Alpha Sigma Lambda Honors Gardner-Webb’s Outstanding Adult Scholars

Induction Ceremony Recognizes 17 Students for Academic Excellence, Integrity, and Leadership

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—Gardner-Webb University’s Gamma Beta Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Sigma Lambda Honor Society recently inducted 17 students. They were honored for their academic achievements, excellent character, and civic responsibility. Dr. Wendy Athens, director of Academic Innovation and Digital Learning and Chapter Councilor, led the ceremony. Gardner-Webb senior Peter Moore provided music for the program. 

The featured speaker was Amy S. Giles, a Gardner-Webb alumna and Alpha Sigma Lambda recipient. She graduated in May 2025 with her bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She is a second-grade teacher at H.H. Beam Elementary School in Gastonia, N.C. She shared about her academic journey and career, and offered advice to the inductees.

Dr. Erin Cook, assistant professor and chair of the Department of Public Service, led in the Alpha Sigma Lambda ritual. She explained the meaning of the Greek letters, which form the honor society’s motto, “First in Scholarship and Leadership.”

The Alpha Sigma Lambda National Honor Society was established in 1946 to honor superior scholarship and leadership in adult students. It is not only the oldest, but also the largest chapter-based honor society for full and part-time adult students. Today, with chapters at over 250 colleges and universities throughout the United States, Alpha Sigma Lambda recognizes the special achievements of adult students who accomplish academic excellence while facing competing interests of family, work, and community.

For non-traditional students, the Society stands as an inspiration for continued scholastic growth, a builder of pride through recognition and an invitation to associate with similarly motivated students. For the chapter institution, the Society serves as a vehicle for imparting appreciation for adult students’ academic achievements and contributions.

After each new member was introduced and pinned by their faculty sponsor, Assistant Provost Dr. Greg Pillar congratulated the students and commended their dedication and perseverance. “Your induction tells the world that your excellence is not accidental,” he stated. “It is the result of effort—sustained, repeated, often silent effort, over long stretches of time.”

Pillar also challenged the students to lead with integrity and curiosity. “Carry forward the habits and character that brought you here,” he encouraged. “Let your curiosity stay alive. Let your humility grow deeper. Let your example continue to illuminate possibilities for others. And continue doing the quiet work that excellence requires, because those daily choices, those steady, small, persistent acts, are what shape a life of purpose and possibility.”

Honorary Members

Faculty and staff who support and foster the academic success of adult learners were recognized as honorary members. These included:

• Dr. Jessica Ivey, director of Hunt School of Nursing.
• Dr. Anita Sanders, Assistant Professor, College of Education.
• Casey Stafford, Senior Success Coach.

New Alpha Sigma Lambda Members Inducted During the Ceremony and their sponsors

• Melissa Huss Crespo, of Cherryville, N.C., accounting, Dr. Angelina Smith.
• Margaret Davis, of Gastonia, N.C., Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Jennifer Costello.
• Ashley Frazier, of Wilkesboro, N.C., elementary education, Dr. Anita Sanders.
• Peyton Margaret Hall, of Shelby, N.C., Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Nicole Beaver.
• Erlinda Hernandez Valdovinos, of Charlotte, birth to kindergarten, Dr. Anita Sanders.
• Kristi Houston, of Lawndale, N.C., Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Nicole Beaver.
• Hannah M. Orr, of Shelby, N.C., Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Dr. Jessica Ivey.
• Brittany Taylor Parker, of Gastonia, N.C., RN-BSN, Jennifer Costello.

Members Inducted in Absentia

• Victoria Biester, of Harrisburg, N.C., cybersecurity.
• Courtney J. Bustamante, of Inman, S.C., Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
• Lovern Y. Eastman, of Charlotte, N.C., Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
• Sylvia J. Ford, of Gastonia, N.C., Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
• Misty Gentry, of Winston-Salem, elementary education.
• Jessica Michelle Greene, of Mooresboro, elementary education.
• Kathy Rena C. Jaynes, Newland, N.C., Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
• Morgan Shew, of Lenoir, N.C., Human Services.
• Brett Charles White, of Rutherfordton, N.C., Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Gardner-Webb University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to nine colleges and schools, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Learn more at gardner-webb.edu.