Exciting opportunities await the graduating seniors of Lander University’s Honors College, and those students had the opportunity to shine at the annual Honors College Awards Ceremony recently held in Lander’s Abney Cultural Center Auditorium. Of the pending graduates, one is headed to dental school. Another has been accepted into a PhD program. Many others will enter public and community service, through volunteering (at home and abroad) and teaching in classrooms throughout South Carolina.
Among those receiving recognition at the ceremony was William Jermon Franklin, a chemistry major from Lexington, with a minor in writing. As part of his studies at Lander, Franklin completed Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) at the University of Cincinnati and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and won second place for his research in chemistry at the South Carolina Academy of Science Conference. Franklin’s research also took him to Denver, where he presented at a conference of the American Chemical Society. At Lander, he has been heavily involved with campus life, serving as a Presidential Ambassador and senator for the Student Government Association. He was also crowned Homecoming King in 2024 and received the Philosophy Discipline Award in 2023. Franklin was recently accepted to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to pursue his PhD in Chemistry.
Saraiya Carr, an English (professional writing) and history double major from Greenville, will spend a year volunteering abroad before attending law school. At Lander, Carr has been a leader in Greek life, serving as president of the Order of Omega and standards chair for Gamma Phi Beta. She has also worked as a resident assistant for Housing and Residence Life, and has completed internships with the Benjamin E. Mays Historic Site and the Jane Merrill Law Firm. Carr’s academic performance has also led to memberships in the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society and the Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society.
Another double major, Andrew Goforth, of Greenwood, will go straight into the classroom next fall. After completing his degree, he will teach history at Greenwood High School and coach football. His faculty note that this is a fitting career for Goforth, not only because he completed his student teaching at Greenwood High School, but because of his love of Greenwood County history. While at Lander, he interned for Benjamin E. Mays Historic Site, while also working at the Greenwood Museum and serving on the Cokesbury Commission, which focuses on the preservation of the old Cokesbury College building and site in Greenwood County. Goforth also studied abroad at the University of Sterling in Scotland, participated in the Honors College’s “Rhetorical Recreation” study tour to various national parks, and recently represented Lander at Higher Education Day at the South Carolina State House.
While Goforth stays local, fellow Greenwood resident Rebekah Logan, a biology and music double major with a Spanish minor, will attend the Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University this summer. In addition to working as a surgery assistant at Western Carolina Oral Surgery, Logan has worked on campus as a peer tutor and a LINK peer leader. Her studies in music have led her to perform with the Lander Chamber Orchestra and the Lander Strings Trio. Like her fellow Honors College students, Logan still found time in her busy schedule to study abroad, choosing Santiago, Chile. And, proving that Honors College graduates are nothing if not well-rounded, Logan also worked off-campus as a black belt instructor at Leak’s Karate College.
Some Honors College students enjoy their study abroad experiences enough to return for advanced degrees. Noah Durham, a financial services major from Abbeville, with a minor in international business, studied abroad for a semester at the University of Winchester earlier in his Lander career. In September, he’ll return to England as a graduate student at the University of Southampton, focusing on business analytics. Durham’s Lander studies also highlight how Lander can couple classroom learning with real-world experiences that prepare students for the workforce. As part of his Lander education, Durham completed robust internships with Cox and Hazel, and later County Bank, where he recently transitioned into a full time position at the bank.
“Our graduates have launched important careers in human resources, healthcare management, marketing, professional writing and social work,” said Dr. Lillian Craton, professor of English and director of the Honors College. “The impact that Lander Honors grads already have on our state and our nation is astounding, and our 2025 graduates are about to join those illustrious ranks.”
Honors Medalists:
The following students received the Honors Medal and Honors Pin to add to their graduation regalia as part of the awards ceremony:
Honors Pin Recipients:
The following students received an Honors Pin to add to their graduation regalia:
The following students are due to graduate in December, and received their Honors Pin, and are eligible for the Honors Medal next semester:
Alpha Chi Medalists:
The following students also received a medal from Alpha Chi National Honor Society as part of the ceremony: