topic on your own.鈥�

Darley completed multiple honors projects. The first was a two-semester study on the physiochemical properties of freshwater wetlands and how they impact plant vegetation. Darley collected water samples, and measured pH levels, specific conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and temperature at three sites: Oglethorpe Point Elementary School鈥檚 wetland area, Laura S. Walker State Park, and James Boykin Lake at Bill Morris Park. She also explored how plant vegetation filtered out pollution for the health of the surrounding ecosystem and drinking water. Her second project was a literary review of how the human gut microbiome affects mental and neurological health, along with a poster to present her findings. Darley鈥檚 third project involved writing a genome announcement for possible publication. A genome announcement describes the sequencing and analysis of a genome, typically of a microorganism. The announcements usually provide essential information about the genome, including its size, structure, and features, and are often published in scientific journals to share with the research community. Darley was taking a biology course with Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Holly Nance, where the class focused on bacteriophage genomics research. For this project, Darley wrote a two-page scientific manuscript or genome announcement on the class鈥� results. Learning more about freshwater wetlands, biochemistry, and genome annotation led Darley to do another independent project conducting biochemical tests to see what type of microbial organisms were present in the freshwater wetlands she previously studied. By challenging herself through the Honors Program, Darley now has research experience鈥攁nd possibly published work鈥攖hat she can add to her resume. Darley believes the Honors Program is a wonderful opportunity for students to explore their interests.

Her faculty advisor, Assistant Professor of Biology James Carpenter, described Darley as 鈥渢he hardest-working and most dedicated student I have known.鈥�

鈥淪he has, for several years, juggled a considerable class load along with significant job responsibilities. Over the course of that time, she has actually expanded her ambitions, seeking an academic minor and certification credits to broaden her skills, abilities, and knowledge, capped off with her exemplary Honors Program work,鈥� Carpenter said. 鈥淭o attempt this, and actually succeed, requires an extraordinary level of discipline and will to succeed鈥攐ften at the cost of non-academic activities or even adequate sleep at times. I admire her greatly. I don鈥檛 think many would have been able to do what she has done, and I am exceptionally proud as well.鈥�

Darley has also presented her research at conferences. She attended the Southeastern Psychological Association鈥檚 (SEPA) annual conference, the College鈥檚 annual Coastal Science Symposium, the Georgia Water Resource Conference, and the ENDEAVOR Conference.

鈥淚 have had a wonderful experience here. Like others have said, this college has allowed me to pursue research and participate in different activities that I would not have been able to do at a bigger school,鈥� Darley said. 鈥淚 want to thank each and every professor I have had. Each one has helped me get to this moment.鈥�

Carpenter believes, without a doubt, that Darley will be a high-level achiever in whatever career field she chooses, because that鈥檚 who she is and what she does.

Precious De Jesus

Precious De Jesus was born and raised in Davao City, in the Philippines, and moved to Brunswick in 2020 for college. The College鈥檚 proximity to the beach, along with offering her desired major, made it especially appealing. The College was also near her family, which was important since she just moved to the United States.

鈥淚鈥檝e grown to love the College even more because of the experience and opportunities it has given me, like being in the Honors Program, preparing for and attending SEPA, as well as the supportive faculty, not just in the psychology department, but in other departments too,鈥� De Jesus said.

De Jesus graduated from the College in Fall 2024, earning a bachelor鈥檚 in psychological sciences. Since graduation, De Jesus has been working as an emergency room medical scribe for Scribe Solutions, Inc., while waiting to apply for graduate school. She also attended this year鈥檚 SEPA conference in Atlanta to present her research on 鈥淎ttitude Toward Generative AI Use in Higher Education Settings.鈥�

De Jesus first learned about the Honors Program while in an American Literature class with English Lecturer and Director of the Honors Program Emily Boyle.

鈥淪he explained what honors students get to do, and right away, I thought, I want to do this. After class, I asked her if I met the requirements, and by the end of the day, I was in the program,鈥� De Jesus said. 鈥淭he Honors Program not only gave me the opportunity to write about topics I鈥檓 passionate about, but it also helped me become more confident as a student with ideas to share.鈥�

De Jesus did several honors projects. She wrote a research paper and developed an accompanying infographic on the eight core values in community psychology, which are social justice, respect for human diversity, sense of community, collective wellness, empowerment and citizen participation, collaboration, empirical grounding, and multilevel, strengths-based perspective. Developing the infographic allowed De Jesus to use her creativity in producing information that is appealing and compelling for audiences. Her next project was a literature review entitled 鈥淣eurobiology of Psychological Trauma,鈥� developed from her Brain and Behavior psychology course. The class studied the biological bases of human behavior. De Jesus thought it would be interesting to focus on trauma.

