Honorable Mention Winner
Kelly Renfroe
North Florida Community College
Sophomore in Business
3.85 GPA

It’s unlikely that you’ll find any club, organization, or individual at North Florida Community College who hasn’t been touched by Kelly Renfroe. In fact, this 27-year-old business major has made a college career out of shaping and improving NFCC.

“I don’t know of another student who has contributed as much to the North Florida Community College student body as has Ms. Renfroe,” says Morris Steen, Jr., NFCC’s president.

In her current position as Student Government Association president, Renfroe took the whirlwind atmosphere of the 2004 presidential election and used it as an opportunity to get students at NFCC involved. She organized three voter registration drives throughout campus and brought representatives from both the Republican Party and Democratic Party to the school.

Renfroe also is concerned about improving her campus to ensure that students are getting the educational tools needed to succeed. As SGA secretary last year, Renfroe convinced the school’s president that the students needed a new bookstore. She also persuaded him to install two new computers in the student center. “I’m so happy every time I see students using them,” Renfroe says.

It appears that Renfroe is the voice of the student body not only on campus but off as well. She is one of 10 college students who were chosen to be on Rep. Allen Boyd’s student advisory council. There, she makes sure her local congressman is aware of problems that concern her and the NFCC student body.

She’s also extremely active in other organizations around campus. Through the Save Our Animal Resources club, Renfroe helped organize a pet food drive to benefit the local pound. As vice president of the African-American Student Union, she helped put together a Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration with motivational speakers and free food for all students.

Renfroe doesn’t just stop at giving back to her school but also is actively involved in the community. She has helped organize drives for food, books, and toys. She’s raised money for the March of Dimes and has even adopted a needy family on Christmas. As president of Student Tobacco Reform Initiative Knowledge for Eternity, Renfroe helps educate students about the effects of tobacco on their bodies, convincing many students to quit smoking.

Whether it’s helping students kick the habit, improving the NFCC campus, or helping the community around her, Renfroe has touched many lives. “I’ve worked with students in higher education for 20 years and have found no student with the combination of ability and purpose that Kelly possesses,” says K. Douglas Brown, vice president of academic and institutional planning.  “She has maintained an exemplary academic record while tirelessly serving in leadership roles both on and off the campus of North Florida Community College.”

Renfroe pays for her college education through life savings, scholarships, and wages she earns through her many different leadership positions.—JW

Contact Renfroe at krenfroe@digitalexp.com.