HANCEVILLE, Ala. — Two Wallace State Community College students were recognized recently at the Alabama Community College System (ACCS) All-Alabama Academic Team Banquet in Birmingham.
Vianney Verdin Maldonado and Makayla Lindsey represented Wallace State as the college’s 2024 All-Alabama Academic Team scholars.
“We are extremely proud of Vianney and Makayla, both of whom are wonderful representatives of the college as student-leaders,” said Kristen Holmes, vice president for students at Wallace State. “These students have incredibly bright futures ahead of them.”
Both Maldonado and Lindsey were selected from Wallace State by members of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society for their demonstration of academic excellence and intellectual rigor, leadership and service, and for a commitment to extending their education beyond the classroom to benefit society. Each received at $1,000 scholarship for earning the All-Alabama designation.
Maldonado, of Oneonta, was also recognized as an All-USA Coca-Cola Silver Scholar during the banquet, earning an additional $1,250 scholarship. She intends to transfer to Auburn University where she plans to double major in biology and psychology and expects to earn her doctorate and work in the field of Neuroscience Psychology.
She is extremely active on campus as a member of eight student clubs and organizations, serving as an officer in seven of those. She is also a member of the WSCC Choir and Percussion ensembles and has helped organize a student-led podcast called The Mane Topic. She also works on campus, most recently as an intern in Wallace State’s Marketing Department.
Wallace State student Makayla Lindsey, center, was recognized as an Alabama Community College System All-Alabama Academic Team scholar by ACCS Chancellor Jimmy Baker, left, and Wallace State President Vicki Karolewics. (Wallace State)
Lindsey, of Double Springs, is a defensive specialist on the Wallace State volleyball team and president of the National Society of Leadership and Success. She also works on campus in the college’s Wellness Center.
Lindsey plans to attend the University of Alabama to earn a bachelor’s degree in education and expects to earn her master’s and teach mathematics at the high school level.
The All-Alabama Academic Team recognition program was founded in 1995 to complement the All-USA Academic Team Program that is sponsored by USA Today, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and the American Association of Community Colleges.
Wallace State’s Alpha Chi Tau chapter of PTK was recognized for achieving the designation as a REACH chapter for 2023. The recognition is part of PTK’s REACH Rewards program, which celebrates and rewards PTK chapters that excel in membership development by achieving exceptionally high rates of membership acceptance in the 2023 calendar year. The REACH rewards program encourages membership by rewarding chapters who achieve or exceed 15 percent for their membership acceptance rate. In 2023, Wallace State’s PTK chapter achieved a 21 percent membership acceptance rate and was one of 159 chapters nationwide honored for their efforts in bringing the benefits and opportunities of PTK membership to more students.