鈥淪ome of the subtopics I researched and wrote about include the HPA axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis) and psychological disorders, the limbic system and traumatic stress, and resilience,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hese are topics we covered in class that I wanted to explore further.鈥�

De Jesus鈥� third project for the Honors Program, was her Psychology of Women course capstone project where she wrote 鈥淒efying Patriarchy.鈥� Her paper explored the connections between popular culture, like films and limited series, and various topics covered in course material. This included theoretical perspectives of gender, stereotypes, women鈥檚 social relationships, sexuality, discrimination in the workplace, portrayals of women and girls in the media, and violence against women. De Jesus used some of her favorite movies and shows with feminist themes to examine how they reflect the diverse experiences and challenges faced by women.

鈥淚 am very proud of it, and it discusses feminist issues affecting women, such as patriarchal gender roles and norms that harm women鈥檚 well-being, the objectification of women, and gender-based violence,鈥� she said.

Professor of Psychology Dr. Marci Culley was De Jesus鈥� instructor for several courses, and advised her on her research papers for the Community Psychology and Psychology of Women courses. Culley said De Jesus was a delight to work with, and that she consistently demonstrated a sophisticated understanding and application of complicated course material.

鈥淲hile often a bit shy, she also had wonderful things to add to class discussion, and is a skilled writer. I can鈥檛 wait to see what she does next!鈥� Culley said.

Associate Professor of Psychology and Student Success Coordinator Dr. Aurora Ramos Nuez, was De Jesus鈥� psychology advisor and faculty advisor for the La Casa Costera Club.

鈥淧recious is a well-rounded student who has shown excellence in her classes, her research, and her role as president of the La Casa Costera Club,鈥� Ramos Nu帽ez said. 鈥淧recious took a number of classes with me, including PSYC 3000 Research Methods & Stats, Learning and Behavior, and obtained the highest marks.鈥�

De Jesus developed leadership skills by working with other students in a group project, making sure the project was successfully completed, Ramos Nu帽ez said, and through her role as president of La Casa Costera. De Jesus made sure that the club ran successfully through collaboration with other students.

What De Jesus learned the most through the honors projects was how to write a good literature review. For an honors American Literature class, she wrote 鈥淧sychology and Medicine in Edgar Allan Poe鈥檚 鈥楾he Black Cat.鈥欌�� Both her paper on psychological trauma and her capstone project for Psychology of Women were each 15 pages long.

鈥淎ll these helped me become a better writer, enjoy research more, and made me sure I want to go to graduate school,鈥� De Jesus said.

De Jesus consistently showed excellence in her coursework. For her, being a part of the Honors Program meant having the opportunity to work on passion projects under the supervision of outstanding faculty.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an opportunity too good to pass up, and it adds to the quality of your college experience,鈥� De Jesus said. 鈥淢ake sure you stick with it and have fun. You鈥檒l be happy and proud of every piece of work you do.鈥�

William Ellis

鈥淚 love the Brunswick, Georgia, area because it鈥檚 a quilted tapestry of cultural influences,鈥� Ellis said. 鈥淲henever I came to the 每日大赛, I was suffering from a chronic illness that hindered my ability to move far away for college. Instead of shoving me to the wayside, my professors went out of their way to accommodate me in any way possible. I appreciated their efforts. Later on, I noticed how many scholastic and professional opportunities were available at the 每日大赛.鈥�

Those opportunities included doing research for a historical podcast and organizing archival work.

鈥淚 am grateful for all of the opportunities at my disposal because they have prepared me for the next step in my academic career,鈥� he said.

Ellis believed participating in the Honors Program would set him up for success and prepare him for graduate-level research and coursework. This proved to be true as he was accepted into graduate school at Carnegie Mellon University, and offered a $25,000 scholarship.

For his first honors project, Ellis wrote and revised a series of poems. He then presented a portfolio of his work with explanations behind the revision process, using journals and academic readings to support his rationale. Ellis then experimented with different poetic forms for his next honors project, and created a final portfolio. He was challenged by Associate Professor of English Dr. Jessica Melilli-Hand, who worked with Ellis on his honors projects, to submit his work to literary journals.

鈥淏ecause of this, my professor helped expose me to different writing styles. She helped guide me to be my best self, where I could experiment in writing without feeling like I was doing something 鈥榳rong,鈥欌�� he said.

Ellis鈥� work has been published in Literary Yard and Down in the Dirt. He also earned first place in both the 2024 Barr Poetry contest and Austin/Garner Prose contest for the student literary magazine Seaswells.

