McCrary to receive President's Medal at Spring 2021 Commencement Exercises

Meghan B. McCrary '21, who will graduate magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in Biology from the Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education, has been named the recipient of the President's Medal, the highest honor presented to a graduate in the class of 2021.

McCrary, a David L. Rice Scholarship recipient and 2019 USI Distinguished Sophomore, was named a 2018 and 2019 Barry Goldwater National Scholar in the field of life sciences. Along with her mentor, Dr. Alex Champagne, she presented research at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology conference in 2019.

She is praised for her maturity, passion and supportive and encourage approach to working with her fellow students. Those who recommend her note the balance struck between maintaining a high level of academic achievement and a high level of campus and social involvement.

As a student, McCrary served in leadership for Delta Zeta Sorority and the Student Alumni Association and was a member of the USI Alumni Council, AMIGOs, Welcome Week Leaders and Pott College Peer Mentors. In 2018, she presented on USI Student Organizations at the CASE ASAP Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.

She continuously worked with Volunteer USI, Ronald McDonald House and Easterseals Rehabilitation Center as a volunteer throughout her time at USI and was a continuous advocate and fundraiser for the Starkey Hearing Foundation and the Painted Turtle Camp.

Following her graduation, McCrary plans to enter the Physician Assistant Program at the University of Evansville, which she says she will face with confidence thanks to her time at USI. "I am proud to be a role model, but especially proud that USI is what shaped me into one."

Other finalists for the President's Medal from the Class of 2021 included Reid Edwards, Casey Hand, and Kennedy Stoll. The Student Affairs Committee of Faculty Senate annually selects the recipient of the President's Medal.