Along Palmer’s second-floor hallway, black-and-white photographs enclosed in wooden cases line the long walls. The photos are of those students chosen by their peers to become Hall of Fame members, a tradition that dates back to 1931. This year, six members of the graduating class were recognized for their significant impact on the college.
Emily Clark, a native of Hudson, OH, is an English major with a concentration in creative writing. She worked as a writer in the college’s Office of Communications. She was managing editor of The Bridge, a student-run newspaper addressing homelessness, and a contributor to the website Her Campus. She also helped transition the women’s lacrosse team from a club sport to a viable varsity sport that won the conference championship and made a run in the Division III NCAA tournament.
Chigozie Emelue is a Kinney Coordinator for special services and a member of the Bonner program. He now calls Memphis home, but originally hails from Agbor, Delta State, Nigeria. A psychology major, he has been very active on campus as an advocate for disability services, working with Special Olympics and the Lynx Club and volunteering for the Exceptional Foundation of Tennessee.
Leah Ford was named Planned Parenthood’s National Young Volunteer of the Year in 2015 and her activism for reproductive justice has been a hallmark of her years at Rhodes. An anthropology/sociology major from Bartlett, TN, she was a member of the LGBT Working Group and a campus advocate for LGBT equality. Among her many other activities at Rhodes, she was a Rhodes student associate for grant writing, sexpert peer educator, member of Voices for Planned Parenthood (VOX), and member of Queer Advocacy.
Abbey Judd, an urban studies major from Altamonte Springs, FL, is known among her peers as a community builder. She participated in six fellowships during her tenure at Rhodes, including Summer Service, the Rhodes Institute for Regional Studies, the Rhodes-Brooks Fellowship, and the Ruka Intentional Community. She was captain of a revitalized crew team and a leader in Reformed University Fellowship.
Caroline Ponseti was a cofounder of The Bridge and the first student editor for Rhodes magazine. As a political science major, the New Orleans native successfully merged classwork with job experience, as she interned with both a U.S. senator and federal court judge and worked as media buyer for a political consulting firm. She also served as president of Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature (TISL) and editor of TISL Times.
Taylor Sieben came to Rhodes from Oakland, CA, and brought with her a love of environmental sustainability. She helped start a community garden on campus and worked to bring a farmers market to life on campus, as well. A Spanish and environmental science major, Taylor was a member of the Bonner program and conducted research in Overton Park and at the Memphis Zoo. In her role as a member of the Community Integrative Learning Working Group, she helped create service learning experiences that connect the classroom to the larger community outside Rhodes.
