Release date: Feb. 10, 2005

Emory Names 2005 Humanitarian Award Winners

Emory University seniors Emily Cantrell, Kofi Essel and Molly Harrington, junior Erik Fyfe, graduate student Ginger Wickline and Emory law student Jason Costa were recently named the university's 2005 Humanitarian Award winners. The honor recognizes undergraduate and graduate students who embody a spirit of volunteerism and sense of community, both on campus and off.

Students are nominated for the Humanitarian Award by peers and faculty members for: demonstrating honesty, integrity, responsibility and a sense of community; for special acts of courage and friendship; and for committing an unusual amount of time and energy in service to others. Recipients were presented with a plaque and $100 gift certificate to the Emory bookstore at a recent ceremony on campus.

• Emily Cantrell of Houston, Texas, has been an enthusiastic force in Volunteer Emory, one of the university's largest student groups. As co-director last year, she oversaw a staff of 18, and under her leadership the organization involved 1,461 volunteers who served nearly 5,000 hours. Cantrell is a long-time volunteer at Nicholas House, a shelter for homeless families, and has recruited tutors and fund raisers for the organization. She also helped organize Emory's first community garden and continues to provide leadership in its development. Last summer, Cantrell took part in a university Journeys of Reconciliation trip to South Africa and learned first-hand about the AIDS crisis in the country and the environmental impact of eco-tourism. She raised twice the amount of money needed to take the trip, and donated the excess funds to help other students participate in future journeys.

• Kofi Essel of Little Rock, Ark., is known for his "honesty, integrity and responsibility" -- the keystones of his life, according to his nominator. An advisor for the past three years in Emory's residence halls, Essel also has served as chairman of the election boards for Emory's Student Government Association and College Council. His service to others also includes mentoring youth groups, volunteering at an Atlanta retirement home, and coordinating weekly service projects for his fraternity. Essel also has helped organize several blood drives on campus and works as a student health peer educator.

• Molly Harrington of Overland Park, Kan., has been a "tireless, fearless and effective" leader in her efforts to reduce the stigma of mental illness, and her work will have a lasting effect on the Emory community, according to her nominator. She is founder of the Emory Speaks Mental Health Campaign, a grassroots program to raise awareness about mental health issues that she developed last summer as an intern with Emory's Center for Ethics. Harrington has lobbied administrators to improve mental health services on campus, and shared with students and faculty members her own struggles with mental illness to reduce the stigma associated with it. Harrington has served on multiple committees, including chairing the Student Government Association's mental health task force.

• Erik Fyfe of Decatur, Ga., has been involved in a number of humanitarian and environmental projects with both local and global reach. He is actively involved in Amnesty International and is co-founder of the Emory Peace Coalition, which has helped raise more than $1,000 for Oxfam to benefit Iraqi citizens. He also helped organize teach-in sessions to address war-related issues that were held at Emory and two other local colleges. Fyfe also has established Metrovision, a service club that provides weekly mentoring sessions at a local youth detention center. An environmental studies major, Fyfe also has organized many events devoted to environmental sustainability.

• Ginger Wickline of Decatur, Ga., has deeply involved herself in community issues while working toward her doctorate in psychology. Her nominators describe her as "the most outstanding student" they've encountered in their careers. As a fellow in Emory's Office of University-Community Partnerships, Wickline played an integral role last year in securing a $400,000 HUD Community Outreach Partnerships Center grant for a northwest Atlanta neighborhood. As part of the grant, Wickline worked with faculty members to redesign psychology courses that give undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to work in the under-served community as part of their coursework. This spring, Wickline is team-teaching a community psychology course she developed that allows undergraduates to take the class at Benjamin Carson Honors Preparatory School, an Atlanta Public School's middle school where they also mentor students. Their classmates include 10 teachers from Carson who are auditing the course for their own professional development. Previously, as a volunteer for OUCP, Wickline organized a program to improve psychological and family support services for students at another Atlanta inner city school.

• Jason Costa of Atlanta played a central role last year in the freeing of Clarence Harrison from prison after 17 years of incarceration for a crime he did not commit. Costa worked countless hours as an intern for the nonprofit Georgia Innocence Project gathering the evidence and working with justice officials to free Harrison. Since Harrison's release from prison, Costa has continued to help Harrison readjust to society, assisting him with transportation and financial issues, new technology and job skills development. When Harrison recently married, Costa was by his side as a groomsman.

Emory University is known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate college of arts and sciences, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities. For nearly two decades Emory has been named one of the country's top 25 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to its nine schools, the university encompasses The Carter Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, the state's largest and most comprehensive health care system.

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