Ten seniors were awarded membership in the 2013-2014 class of the Ole Miss Hall of Fame Friday afternoon at the Ford Center. (Front row, left to right) Madison Elizabeth Coburn of Ridgeland, Katharine Halpin DeRossette of Vicksburg, Mary Ball Markow of Jackson and Daniel Curtis Roberts of Moss Point. (Back row, left to right) Timothy Orinaze Abram of Horn Lake, Gregory Alston of Hattiesburg, Anish Sharma of Greenwood, Quadray Arnez Kohlhiem of Tupelo, Thomas Neal McMillin of Madison and Vinod Kannuthurai of Hazlehurst. Photo: Alex Edwards, The Daily Mississippian.
Ten seniors were awarded membership in the 2013-2014 class of the Ole Miss Hall of Fame Friday afternoon at the Ford Center.
Chancellor Dan Jones conferred the awards, among the University’s highest honors to Timothy Orinaze Abram of Horn Lake, Gregory Alston of Hattiesburg, Madison Elizabeth Coburn of Ridgeland, Katharine Halpin DeRossette of Vicksburg, Vinod Kannuthurai of Hazlehurst, Quadray Arnez Kohlhiem of Tupelo, Mary Ball Markow of Jackson, Thomas Neal McMillin of Madison, Daniel Curtis Roberts of Moss Point and Anish Sharma of Greenwood.
A selection committee of faculty, staff, and student representatives selects recipients according to ASB policy. Academic history, community service involvement, and potential for future success are weighed in assessing nominated students.
This year’s 10 inductees into the Hall of Fame, in addition to 146 other Ole Miss seniors, have been included in the 2014 edition of Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.
Freshman public policy major Ty Marino believes that induction into the Hall of Fame indicates having worked throughout an individual college career.
“I think it is an honor to those being recognized,” Marino said. “It represents to us students that hard work does pay off in the long run.”
Sophomore biology major John Yi agrees.
“I believe the Hall of Fame represents those who, by their daily walk, present the ideals of the University with integrity and honor,” Yi said. “They are individuals who were not afraid to tread new ground for the betterment of their peers and Ole Miss as a whole.”
Abram, the son of Timothy Abram and Charlotte Jackson, studies public policy leadership as a member of both the Trent Lott Leadership Institute and Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. He is the recipient of a Luckyday Scholarship and a Lott Institute Study Abroad Scholarship, and was nominated for a Truman Scholarship. Abram is involved in One Mississippi, Black Student Union, Omicron Delta Kappa, UM Big Event, Aid for AIDS, Relay for Life and currently serves as the opinion editor of the Daily Mississippian.
Alston is the son of Greg and Betsy Alston, and is a public policy leadership major. He is the 2013-2014 ASB president and president of the Institutions of Higher Learning Student Body President’s Council of Mississippi. Alston was 2011-2012 ASB Senator of the Year, a member of the Student Alumni Council, and is involved in the UM Big Event, Feed the Hunger Pack-a-Thon, and the Salvation Army. He is an Eagle Scout, has served as senior staff for the American Legion Mississippi Boys State, is a member of Sigma Alpha Lambda, Gamma Beta Phi, and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. Alston has studied abroad through the Lott Institute’s Resurrection House AIDS Project in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Coburn, the daughter of Philip and Angie Coburn, is a member of the Lott Institute and Honors college studying public policy leadership. She is the recipient of a Holmes Scholarship, Chancellor’s Distinguished Senior Scholarship, and Charlotte Coward Yarborough Leadership Scholarship. Regularly listed on the Chancellor’s Honor Roll, Coburn is the recipient of an Outstanding Student in Modern Languages Award. She is active in Phi Kappa Phi membership and participates in Mortar Board, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Order of Omega. Coburn volunteers through the UM Big Event, Student Disability Services as a note-taker, and St. Jude Hospital.
DeRossette, 2013 Miss Ole Miss, is the daughter of Tim and Lucy DeRossette. She is an exercise science major and has been recognized for activity in recycling on campus, serving as the UM Office of Sustainability’s 2013 Green Grove manager. Under DeRossette’s leadership, recycling efforts were expanded from one game a season to all game days. She has served as ASB director of First Year Experience, an Orientation Leader, director of Freshman Council, coordinator of Lambda Sigma Community Service and president of Mortar Board. DeRossette is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa and Order of Omega and serves the community through her involvement in Relay for Life, the UM Big Event, Rollin’ Rebels Wheelchair Basketball Tournament and Aid for AIDS benefit dinner.
