Winter 2012 - Wayland Baptist University Alumni Association

was Jessica Kenneson, a sophomore
molecular biology/chemistry student
from Wiggins, Colo. — she recently was
elected to be the chapter president for
the coming year.
Kenneson said that one of her
colleagues, past president Stephanie
Whitaker, helped her compile the report
but it still was a pretty big undertaking.
“It took forever,” she said with a
laugh.
Kenneson said the recognition is
affirmation for the close-knit nature of
the group.
“We spend every day together,” she
said. “I’ve told a lot of people it’s like
a family down here,” she said, adding
that one common characteristic of the
group is its willingness to serve others.
“I’ve noticed the people in this
group have a heart for service,” she
said.
That willingness is manifesting itself
in one of the chapter’s big projects,
a weekly program where members
assist area homeschool students
with chemistry labs. Dr. Gray said the
program meets two needs. It provides
an excellent service opportunity for the
chapter while also giving them a legitimate
fundraiser (since they do charge
a minimal fee for participation in the
program).
“I think this group is finally starting
to realize the potential for good they
have for the university. I think they are
realizing they can be clever enough in
designing programs that both benefit
the community and provide them with
travel money,” Gray said.
While the group has demonstrated
over the past couple of years that it is
a consistently high-performing chapter,
Kenneson said the time has come
for the chapter to step up to another
level because of the activities they want
to do, and that means getting more
participation.
“We’re going to need more people
involved,” she said. “Somehow we’re
going to have to make ourselves known
(to other students).”
That means having more social
activities and coming up with better
ways to integrate the organization into
the regular functions of the university,
she said.
Kenneson pointed out that students
don’t have to be chemistry majors to
be a part of the Wayland chapter.
One of the things the chapter is
looking at in the future is establishing
an endowed scholarship to help future
students. Gray said that will give students
yet another opportunity to help
the community.
Outgoing president Trevor Burrow,
a junior math/chemistry/molecular
biology student from Lubbock, pointed
out that the organization gives students
a chance to use their passion to benefit
the university, as well as individual students.
Through the ACS chapter, they
can help incoming students get a good
start in the sciences at the collegiate
level while also helping current students
move onto graduate school.
“It’s kind of reaching in both directions,”
he said.
“If you have a passion for something,
you want to share it with people
and maybe they’ll become interested in
it as well,” he said.
For Kenneson, the notion of the
chapter being able to endow a scholarship
made an already big smile grow
and her reaction was an indication
of the enthusiasm she and her fellow
students have for helping others.
“We’re really interested in starting
an endowed scholarship. There’s
nothing better than being able to help
somebody get through school,” she
concluded.
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