Presbyterian College names Erika Gotfredson Outstanding Senior

Presbyterian College names Erika Gotfredson Outstanding Senior

Presbyterian College names Erika Gotfredson Outstanding Senior Clinton SC

At its 2016 Honors Day Convocation held Thursday, April 21, 2016, Presbyterian College named Erika Gotfredson, a senior Griffith scholar from Berkeley Lake, Ga, majoring in English with minors in creative writing, women’s and gender studies, history, and international studies, the recipient of its Outstanding Senior Award.

“My educational experiences at PC have been so fulfilling, as all of my professors have encouraged me to utilize my passions within the classroom setting,” she said.

Gotfredson’s scholarly pursuits are very important to her, evidenced by her winning the Freshman Writing Award in 2013, her membership in four honors society—Sigma Tau Delta (English), Sigma Delta Pi (Spanish), Sigma Kappa Alpha (academic), and Omicron Delta Kappa (leadership)—and her creative nonfiction essay titled “A Hundred Thousand Welcomes” published in the 2015 edition of “Figs & Thistles.”

Moreover, Gotfredson conducted an Honors Research Project titled “‘This Tomboy Thing’: The Cultural Lag in Cinematic Depictions of Female Team Sport Athletes” with Dr. Justin Brent during her junior and senior years.

“Erika’s research project grows out of her background in competitive sports and her interest in sports films. It attests to the rare opportunities for collaborative, interdisciplinary research in the English Honors Track. Erika is one of our most talented majors,” said Brent.

In 2014, Gotfredson also spent her spring semester studying abroad at Edge Hill University in Ormskirk, England.

Beyond academics, Gotfredson has utilized every opportunity she could to get involved on campus. During her four years as a PC student, she has served as an intern in the College’s Campus Life Office and Office of Communications and Marketing, as a Stirling for the Office of Admissions, as a member and the president of Student Activities Board, and as a member of the planning committee for the 2016 Women’s Leadership Conference.

In the fall, Gotfredson will attend Wake Forest University to begin her endeavor towards a Master’s Degree in English.

“On a day-to-day basis, I’ve been surrounded by faculty members who don’t always ask the easy questions and peers who are on the same journey as me towards learning more about themselves and their place in the world,” Gotfredson said. “In the four short years I’ve been a student here, I feel like I’ve become more open-minded and intrigued by the ways in which the education I’m receiving and the leadership roles I’ve filled can prepare me to benefit society after I graduate.”

 


 

 

Presbyterian College is located on a striking 240-acre campus in Clinton, between Columbia and Greenville, S.C. Offering challenging academics and a culture of honor, ethics, and service that prepares students to be leaders in communities, PC offers its students the benefit of engaging with an exceptional faculty who take individual interest in their students’ well-being, both personally and in the classroom. The Presbyterian College School of Pharmacy opened in 2010, and is dedicated to the ideals of leadership, honor to the profession, and service to the community. For more information about Presbyterian College, visit www.presby.edu.