Emory Report

Feb. 8, 1999

Volume 51, No. 19

Across the board, Emory students shine as humanitarians While the interests of this year's six Humanitarian Award recipients are varied, each embodies the spirit of volunteerism and sense of community--both on campus and off--for which the awards are given. Recipients each received a plaque and a $100 gift certificate to Emory Bookstore at the Jan. 27 ceremony in Winship Ballroom. A brief glimpse at this year's group: Senior Brant Brown has distinguished himself as a scholar during his tenure at Emory but, said nominator Michael Naft, "Brant's commitment of time to humanitarian causes and activities independent of his pursuits as a student is simply remarkable. Among his endeavors close to home are his work for the Georgia Council on Child Abuse and the Atlanta Homeless Shelter. Abroad, Brant served in the child transport unit of the German Red Cross' Bosnian war relief effort for nine months beginning in 1994. LaShawn Jenkins said that despite what many would view as setbacks, Delvecchio Finley has, "through hard work, perseverance and faith in God," achieved both academic and extracurricular excellence at Emory through his work with many campus organizations. Currently president of the College Council, Finley, a senior, also has served as president of the Black Student Alliance and of the Dobbs Hall resident advisors. Rebecca Mikell, a senior in the nursing school, plans to join the Peace Corps after graduation. Before that, however, she will join an Emory medical team traveling to Honduras this summer for an outreach program sponsored through the Department of Religion. Mikell also has logged more than 350 hours of service as a peer and crisis counselor at the DeKalb Rape Crisis Center. The current president of Emory Habitat for Humanity, sophomore Brad Miller has been onsite building homes virtually every Saturday morning since he became involved in the program two years ago. In addition to the $13,500 the Emory group raised to sponsor a home this semester, Miller challenged the chapter to take on an additional fund-raising effort, ultimately netting $6,000 to rebuild homes devastated by Hurricane Mitch in Honduras through Project New Miramisei. Keith Sandrow, a master's of divinity student at the Candler School, recruited and led a team of theology students as well as medical students from Emory and South Alabama School of Medicine on a monthlong health care and education mission to Rio Verde, Ecuador, deep in the tropical rainforest and plans to lead another group this summer. Closer to home, he's volunteered for Decatur Cooperative Ministries and through The Carter Center. For each of the past four years, senior Andy Tompkins has spent one week of his winter break on various mission trips. As a freshman he traveled to New Orleans and spent the week constructing shelters for the homeless, helping out at a food bank and tutoring children; last year it was Miami. Vice President of the Baptist Student Union, he started the "Adopt-a- Grandparent" program at Briarcliff Baptist Church, among other endeavors, which pairs older adults with students. --Stacey Jones Return to Feb. 8, 1999, contents page