Amber Ridings received the Richard B. Kenny Freshman Leadership Award for her outstanding academic performance and extensive extracurricular involvement as president of the freshman class council, a Kalon Leadership Scholar, and volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. While maintaining a near perfect GPA, Ridings served in numerous leadership roles on campus in student government and her sorority. She credits her success to determination and support from friends as she strives to continue making positive impacts at Bethany College.

1. The TOWER Lifestyles 3
Ridings Receives Richard B. Kenny Freshman Leadership Award
By KELVIN THOMAS Leadership Award is presented trip, which traveled to Nashville, individual, she views this award as
TOWER contributor annually to the most academically Tennessee, to rebuild homes for more of a building block than an
By the time Dean Gerald Steb- outstanding and socially active flood victims. endpoint. “I just want to continue
bins had finished depicting this member of the previous freshman On top of her political and phil- to be an active part of Bethany’s
year’s Richard B. Kenny Freshman class. Ridings’ extensive resume re- anthropic duties, Ridings also be- community in any way that I can,”
Leadership Award to the congrega- veals that she fully embodies this come a member of Bethany’s Greek said Ridings. Several examples of
tion assembled in Commencement award’s ideals. In fact, her resume community by joining the Alpha Xi Riding’s continued willingness to
Hall for the 2011 Bethany College is more well rounded than many Delta sorority. Last spring, she was serve her fellow students are her
Convocation Ceremony, it became of her upperclassmen peers. While voted the Freshman Greek Woman newfound positions as a Resident
clear that he could only be refer- the award is based on her Fresh- of the Year and became the Heri- Assistant and as the Assistant
ring to one individual. men year achievements, Ridings tage Chair for her chapter’s execu- Treasurer for the Bethany College
As sophomore Amber Ridings says, “Serving as Freshman Class tive committee. Student Government. While no one
rose to accept this prestigious Council president is the position Perhaps Ridings’ most remark- knows what Amber Ridings will ac-
award, she was greeted with a that was most meaningful to me able feat has been her ability to ex- complish this year, one can almost
rousing standing ovation. But de- last year. I gained the most expe- cel academically while successfully guarantee that she will be doing it
spite the outpouring of affection for rience from it and I know that the juggling so many extracurricular with a smile on her face.
her by her peers and the faculty, council as a whole played a large responsibilities. An Accounting
Ridings approached the podium role in campus life.” major and Criminal Justice mi-
with the same grace, humility and As if heading the freshman class nor, she has been able to main-
a heart-warming smile for which were not enough, Ridings also tain a 3.95 GPA while carrying a
she is known. impacted the Bethany campus full course load. When asked how
“I am so proud of this award be- through her community service she manages so many obligations,
cause of its namesake: I have heard work as a member of the Kalon Ridings replied, “Learning a posi-
nothing but amazing things about Leadership Scholars. Her tire- tive balance was difficult because
Richard Kenney,” stated Ridings. less efforts with this organization I didn’t want to sacrifice anything.
“And if others can relate me to him, earned her the distinction of Most In the end, it came down to deter-
then I know I have made a differ- Outstanding Kalon Freshman mination, but if it weren’t for my
ence.” Scholar. Ridings even extended sisters, friends and council mem-
Named after the late and much her goodwill outside the Bethany bers, I know I wouldn’t have been
Ridings received the Richard B.
respected Bethany professor Rich- community by participating in the able to do as much.” Kenny Freshman Leadership Award.
ard B. Kenney, the Freshman Habitat for Humanity volunteer Being a determined and modest (Photo by Chelsea Rommes)
History Major Steps Back in Time and Gains Valuable Experience
By NOELLE WRIGHT paring items so that they can be ef- ing the storage facility, where she termine whether or not she wants
TOWER staff writer fectively displayed. As she worked, found traces of every aspect of life to pursue historical preservation
It is rare to come into contact she enjoyed getting to know the from previous periods of American after college. She encourages her
with a surviving piece of history, other interning students, as well as history including a few very curi- fellow students and history majors
and for most of us, those encoun- some of the historians who provid- ous items, such as a corset that was to explore all of their career options
ters are limited to museum visits ed interesting historical facts and designed for an infant so as to ac- and take advantage of any oppor-
and photographs. However, for stories and helped her to feel wel- custom the body to the garment as tunity to work with their subject
current senior and history major come. The real opportunity, how- early as possible. hands-on. “You have to study his-
Emily Presnell, the summer of ever, was learning more about the Presnell also got to see several tory in order to know where we
2011 saw the opportunity to get a process of historical preservation, items from a collection of household came from. You can learn about
closer look at the remnants of our a field that Presnell is considering items, photographs and documents it in a book, you can teach it to
past as she completed an intern- after she finishes her education. It donated by the Matthews family. other people, but if you get the op-
ship with the Jamestown-York- appeals to her particularly because They are immigrants of Greek de- portunity to actually preserve an
town Foundation, an educational of the connection she can make scent whose tomb is located on the artifact, you can really learn about
institution located in her home with history by physically seeing Yorktown victory site, and who it-where it comes from and why it
state of Virginia, which operates and handling the objects. have been generous enough to do- was made,” states Presnell. “You
both Jamestown Settlement and “I don’t want to sit at a desk,” nate a large amount of the land on get to step back into history, see
Yorktown Victory Center. says Presnell. “I want to actually which the foundation is built. what it would have looked like and
As an intern, Presnell’s respon- be involved. I want to get my hands Presnell explains that her time understand what it was used for.
sibilities included scanning slides dirty.” spent was especially valuable be- It’s better than anything you can
and scrapbooks, measuring arti- One of the most interesting ex- cause it gave her experience in her learn in a classroom, from a book,
facts, organizing records and pre- periences for Presnell was explor- desired field and allowed her to de- or off a chalkboard.”