When Evelyn Scott arrived at Coastal Carolina’s campus for her first year, she never imagined she would make such an impact in her short time here. This year, as a senior, Evelyn Scott was named the Outstanding English Student of the Year. She feels truly grateful for the recognition.
“I feel honored, I feel proud, I feel grateful; I feel relieved, ultimately.” said Scott. “Just overall, I’m happy and I’m grateful for this opportunity to get this award.”
This honor did not come lightly, however, as she earned this accomplishment through hard work and talent. One of her professors, Dr. Steven Hamelman, provided insight into what kind of student Scott was through her time here.
“As a student, Scott was tremendous, all in, focused, fully prepared, and produced fabulous writing,” said Hamelman. “She had a real alertness, or mindfulness that makes you think ‘Woah, this is special. Where is her paper? I want to read it now. When that paper comes in, it’s going to be good.’”
Scott attributes her success to her ability to find a field that suited her, even when her original plan did not work out.
“At the beginning of my career here at Coastal, I thought, ‘I’m going to be a broadcaster in journalism,’” said Scott. “And then I found out my passion’s not there.” She declared a major in English instead, with a minor in journalism.
“I have a lot of passion for what I do,” said Scott. “I feel like if you don’t have passion in what you’re going to school for, you’re not going to have the energy to put that much into what you want to do. Passion is a big thing to reaching high in your career at Coastal.”
This passion she feels has taken her far, and she hopes to use it as she gets herself right into the field after graduation. Scott plans to get her hands dirty to use her freshly gained experience and work through her passion to see where it might take her.
Scott offered up her advice to future and current CCU students who hope to follow in her footsteps.
“You got to have your intentions there, and if you’re not passionate about it, you’re not going to push yourself. Be yourself in your writing; be yourself in class. It’s the little things also, like getting to know your professors, saying hi or good morning every morning, going to the office hours, talking to them if you see them at an event at Coastal. It’s really the small things I feel like that help you be recognized for your achievements.”
Scott and Hamelman both expressed the importance of having a known voice inside and outside of Moodle. This allows for the teacher to point you out in a crowd and be able to verbally express how much they loved having you in their class.
Scott also recommended that students who are aiming to achieve this honor not overwork themselves.
“It’s important to have a balance in your academic life, but also your personal life,” said Scott. “You need to get to know yourself as a person as well as an academic, and not just do one or the other. I feel like at Coastal it’s very important that you figure out who you are, especially when you’re becoming an adult. So, don’t break your back, take breaks when you need to, and take time for yourself when you need to.”
Scott’s reputation and impact will be remembered for a long time, and the people she met along the way will always recall and respect her amazing accomplishments.
