Finalist
Amanda Howey
Eckerd College
Senior in Psychology
3.75 GPA

If it weren’t for the insistence of Eckerd College’s Dean of Students, Amanda Howey, 21, wouldn’t have even applied for the “2003 Florida College Student of the Year Award.” “I’m just doing what I do,” Howey says. “I just see it as helping others and doing what I like to do, not as something worth getting an award for. [Dean James Annarelli] said he’d be really disappointed in me if I didn’t apply. He’s like a second father to me, so just to hear him say that made me realize I had to do it.”

Don’t let her fool you. Not only was she a “2002 Florida College Student of the Year” honorable mention, but underlying this truly humble leader’s desire to serve others is a remarkable resume of accomplishments both on and off campus. Among other things, Howey rejuvenated the Director of Faculty and Student Relations position, one of four elected positions in Eckerd’s Student Government, founded EC Outreach, a monthly community service club, co-created the Pinellas County Leadership Conference, a leadership conference for area high school students, and serves on numerous campus committees. “Every major thing we do, Amanda is in the forefront,” says Dr. Donald Eastman, Eckerd president.

“Amanda’s biggest accomplishment on campus has been her ability to influence campus life in so many areas at the same time,” Annarelli says. “That includes campus ministries, Student Government, student publications, community service, her academic work. This is a person who’s done multiple things very, very well.”

As the director of faculty and student relations for the Eckerd College Organization of Students (ECOS), Howey’s mandate is to get the students and faculty interacting outside of the classroom, which she’s done by resurrecting an old Eckerd tradition, “Pitchers with Professors.” The monthly event brings students and professors together socially, allowing them to discuss current events, play music, or just chat over a pitcher of brew. Howey also sponsors a grant that allows professors to take their classes on excursions outside of campus—to restaurants, movies, and other activities that can supplement the course. According to Dr. Jessica Korn, director of institutional research, Howey is the first person to successfully unite these two campus factions. “This is the first year that I’ve ever seen it really work. [Pitchers with Professors] is hugely popular, and especially on a Friday afternoon to have professors still there engaging the students is phenomenal.”

“It’s neat to provide opportunities for students to hang out with their professors and see them as people, not just as the person giving them grades,” Howey says. “It’s been wonderful for me as a student to be able to interact with my professors.” Howey also has won the SG Student of the Year award several times for her work in SG since her freshman year.

In addition to her work in ECOS this year, Howey, along with two other students, took on the ambitious task of creating the Pinellas County Leadership Conference. As part of her Quest for Meaning class, a required course for all seniors at Eckerd, Howey had to complete a mandatory 40-hour community service project. According to Annarelli, who taught the class, Howey’s leadership conference went above and beyond what was required to get an A. “Amanda’s passion for ensuring the success of this project was born of her commitment to sharing with high school students what she and her colleagues had learned through their community and campus involvement,” he says.

The conference gathered students from across Pinellas County onto the Eckerd campus to participate in 20 workshops covering everything from campus and community involvement to leadership skills. Eckerd is planning on making the conference an annual event. “Amanda came in to present the idea to the executive staff—Dean Annarelli, President Eastman, and the rest of the staff—and we just sat there saying, ‘This is a huge recruiting tool for us and a huge boost to get us out in the community,’” Korn says. “I can’t tell you what motivated her to take on such a big project. When she thinks something is important, she doesn’t look at the size of it; she just goes for it, and she makes it a success.”

For Howey, her motivation was simple. “I grew up in Pinellas County, and even though I wasn’t really involved in high school, I never heard of any local conferences students went on,” she says. “I thought it could be really useful in the area. If I had had an opportunity to attend a conference like this, I might have been more willing or felt more equipped to get involved.”

Above all else, Howey strives to be a “servant leader.” “We have to think of our leadership roles as helping others first,” she says. “It’s wonderful to see someone come in and ask a question, and you’re able to point them in the right direction and they come back and thank you. As a leader, I see that what I do—leading a club or being in Student Government—is all about serving your peers and the people who elected you. Serving others is just so meaningful.”

It’s this overarching desire to serve others that’s led Howey into several of her leadership roles. During her first semester at Eckerd, Howey wanted to maintain a minimal role on the yearbook staff. But before she knew it, her skills were called upon to fill a void in the staff. “I just wanted to be a photographer, but somehow, I became the sales and fundraising manager because they needed someone for it,” she says. She eventually became the yearbook office manager, working with the editor in chief to reorganize the book. The situation was much the same for Howey when she got involved with ECOS. “They would ask, ‘Can you be on this committee?’ or ‘We need a freshman for this.’ It just kind of happened.”

“This is a young woman who is very much dedicated to the idea of servant leadership in the broader sense of that term,” Annarelli says. “She has a genuine commitment to serving others. I think that it comes out of her own personal values, and is formed by her religious faith.”

Nowhere does Howey’s desire to serve her fellow students come through more than with her involvement in Student Ministry. As the coordinator, she helped develop the programming and made presentations for the peer ministry and mentoring group. “I think Amanda just falls into the leadership position,” says Dr. Marjorie Hardy, assistant psychology professor who has overseen Howey’s academic work and her role as president of Psi Chi, the psychology honor society. “She has the respect of her peers. They think very highly of her and are impressed with how much she can do.”

Despite Howey’s natural leadership ability, she avoids the limelight as much as possible. “I’m most comfortable remaining in the background,” she says. “I know that it’s not just me doing something; it’s everyone I’m working with, the team, the committee. If they weren’t there, I wouldn’t be able to get done what I do. I don’t think it’s right to take all the credit, and that’s what it feels like when I’m up front.”

“She’s light-years beyond our other campus leaders, and she’s so humble she doesn’t see it,” Korn says. “She represents the very best of Eckerd. She really has this way of facilitating and encouraging faculty, staff, and students to all be together.”

Avoiding the center of attention is difficult when you’ve accomplished as much as Howey. During her sophomore year, she founded EC Outreach in an attempt to get Eckerd students involved in the St. Petersburg community. Throughout her two years as club president, EC Outreach completed 20 successful events, including the now-annual Kimberly Home Christmas drive.

Howey also is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, a leadership honor society, and is treasurer of the Psychology Club. As the Eckerd representative for the BACCHUS and GAMMA Peer Education Network, she’s organized campaigns to educate fellow students about sexual assault and the dangers of alcohol and cigarettes. Howey is an Eckerd Student Ambassador, representing the school at official events, served as vice president of her residence hall, was a Student Liaison for the Academy of Senior Professionals at Eckerd College (ASPEC), a group that brings prominent business professionals to speak on campus, and has been a member of several faculty/student committees. She even takes the time to participate in intramural soccer. “She’s been a student leader ever since she walked on campus,” Eastman says. “She has a great way about her in getting other people excited about the task she has in front of her.”

“This is a person of tremendous integrity, a person who’s extremely dedicated to the community, who’s been nothing but an honor and a privilege to work with,” Annarelli says. “She’s a terrific young woman.”

Howey covers her college expenses through several part-time jobs, scholarships, student loans, grants, and help from her parents. After she graduates, she’s planning on working at Eckerd for a year before she begins graduate work in psychology.

“[My service work] has taught me a lot,” Howey says. “I’ve learned a lot about Eckerd, about who I am, and about what I want to do. I’ve learned a lot about my limits—what I can do and what I can’t do—how to work as a team and how important that is. You can struggle as a leader if you’re not working as a team; you have to be a servant first.” -JL

Contact Howey at howeyam@eckerd.edu.