FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 10, 2017

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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 GSC’s 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 “a natural leader” with “the qualities and self-confidence to lead” adding that he, “wears his many personal and intellectual virtues lightly, remaining always a humble and likable young man.” Another nomination called him, “the exemplar of the great things about Glenville State College students.” Yet another faculty member praised his, “impeccable work ethic.”

“I 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,” Canfield said. “It was awesome to have my name called at the ceremony…I had chills.”

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. “Being president allowed me to organize scholarship fundraisers and showed me that I have leadership potential,” 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 GSC’s Hidden Promise Consortium. “Those programs have given me so much guidance and support over these four years that I will not forget about,” he added.

In his spare time he enjoys nature hikes, playing card and video games, hunting and fishing, and different sports.

“My 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 professors…we have had a lot of laughs,” he said. “The 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.”

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.