Kannuthurai is a triple major studying public policy leadership, classics and political science as a member of the Lott Institute and Honors College. Kannuthurai is consistently listed on the Chancellor’s Honor Roll, is a Taylor Medal recipient, and is a member of Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Beta Kappa. He has received departmental awards in political science and classics, was a winner in Transatlantic Essay Competition sponsored by the German Embassy, is the vice president of Omicron Delta Kappa, and a member of the Ole Miss Judicial Council. Kannuthurai serves the community through Mississippi First Quality Education Advocacy Group, So Others Might Eat in Washington, D.C., Mound Bayou, and Aid for AIDS project to benefit a South African orphanage. Kannuthurai is the son of Thiruvarasu and Chandra Kannuthurai.
Kohlhiem, is the son of Mitchell and Shirley Kohlhiem. Studying marketing, Kohlhiem is president of the Black Student Union and a member of the Columns Society. Kohlhiem has served on ASB as a residence hall senator, member of the Rules Committee and chair of the Appropriations/Student Life Committee, a Freshman Focus mentor and member of the Smoke Free Campus Committee. Kohlhiem has served the Panhellenic Council as an officer and is a musician with the Ole Miss Gospel Choir. A member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Kohlhiem has served through the UM Big Event, Sunflower County Freedom Project, Oxford Elementary After-School Project, Oxford Boys and Girls Club and St. Jude.
Markow, is the daughter of Gregory Markow and Mary Ball Markow. She is an English major studying in the Honors College. Former student director of the Honors College, Markow is an Honors College Ambassador and currently serves as an ASB senator, Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College representative at the National Collegiate Honors Council meeting, and a member of UM’s Student Affairs Advisory Committee and Student Alumni Council. She is a Newman Scholar, is listed on the Chancellor’s Honor Roll, and is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Order of Omega, Mortar Board, Omicron Delta Kappa and Alpha Epsilon Delta. Markow has served as project organizer for Lambda Sigma, a founding member of RebelTHON, and volunteer for English Language Learners.
McMillin, the son of Tommy and Ruth McMillin, is a Newman Scholar and Bernard Scholar majoring in Southern studies and economics. McMillin is a member of the Honors College and is a recipient of a Barksdale Award financing an investigative study of Scotland’s use of the ocean tides to generate renewable energy.
Listed on the Chancellor’s Honor Roll and a recipient of a Taylor Medal, McMillin is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Omicron Delta Kappa, Sigma Alpha Lambda and Phi Eta Sigma, and he received the Inter-fraternity Council Academic and Leadership Excellence Award. McMillin placed first in the Formal Essay category of the Ole Miss Southern Literary Festival and has been published in The Delta Magazine. He has served as an ASB senator and Honors College ambassador, and has served through Leap Frog, American Red Cross, Bread of Life Ministries, and Coats for Kids.
Roberts is the son of Ruben and Debra Roberts. Majoring in public policy leadership, he is a member of the Honors College and Lott Institute. Roberts is pro tempore of the ASB, has served as a special events coordinator of the Black Student Union and vice chair of the Traffic Appeals Board. He has helped organize the Ole Miss Diversity Grove Tent and serves on the Smoke Free Campus committee and as a member of the Mississippi First Quality Education Advocacy Group. Roberts has been a member of the Columns Society, Ole Miss Ambassador, and orientation leader. He is a member of Alpha Lambda Delta and Gamma Beta Phi. He has served through the Anacostia Watershed Society; Port Elizabeth, South Africa Sustainable Development Project; and Galapagos Islands, Ecuador Public Policy Initiative; as well as with the UM Big Event, Oxford Elementary School tutoring and the Food Pantry.
Sharma, the son of Anil and Sunita Sharma, is an accountancy major serving as the president of the accountancy school’s Associated Student Body. Sharma is a member of the Honors College and has been awarded an Honors College Fellowship, Robert M. Carrier Scholarship and Friou Accountancy Scholarship. Listed on the Chancellor’s Honor Roll, Sharma is a member of Phi Kappa Phi and a recipient of a Taylor Medal. He has served as a member of the Chancellor’s Academic Discipline Standing Committee, Creed Week Award Committee, and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Advisory Council, Student Alumni Council and UM Big Event Logistics Committee. He is a member Mortar Board, Omicron Delta Kappa, Order of Omega, Beta Alpha Psi and Gamma Beta Phi. He serves through the Sapphire Primary School in Port Elizabeth, South Africa; Volunteer Warehouse Food Repack Program in New York City; and locally with Leap Frog, the Food Pantry and Sigma Nu Charity Bowl.
— Grant Beebe
beebe.thedm@gmail.com
