Honorable Mention Winner
Amanda Howey
Eckerd College
Junior in Psychology
3.73 GPA

There are few people who can say they’ve adopted a family, taken a freshman into their own home, thrown a Halloween party for disabled children, and helped nurse a sick elderly woman through her final days. Amazingly enough, there’s still more that’s left untold when speaking of Eckerd College’s Amanda Howey.

As the founder of EC Outreach, a service club that dedicates each month to one area of service, Howey, 20, has stepped outside the college spectrum to help the community. “Some of the projects we have done are an off-campus food drive, adopting families for Christmas, and even a Halloween party for a group of awesome people who are mentally handicapped,” Howey says. In addition to her normal role in EC Outreach, Howey worked with the director of service ministries in the Campus Ministries office to publish a monthly calendar with all of the service opportunities available for the area.

This is not the only time Howey has gotten involved with Campus Ministries. Last semester, as a part of the Student Ministry Coordinators, Howey had a part in numerous programs to support students with their faith. “[Amanda] has been an active member of the Campus Ministry operation staff, applying her beliefs to her work with others and ‘walking the walk,’” says Thomas Miller, former vice president for student affairs and former dean of students at Eckerd. “She’s a widely recognized, high profile student leader who has influence on others and uses it wisely.”

The incoming students at Eckerd can feel Howey’s influence as well. Serving as a student ambassador and working in the admissions office, Howey gets lots of chances to speak with freshmen and assist those who haven’t decided where to go yet. “I’ve been involved with the admissions office in leading campus tours and hosting overnight prospective students,” Howey says. “This allows the students to come and check out Eckerd in the ‘real setting’ and see if they like it.”

Aside from spreading the word to possible students about how wonderful Eckerd is, Howey also lets the community know about it. This past fall, Howey applied for a new council, the Florida Youth Advisory Council for the Florida Commission on Community Service. This first-year group allows Howey to brainstorm service ideas that have worked at other colleges and communities, as well as let others know what has worked for her at Eckerd.

Howey has also been involved in numerous committees and organizations. She’s one of two students on the Educational Policy and Program Committee. Howey also is on the Finance Committee, the Student Activity Fee Task Force, and is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Honor Society.

Aside from all of the organizations and schoolwork, Howey found time to help a sick neighbor through a serious illness.  “Amanda would drive home or to the hospital a few times a week to spend time with Marion,” says Kemp Talbott Hoversten, director of admissions at Eckerd. “Her true concern and interest in assiting Marion and making her days easier was overwhelming to me. Amanda couldn’t imagine not being there for Marion.”

Along with minimal help from her parents, Howey has paid for her education almost completely with scholarships. She also works in the financial aid office and occasionally at a local grocery store to make ends meet. RG

Contact Howey at howeyam@eckerd.edu