Ten Outstanding Seniors Awarded Hall of Fame Distinction

Ten University of Mississippi seniors have earned membership in the school’s 2013-14 Hall of Fame, one of the university’s highest honors.
Chancellor Dan Jones bestowed the honor Friday (Jan. 31) in a campus ceremony at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts. Recipients are chosen by a committee pursuant to ASB policy, with selections based on a student’s academic achievement, community service and potential for future success.
“Since 1930, inductees into the Hall of Fame have brought distinction to the university as leaders in government, medicine, law, journalism, business, entertainment, education, ministry and a variety of other fields,” Jones said. “The many accomplishments of these students show the meaningful and diverse community service in which these exceptional students participate, even while serving in organizations and excelling in their degree programs.

The 10 students, along with 146 other Ole Miss seniors, were also recognized for inclusion inWho’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. They are to be listed in the national publication’s 2014 edition.
New Hall of Fame members are Timothy Orinaze Abram of Horn Lake, Gregory Alston of Hattiesburg, Madison Elizabeth Coburn of Ridgeland, Katharine Halpin DeRossette of Vicksburg, Vinod Kannuthurai of Hazlehurst, Quadray Arnez Kohlhiem of Tupelo, Mary Ball Markow of Jackson, Thomas Neal McMillin of Madison, Daniel Curtis Roberts of Moss Point and Anish Sharma of Greenwood.
Abram is majoring in public policy leadership. He is a member of the Trent Lott Leadership Institute and Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. He was awarded a Luckyday Scholarship and a Lott Institute Study Abroad Scholarship, and he was nominated for a prestigious Truman Scholarship. His membership in academic, leadership and service organizations include One Mississippi, Black Student Union and Omicron Delta Kappa. He was an opinion columnist for The Daily Mississippian and winner of the Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Award. His volunteer efforts include work with the UM Big Event annual community-wide service project, Aid for AIDS Fundraising and Relay for Life. His parents are Timothy Abram and Charlotte Jackson.
Alston is a public policy leadership major and a member of the Lott Institute. He is the 2013-14 ASB president and president of the IHL Student Body President’s Council of Mississippi. He has served several other ASB posts and was the 2011-12 ASB Senator of the Year. He is a member of the Student Alumni Council. An Eagle Scout, he served as senior staff for the American Legion Mississippi Boys State. He belongs to Sigma Alpha Lambda and Gamma Beta Phi national leadership and honors organizations, and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. He participated in the Lott Institute’s Resurrection House Aids Project in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. His community service includes work with the UM Big Event, Feed the Hunger Pack-A-Thon and the Salvation Army. He is the son of Greg and Betsy Alston.
Coburn, a public policy leadership major, is a member of the Lott Institute and Honors College. Her scholarships include the Holmes Scholarship, Chancellor’s Scholarship/Distinguished Senior Scholarship and Charlotte Coward Yarborough Leadership Scholarship. Listed on the Chancellor’s Honor Roll, she received the Outstanding Student in Modern Languages Award. She belongs to Phi Kappa Phi, the university’s highest academic honor across all disciplines. Her academic and leadership potential was recognized with membership in several other honors organizations, including Mortar Board, Omicron Delta Kappa and Order of Omega. Her volunteer efforts include work with UM Big Event, Student Disability Service and St. Jude. She is the daughter of Philip and Angie Coburn.
DeRossette, an exercise science major, is the 2013 Miss Ole Miss. Active in recycling, she served UM’s Office of Sustainability as the 2013 Green Grove manager, helping educate tailgaters on how to recycle on game days. She has served positions on the ASB, including director of the First Year Experience. She has been an orientation leader, director of Freshman Council, coordinator of Lambda Sigma Community Service and president of Mortar Board, which recognizes achievement in scholarship, leadership and service. She is a member of other leadership and academic honor societies, including Omicron Delta Kappa and Order of Omega. Her numerous service efforts include Relay for Life team captain, UM Big Event fundraising committee member and team leader, Rollin’ Rebels Wheelchair Basketball Tournament steering committee member and coordinator of Aid for AIDS benefit dinner. Her parents are Tim and Lucy DeRossette.
Kannuthurai is a triple major, in public policy leadership, classics and political science. He is a member of the Lott Institute and Honors College. Listed on the Chancellor’s Honor Roll, he belongs to several academic and leadership honors organizations, including two highest academic honors: membership in Phi Kappa Phi, for students across all disciplines, and Phi Beta Kappa, for students in the liberal arts. He also received a Taylor Medal, the university’s highest academic award for students in all disciplines. He received departmental awards in political science and classics, and was a winner in Transatlantic Essay Competition sponsored by the German Embassy. He is vice president of Omicron Delta Kappa leadership honor society and member of UM’s Judicial Council. He is active in Mississippi First Quality Education Advocacy Group, and his volunteer service includes So Others Might Eat in Washington, D.C., beautification projects in Mound Bayou and Aid for AIDS project to benefit a South African orphanage. He is the son of Thiruvarasu and Chandra Kannuthurai.
