NEWS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS)
Date: March 4, 2009
Mary Jo King, 270-706-8530, maryjo.king@kctcs.edu
Five ECTC Students Selected for "Who's Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges"
The 2009 edition of Who's Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges will include the names of five students from Elizabethtown Community and Technical College who have been selected as national outstanding campus leaders.
Campus nominating committees and editors of the annual directory have included the names of these students based on their academic achievement, service to the community, leadership in extracurricular activities and potential for continued success. They join an elite group of students from more than 1,400 institutions of higher learning in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and several foreign nations.
Outstanding students have been honored in the annual directory since it was first published in 1966. The following students were selected this year from Elizabethtown Community and Technical College:
Anthony Durrant, Rineyville, is a 1985 graduate of St. Croix Central High School. After Spring Semester at ECTC, he plans to transfer to Western Kentucky University to earn a Bachelors Degree in middle grades education, followed by a Masters Degree in education administration or counseling. Durrant earned a 4.0 grade point average during the Spring 2007 semester and has been on the Dean's List twice. He has been active at ECTC as a member of the Kentucky Education Association student program and the student ambassador program, in addition to serving as a student representative on the College's appeals board.
Bernadette Gardner, Radcliff, will graduate from ECTC in the Spring of 2009 with an Associate in Applied Science Degree in Early Childhood Education. Gardner will transfer to the University of Louisville in the Fall of 2009 to earn a bachelors degree in elementary education, and ultimately, a masters degree specializing in special education. She has been very active at ECTC, earning the following recognitions: 2008 ECTC Certificate of Achievement for Exceptional Academic Performance, 2007 ECTC Outstanding Freshman and Outstanding Freshman for Early Childhood Education, 2007 National Award Winner of US Achievement Academy, 2007 Dr. William C. Parker Achievement Award, 2006 Student Leadership Award for Kentucky (SO-Regional NCBAA). She has made the Dean's List four times. Gardner has been active in student organizations including vice-president and board member of ECTC Student Government Association, vice-president of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, Mentor in ECTC's Mentorship Program, and board member of ECTC Bookstore Advisory Committee. She has also served as a volunteer for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, North Hardin HOPE, the Red Cross and her church. Gardner has received several honors for community service including 2007 Recognition Award from the Senate of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, 2007 Letter of Recognition from Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher, 2007 Hardin County Outstanding Community Service Award from Judge Executive Harry Berry, and 2007 Certificate of Recognition from the City of Radcliff.
Estella "Kay" Hafford, Leitchfield, is a 1966 graduate of Grayson County High School. Hafford will graduate from ECTC in the Fall of 2009 with an Associate in Applied Science Degree in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education. She plans to further her education at Campbellsville University and work in a preschool classroom. Hafford is the public relations officer for the ECTC Student Government Association and assists with student orientations, tours and early registration. She serves on the student appeals committee, writes for the student newspaper and has worked in the Arts and Humanities Department for several years. In addition, Hafford is active with the Girl Scouts, her daughter's elementary school, Relay for Life, and the Fight Against Autism.
Courtney Pottinger, Magnolia, the daughter of Wendell and Neicha Pottinger, was homeschooled and completed her high school education in 2007. Pottinger will graduate from ECTC in the Fall of 2009 with an Associate in Science Degree. She will study recombinant genetics at Western Kentucky University and then plans to attend medical school with the goal of becoming a physician. Pottinger has maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average, making the President's List twice and receiving the 2008 Honors Award in Biological Science. She was also a recipient of the 2007/2008 President's Scholarship and the 2008/2009 North Central Education Foundation Scholarship for academic achievement. She has served as co-vice-president of Leadership in Phi Theta Kappa, the College's academic honor society. Pottinger is an active member of the US Taekwondo Won Association and recently earned her 2nd degree black belt at the Tae Kwon Do Academy, where she also helps teach.
Holly Sparrow, Louisville, is a 1996 graduate of Central Hardin High School. She will graduate from ECTC in the Spring of 2009 with an Associate Degree in Nursing. After graduation she plans to work in labor and delivery and eventually attain her certification as a lactation consultant. Sparrow served as 2008 president of the ECTC Chapter of the Kentucky Association of Nursing Students.
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College congratulates all of the students named to "Who's Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges."
For most Kentuckians, higher education begins at KCTCS. Our statewide system of 16 colleges and 65 campuses provides citizens throughout the Commonwealth with a quality education that is both accessible and affordable.