FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 10, 2017
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Glenville State College
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President Barr awards Sam Canfield (right) with the 2017 Student Leadership Award
GLENVILLE, WV - Samuel Canfield, a 2017 Glenville State College graduate, was presented with the Student Leadership Award at GSCâs Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 6. He is the son of Patty Wilson and Jerrell Canfield.
In nominations for the award, faculty members called Canfield âa natural leaderâ with âthe qualities and self-confidence to leadâ adding that he, âwears his many personal and intellectual virtues lightly, remaining always a humble and likable young man.â Another nomination called him, âthe exemplar of the great things about Glenville State College students.â Yet another faculty member praised his, âimpeccable work ethic.â
âI am truly blessed to receive this award and am so happy that my professors thought so highly of me to recommend me for the award,â Canfield said. âIt was awesome to have my name called at the ceremonyâ¦I had chills.â
For the future, Canfield plans to obtain a Ph.D. in ecology and continue into a career related to ecology or the environment.
As a graduating senior in the Student Support Services program, Canfield speaks to other students at their year-end banquet
During his time at GSC, Canfield served as president of the Alpha Iota chapter of the science and math honorary society Chi Beta Phi. âBeing president allowed me to organize scholarship fundraisers and showed me that I have leadership potential,â he said. Canfield also participated in Bible Centered Ministries (BCM) and the Wesley Foundation; both of which, he said, provided a space and direction for him to develop his relationship with Jesus Christ. He also was involved in Student Support Services and GSCâs Hidden Promise Consortium. âThose programs have given me so much guidance and support over these four years that I will not forget about,â he added.
In his spare time he enjoys nature hikes, playing card and video games, hunting and fishing, and different sports.
âMy favorite part about being a student at GSC was that the classes were small and I could get to know my professors really well. I will miss all my friends and professorsâ¦we have had a lot of laughs,â he said. âThe most important lessons I have learned at Glenville are to be confident in your abilities, as a student and person, and to be humble. If you do not have confidence in what you do or say, then it is a lot harder to succeed. However, if you are not humble alongside your confidence, then your confidence causes you to fail as well.â
Canfield joins 43 other graduates who have received the Outstanding Student Leadership Award at GSC since 1977. Names of the honorees are displayed on a permanent plaque in the Heflin Administration Building.