Kohlhiem, a marketing major, is president of the Black Student Union and member of the Columns Society, a group of 24 students who serve as official university hosts. His service on the ASB includes residence hall senator, member of the Rules Committee and chair of the Appropriations/Student Life Committee. He was an officer on the Panhellenic Council, a Freshman Focus mentor and member of the Smoke Free Campus Committee. He is a musician with UM’s Gospel Choir and member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars academic honor society. His community service includes work with the UM Big Event, Sunflower County Freedom Project, Oxford Elementary After-School Project, Oxford Boys and Girls Club and St. Jude. His parents are Mitchell and Shirley Kohlhiem.
Markow, an English major, is a member of the Honors College. She is an Honors College Ambassador and its former student director, ASB senator and representative at the National Collegiate Honors Council meeting and on UM’s Student Affairs Advisory Committee. A Newman Scholar, she is listed on the Chancellor’s Honor Roll and serves on the Student Alumni Council. She is a member of several academic and leadership honor societies, including Phi Kappa Phi, Order of Omega, Mortar Board, Omicron Delta Kappa and Alpha Epsilon Delta. She is a campus leader in community service, including project organizer for Lambda Sigma, a sophomore honor society focused on service; member of founding board of directors of UM’s RebelTHON dance marathon, a $25,000 fundraiser for Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital; participant in raising funds for Make-A-Wish Foundation; and a volunteer for English Language Learners. She is the daughter of Gregory Markow and Mary Ball Markow.
McMillin is majoring in Southern studies and economics. A member of the Honors College, he is a Newman Scholar and Barnard Scholar. He has studied abroad twice, including as recipient of a Barksdale Award to investigate Scotland’s pioneering use of the ocean for renewable energy. Listed on the Chancellor’s Honor Roll, he is a member of Phi Kappa Phi and recipient of a Taylor Medal. He placed first in the Formal Essay category in UM’s Southern Literary Festival, and his articles have appeared in The Delta Magazine, published by the School of Journalism and New Media. He is a member of several academic and leadership honor societies, including Omicron Delta Kappa, Sigma Alpha Lambda and Phi Eta Sigma, and he received the Inter-fraternity Council Academic and Leadership Excellence Award. He served as an ASB senator and Honors College ambassador. His community service includes work with Leap Frog, American Red Cross, Bread of Life Ministries and Coats for Kids. His parents are Tommy and Ruth McMillin.
Roberts is majoring in public policy leadership. He is a member of the Honors College and Lott Institute. He is president pro tempore of the ASB, and has been special events coordinator of the Black Student Union and vice chair of the Traffic Appeals Board. He helped organize the Ole Miss Diversity Tent for game days in the Grove. He participates in Mississippi First Quality Education Advocacy Group and serves on the Smoke Free Campus committee. He has been a member of the Columns Society and Ole Miss Ambassadors and served as an orientation leader. He is a member of several academic, leadership and service societies, including Alpha Lambda Delta and Gamma Beta Phi. His service has included work with the Anacostia Watershed Society; Port Elizabeth, South Africa Sustainable Development Project; and Galapagos Islands, Ecuador Public Policy Initiative; as well as with the UM Big Event, Oxford Elementary School tutoring and the Food Pantry. His parents are Ruben and Debra Roberts.
Sharma, an accountancy major, is president of the accountancy school’s Associated Student Body. A member of the Honors College, he holds an Honors College Fellowship, Robert M. Carrier Scholarship and Friou Accountancy Scholarship. Listed on the Chancellor’s Honor Roll, he is a member of Phi Kappa Phi and recipient of a Taylor Medal. He has served on the Chancellor’s Standing Committee: Academic Discipline, Creed Week Award Committee and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Advisory Council, as well as the ASB, Student Alumni Council and UM Big Event Logistics Committee. He is a member of several other academic and leadership honor societies, including Mortar Board, Omicron Delta Kappa, Order of Omega, Beta Alpha Psi and Gamma Beta Phi. His service legacy includes work with Sapphire Primary School in Port Elizabeth, South Africa; Volunteer Warehouse Food Repack Program in New York City; and locally with Leap Frog, the Food Pantry and Sigma Nu Charity Bowl. He is the son of Anil and Sunita Sharma.
— Elaine Pugh, Ole Miss News Desk