Kiara Williams ’26 has been recognized for her exceptional community service and engagement on campus. Photo by Penh Alicandro ’22
Eckerd College recently announced three winners of its prestigious internal scholarships designed to recognize outstanding students with high academic achievement and community involvement.
Kiara Williams, a junior creative writing student from West Palm Beach, Florida, was awarded the Page Hill Scholarship for exceptional community service and engagement on campus.
This scholarship—established by Brittany Poulo, a senior human development student from Randolph, New Jersey, and her mother, Lynn Devereaux—recognizes a student who has demonstrated a record of civic participation and dedication to civic education, furthering justice and equity in our society, or community development. This honor offers students of sophomore status or higher a $5,000 scholarship for the academic year.
Kiara is the visibility coordinator of Eckerd’s Public Interest Research Group food bank, which was set up last school year to provide pantry items to students and staff to mitigate food insecurity. Kiara also is the main coordinator for the Zero Hunger Campaign that is located in the Triton’s Pub lounge. This project is intended for students to donate pet supplies, household items, hygiene products and other necessities to the community.
Kiara is employed as a lead peer mentor, an Office of Inclusive Excellence ambassador and an Armacost Library student supervisor. She also finds time in between classes to be an event assistant in the Continuing Education Center, a summer conference aide, and an event coordinator for the EC Feminists club.
Cyd Harkness ’26 has been recognized for her excellent academic record and a record of campus service as a leader.
She says her wide variety of leadership roles has “helped me grow as a person and experience things that could not have been possible without Eckerd.”
The second scholarship recently awarded was named in honor of John M. “Jack” Bevan, Ph.D., founding dean of faculty of Florida Presbyterian College (now Eckerd College), whose energy, warmth and generosity inspired the best in students and faculty. The Jack Bevan Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to an outstanding junior, or juniors, with an excellent academic record and a record of campus service as a leader, a catalyst for positive change and a source of support to other students.
Cydney “Cyd” Harkness, a junior marine science student from Bedford, Ohio, and Rachel White, a junior environmental studies and history student from Millington, Tennessee, are the 2024–2025 recipients.
Cyd is a junior resident advisor for the Gamma Residence Hall’s Knox Leadership Village. She describes her position as one that introduces first-year students to leadership roles and involves them with workshops and conflict assessment. She also is the president of Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society, an Eastman Leader and an employee in the Office of Inclusive Excellence.
Her roles at Eckerd, Cyd says, have connected her with amazing people and mentorship opportunities. She has learned a lot from conversations with faculty and staff, which has helped her figure out the things she wants to do and led her to finding her passion for marine policy.
Rachel, the other Bevan Scholar, is co-president of Eckerd’s First-Gen Club, serves on the President’s Leadership Council, is in the Honors Program and is a Gulf Explorer. She started as a peer mentor at Eckerd and now serves as a lead mentor. Rachel also works as a first-gen academic peer coach for the Bevan Center for Academic Excellence.
Both Bevan Scholars will receive $2,500 per year over the two years of the award.
