LORMAN, Miss. – Alcorn State University graduate and former Miss Alcorn Carla Kirkland returned for a celebratory night last Thursday as the athletic department hosted its 2018 Student-Athlete Awards Banquet in the Gold Room in the Clinton Bristow Dinning Hall.
Kirkland, a 1985 Alcorn graduate, is the founder and CEO of The Kirkland Group which specializes in college and career readiness. The group strives to provide school districts with all the tools they need to ensure that students are successful in the classroom.Â
Kirkland won the 2017 Businesswoman's Award by CV Magazine and the 2017 Career Development CEO of the Year honor.
"I was super excited to be asked to speak to the student-athletes. I was glad to provide information to all sports and athletes on how to move from their current athletic careers to the next level in the work force," Kirkland said. "I want all the student-athletes to start thinking about what they want to do after sports almost as soon as they start playing sports."
Kirkland's presentation included studies that showed the biggest factors for helping students make a successful transition to becoming a professional. The talking points included personal resilience, skills, education and professional relationships.
"It was a pleasure having Mrs. Kirkland on campus to speak to our student-athletes. She is one of our most notable and successful Alcornites, and her words will have a lasting impact on our young men and women," said director of athletics
Derek Horne. "Mrs. Kirkland is a lifelong educator. She's proven how much of an impact one person can make on a community, especially with a degree from Alcorn."Â
After Kirkland's remarks, each head coach named a Most Valuable and Most Improved student-athlete from his/her program. Coaches also highlighted their team's success on and off the field.
In addition to Most Improved and Most Valuable awards, Alcorn handed out Brave Awards, Best Sportsmanship and Freshmen of the Year accolades. These awards were merited by contributions on the field, in the classroom and in the community.
Click here to view the photo gallery of the event on Alcorn's Facebook page.
Brave Award
Male: Kert Kilumets, men's tennis
Female: Jessica Ransom, women's track & field
Sportsmanship Award
Male: James Stokes, men's basketball
Female: Ambria Dorsey, softball
Freshman of the Year
Male: Bralon Robinson, men's track & field
Female: Fiapaipai Iosia, volleyball
Football
Most Valuable: De'Lance Turner
Most Improved: Deago Sama
Volleyball
Most Valuable: Fiapaipai Iosia
Most Improved: Wanya Morris
Soccer
Most Valuable: Alexandra Salvador
Most Improved: Jaydah Myers
Cheerleading
Most Valuable: Arielle Miles
Most Improved: Amber Wilson
Women's Cross Country
Most Valuable: Angelica Jacobs
Most Improved: Yekeshia Royal
Men's Cross Country
Most Valuable: Tyreq Miles
Most Improved: Peterson Saint-Cyrin
Women's Basketball
Most Valuable: Alexis Freeman
Most Improved: Jada Hargrove
Men's Basketball
Most Valuable: A.J. Mosby
Most Improved: Devon Brewer
Women's Golf
Most Valuable: Jahaanvie Walia
Most Improved: Sammye Schroer
Men's Golf
Most Valuable: Spencer Rhodes
Most Improved: Jon Allen
Softball
Most Valuable: (Entire Team)
Most Improved: Alicia Hill
Baseball
Most Valuable: Carlos Lopez
Most Improved: Jordan McGowan
Women's Tennis
Most Valuable: Bianca Birkensock
Most Improved: Alessandra Maganuco
Men's Tennis
Most Valuable: Kert Kilumets
Most Improved: Nuno Rocha
#FearTheBrave
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