Hailey Owens, a senior at Coker College, is the J. Lacy McLean Student of the Year. This $2000 scholarship award is presented annually by SCICU to the most outstanding student from nominations by our member colleges and universities.
Mentoring and helping others are central to Owens’ experience at Coker and her goals after graduation. Her interest in helping others was sparked in high school by her participation in the Youth Empowerment Academy, a drug and alcohol abuse prevention program.
Originally from Pelion, Owens will graduate in December 2015 with a major in psychology and a concentration in counseling. After graduation, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in public health with plans to develop her own leadership program to help prevent drug and alcohol abuse in schools.
Her college accolades include membership in Phi Chi, the international psychology honor society, Dean’s List (every semester), and the Susan Coker Watson scholarship for study abroad in Spain and Portugal.
She currently works as a Resident Assistant at the nearby Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics, where she enjoys mentoring high school students. She is a member of Coker’s Christian student organization and vice president of the Chinese Culture Club.
In her free time, Owens loves to sing, kayak, and write. She also enjoys helping out events at her home church in Columbia and spending time with her family.