Clintonians among MC Student Experience Award recipients

Special to The Clinton Courier

During its sixth Student Experience Awards Gala, the Division of Student Experience at Mississippi College recently recognized more than four dozen outstanding student leaders who have contributed to campus life at MC. MC students who have demonstrated by their actions what MC’s culture of service and commitment to the cause of Christ truly means were recognized during the formal ceremony and dinner at Anderson Hall in the B.C. Rogers Student Center.

Two Clinton students were recipients.

Sarah Beth Stambaugh was named to The Mississippi College Hall of Fame.

Sarah Beth Stambaugh was named to The Mississippi College Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame, established in 1960, is awarded to four senior students – two female and two male – for outstanding leadership ability, scholastic achievement, extracurricular activities, participation and contribution to student life, and dedication to serving God and their fellow man. Among the highest honors to be presented at MC, Hall of Fame members are chosen by a select student committee.

Nathan Heard received the Student Experience Servant Leadership Award.

Nathan Heard was a recipient of the Student Experience Servant Leadership Award, which acknowledges sophomore and junior students who have served the campus as a whole and are actively leading through engagement, service to the institution and living MC’s Christian mission.

Jonathan Ambrose, dean of students at MC, said the ceremony is significant because it celebrates student achievement outside the classroom and reinforces the University’s mission.
“Mississippi College is committed to developing servant leaders who use their gifts to impact others,” Ambrose said. “The honorees we recognized reflect that mission in action. They are role models, bridge-builders and culture-shapers on our campus, and the ripple effects of their leadership will be felt for years to come.”

As vice president for the student experience at MC, Ambrose said the gala is among his favorite events of the year.

“It reminds us of the heart behind the work we do,” he said. “It’s more than just an awards ceremony – it’s about honoring the stories, the growth and the contributions that make MC special, a place that feels like home.”

The Division of Student Experience solicited award nominations from the entire MC campus community. A committee of staff members selected the winners from among the nominees. A student committee helped choose the Hall of Fame inductees.

“These are individuals who lead with humility. They show up early, stay late, serve others quietly and rarely seek the spotlight,” said Ambrose. “To be able to shine that spotlight on them and celebrate all of their accomplishments, even briefly, is meaningful.”

Mississippi College, affiliated with the Mississippi Baptist Convention, is a private, co-educational, Christian university of liberal arts and sciences serving more than 4,100 students from approximately thirty-five states and more than three dozen countries. Founded in 1826, MC is the oldest institution of higher learning in Mississippi, one of the largest private universities in the state, and America’s second-oldest Baptist college.