Emory University Students Honored as Humanitarians

Six Emory University students were recently named the university’s 2009 Humanitarian Award winners. The honor recognizes students who embody a spirit of volunteerism and sense of community, both on campus and off.

President Jim Wagner gave out the awards to the six recipients in a ceremony earlier this month. The awardees represented Emory College, the university's primary undergraduate college, as well as the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Rollins School of Public Health and Candler School of Theology

Students are nominated for the Humanitarian Award by peers, staff 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.

Chosen from a pool of more than 60 nominees, this year’s honorees are extensively involved in both local and international community volunteerism and activism. The winners, with highlights of their service, include:

• Stephen Deaderick, Emory College senior
Deaderick was honored for the "exceptional service" he has provided to the Office of Multicultural Programs and Services the past four years, and for his leadership in ensuring the overall welfare of Emory's diverse community. Among many activities, he co-founded “All Mixed Up,” a student organization to address the specific needs of students of mixed racial heritages, religions and transnational backgrounds. As a MORE mentor advisor, he works closely with freshmen to ensure that each student has access to resources and social networks that will make them successful here at Emory.

• Jeffrey Schram, Emory College senior
His nominator and friends describe him as "inspiring" with a strong sense of empathy and kindness toward all. Schram has volunteered with the Special Olympics and has devoted much time as a mentor and "supervisory friend" for an Emory staff member's son who has Down Syndrome. He also serves as co-president of SHOAH, the Holocaust Awareness group on campus, and is deeply involved with the Inter-Religious Council.

• Ramone Williams, Emory College junior
Williams was honored for her breast cancer research and advocacy and campus leadership on College Council. Williams has made an extraordinary commitment to research as an undergraduate at the Winship Cancer Institute on TNBC, or Triple Negative Breast Cancer, a highly aggressive, metastic form of breast cancer. She has spearheaded multiple awareness programs and fundraisers for TNBC. Williams also volunteers as a MORE Mentor and biology tutor, and is active in the School of Medicine's Pipeline Program for Atlanta public school students.

• Javier Gutierrez, Rollins School of Public Health
An obstetrician, Gutierrez and his wife founded a small hospital more than a decade ago in Leticia, a remote area in the Amazon jungle of Colombia. The hospital grew from 6 to 30 beds and they were able to establish a satellite hospital 70 miles up river from Leticia. Javier and his wife and two sons have continued to serve the population in Leticia for 14 years. Upon graduation from Rollins, Gutierrez will return to Colombia to continue to provide quality care to the native people of the Colombian Amazon.

• Karl Kroger, Candler School of Theology
Kroger, president of the Social Concerns Network at Candler, is known as an activist and a seeker of justice for the poor and the oppressed. Kroger was recognized for his work as an advocate for Troy Davis, a current death row inmate convicted in 1991 of the 1989 murder of Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail. This past year, he organized a broad base of supporters across campus and community lines to bring attention to the Davis case. On Oct. 24, 2008, three days before Davis’s scheduled execution date, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay of execution, still in effect, to review the case due to discredited eye witness testimony.

• Shauna Mettee, Rollins School of Public Health
Already a registered nurse, Shauna Metttee is seeking dual degrees from the School of Nursing and the School of Public Health. As leader of the School of Public Health Student Outreach, she has expanded the scope of the team to add more real learning experiences as well as skill training. She also works closely with the homeless in Atlanta, and has worked in underserved areas of the globe including Guinea Bissau and Bangladesh.