ELLISVILLE – Five Jones College sophomores were selected as Tullos Scholars which is the highest honor bestowed upon students: Faith Collins of Heidelberg; Sara Grace Morgan of Foxworth; Breanna Penton of Runnelstown; Christopher Ritz of Sumrall and Gracye Tower of Runnelstown. All five students were nominated by faculty members as they distinguished themselves and impressed selection committee members over the past two years.
Perry Central High School graduate, Gracye Tower majored in electrical engineering and was selected to be a member of the Bobcat Brigade, Charles Pickering Honors Institute and to serve as College Project Director for the Phi Theta Kappa international honor society, Rho Sigma chapter. Additionally, she was a member of the Student Engineering Society and a band manager for the Maroon Typhoon Marching Band. Tower will continue her education at Mississippi State University. She credits her grandparents, Dr. Mike and Lucy Edmonds for pushing her to do her best at all times, along with the support of her brother Brody, and parents, John Tower and Kristyn Edmonds for being successful.
“This honor means so very much to be recognized for all my hard work as a student at Jones. It can be pretty difficult to balance school and time-consuming extracurricular activities, especially with the intensive classes that come with pursuing an engineering degree,” shared Tower. “I was blessed to have some of the most wonderful teachers like Mary Boleware, Dr. Corey Jones and Sarah Ishee to name just a few that helped me persevere and become the best student I could possibly be along the way. I am extremely thankful to have received this honor from Jones College and I am so thankful that I chose to be a Bobcat!”
Faith Collins majored in Computer Science earning President’s List Honors each semester at Jones College. She is a member of PTK, Sigma Kappa Delta Honor Society, Student Government Association, Student Engineering Society and FBLA. Collins is her church’s pianist and has volunteered on various disaster relief efforts. Her future plans include earning a software degree with minors in mathematics and German.
West Marion High School graduate, Sara Morgan plans to continue her education at William Carey University and become a physical therapist. At Jones College, Morgan was the Vice President of Fellowship for PTK and assisted with the College Project and Honors in Action Projects, and she was a member of the Charles Pickering Honors institute. Morgan is currently in Washington as a Summer Missionary through the Baptist Student Union, where she also serves on the BSU State Lead team as well as President. Sara’s parents are Brad and Jill Morgan.
Perry Central High School 2021 Salutatorian, Breanna Penton worked hard at Jones College, earning a spot each semester on the President’s List Honor Roll, and she was a member of the Bobcat Brigade and the Charles Pickering Honors Institute. As the Vice President of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, she organized numerous events and volunteered for many PTK sponsored activities while also working at Chick-fil-A in Petal. Her goal is to continue her education at USM to earn her elementary education degree. Breanna’s parents are Windell and Jennifer Penton.
Christopher Ritz majored in electrical engineering and served as the President of the Jones College Student Engineering Society. He’s been on the President’s List Honor Roll and is a member of PTK and the Charles Pickering Honors Institute. Ritz has been volunteering as a tutor, and he is the local coordinator for Students for Liberty, in addition to being an evangelist. Floyd and Tracy Ritz are his parents.
Requirements for the Tullos Scholarship include being a full-time sophomore, submitting a résumé with two-faculty recommendation letters, having outstanding academic achievements, being engaged in college activities, leadership positions and participating in community service. Each student received medallions and $1,000 scholarships in recognition of being named after the scholarship donors, Gene and Nada Tullos.
Gene Tullos came to Jones in 1960 on a basketball scholarship which he said, gave him a jumpstart and a great foundation to begin Law School. Endowing scholarships, like the Tullos Scholarship Program was his way of returning the “favor” to the college that provided an excellent foundation for a successful career as an attorney in Smith County.
“As he made the single, largest donation ever at Jones, Gene Tullos said he wanted to recognize outstanding students from various majors who are shining stars, to honor them and encourage them to feel special,” said Jones College President, Dr. Jesse Smith. “When Gene established this Scholarship, he explained, because of the encouragement he received at Jones he felt like he could make it and be successful. In fact, Gene was a successful attorney for 50 years, only missing three days of work related to his cancer treatment before he passed away in 2016.”
For more information about Jones College, visit the webpage, https://www.jcjc.edu/