In a recommendation letter for Ellis to Carnegie Mellon University, Melilli-Hand鈥檚 alma mater, she wrote, 鈥淲illiam was an outstanding honors student in my upper-level Introduction to Creative Nonfiction and Introduction to Poetry and Fiction courses. He helped create community in these online courses by reaching out to other students to support them, leading discussions, and providing excellent insight into his peers鈥� drafts.鈥�

Melilli-Hand shared how his peers gravitated towards his leadership when they needed help, and how he didn鈥檛 hesitate to ask for help if a concept or skill didn鈥檛 come easily to him.

鈥淗e revised his poems many times, composed more drafts than were required, attended optional office hours in order to receive more individualized help from me, worked with writing coaches at the Writing Center, and through dogged persistence, improved his work until he earned that A,鈥� she wrote.

His time in the Honors Program also taught Ellis the importance of time management and the satisfaction of completing an assignment.

鈥淭he Honors Program taught me how to handle research efficiently while also delivering a finished product. On the other end of the spectrum, my Honors work also taught me that the best product is a finished product,鈥� Ellis said. 鈥淓verything does not need to be perfect. As long as one is willing to put forth the effort and accept that their product may not be the best, they鈥檙e learning more than they could ever perceive. I am happy that the Honors Program helped me develop these necessary skills for research and work.鈥�

The Honors Program prepares students to be out of their element and to think outside the box, he said.

鈥淚nstead of worrying about the workload or your grades, join the program and try it. It will expand your horizons and test your critical thinking skills in incredible ways,鈥� Ellis said. 鈥淚 appreciated how small the Honors Program was. I was able to sit down and talk to my professors whenever necessary. It made me more comfortable, and I loved how accessible all of my advisors were to me. I never felt alone while I was trying to fulfill all of my coursework obligations.鈥�

Ellis aspires to work as a political advocate for groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and the Human Rights Campaign.

鈥淚 want to help educate the public and lead the American people to a more inclusive future. I am so thankful to the 每日大赛, because their ability to accommodate me and offer tons of research opportunities has comforted me in my graduate school admissions process,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 am hopeful that I will receive admission to an amazing program where I can further my studies because of the Honors Program at CCGA.鈥�

Izaiah Matthews

Matthews completed four complex honors projects highlighting concepts related to ethical practice, pediatric outcomes, nursing research, and student nurse clinical applications. Matthews wrote a research paper exploring the challenges new nurses could face when applying the American Nurses Association鈥檚 鈥淐ode of Ethics for Nurses.鈥� He identified potential problems for new nurses, and addressed these issues to help reduce ethical dilemmas for himself and his classmates. As a service-learning project, Matthews developed and put into action a teaching plan for a specific age group of children. To help his peers prepare for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), a nationwide examination for the licensing of nurses, Matthews created a review on gastrointestinal and genitourinary systems. He developed an activity to supplement the review and help his classmates in understanding the material. Matthews created questions that resembled what nursing students would encounter on the NCLEX, ensuring that they felt prepared and confident for the exam. The questions included real-world scenarios that challenged them to apply what they鈥檝e learned. This project also challenged Matthews to have the confidence and knowledge to teach and answer his peers鈥� questions. Matthews鈥� fourth project was a literature review that explored a problem relating to healthcare. He did an in-depth review of scholarly articles, resources, and analysis of evidence, to ultimately contribute to new insights in the academic field and help future nurses.

Professor of Nursing Dr. Maryanne Sandberg, Assistant Dean of Nursing and Health Sciences Dr. Laura Grantham, and Lecturer of Nursing Nicole Fullard supervised Matthews on his honors projects. They shared their sentiments about Matthews.

 鈥淚zaiah has shown exceptional motivation, focus, and dedication to his education, achieving this significant milestone with outstanding clinical skills and a commitment to excellence in patient care,鈥� they said.

Matthews鈥� hard work earned him the respect of not only his peers, but also clinical instructors and professors. He鈥檚 been consistently praised for his teamwork, compassionate demeanor, and ability to excel in diverse settings鈥攁lways with a smile. Matthews will be an invaluable asset to any care team, they said.

鈥淎s Izaiah seeks employment as a graduate nurse with the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, we are confident he will be an excellent addition to their team,鈥� they said. 鈥淗is dedication to his career, combined with his strong academic foundation and clinical abilities, positions him to become an exceptional critical care nurse in the future.鈥�

Matthews will no doubt have continued success as he embarks on the next phase of his nursing journey. He鈥檚 already shown an aptitude for great compassion and helping others learn鈥攕ome of the best traits of being an effective nurse.

The Honors Program at the College is more than just an academic track. It is a transformative journey that prepares students for future success. By challenging students to pursue their interests through research, interdisciplinary learning, critical thinking, and civic engagement, students are equipped with the skills needed to thrive in their careers and make a positive impact wherever they go.