Several Clemson University Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management undergraduate students have been recognized with department awards for academic and other achievements in their chosen concentration.
Interim Department Chair Jeffrey Hallo says that he’s impressed with the caliber of this year’s student award winners.
“To be considered for an award, students need to demonstrate academic achievement, leadership and engagement in both the department and the field,” Hallo says. “These students demonstrated that and more. I’m proud of their accomplishments and look forward to seeing where their careers take them in the future.”
The department’s 2020 award recipients by area of study include:
Award for Excellence in Community Recreation, Sport and Camp Management – Ryan King
This award is presented to an outstanding senior in Community Recreation, Sport and Camp Management on the basis of academic achievement, leadership and professional involvement in a CRSCM related field.
Ryan King is a Senior Undergraduate student from Greenville, South Carolina who is expecting to graduate in August of 2020. After graduation, he plans to work in public parks and recreation with a focus in outdoor recreation. He wants to work a few years to get an understanding of the field and see what he may want to study in graduate school. In his free time, he enjoys hiking with his chocolate Lab (Colt) and mountain biking. One interesting thing about Ryan is that he took a 14-day road trip out west and visited a variety of national parks, including Arches, Death Valley and Yosemite.
Ryan also received a certificate of recognition for academic excellence and was recognized as an Honors Graduate.
Award for Excellence in PGA Golf Management – Wright Garrett
This award is presented to an outstanding senior in PGA Golf Management on the basis of academic achievement, leadership and professional involvement in golf management.
Wright Garrett is a Junior from Fountain Inn, South Carolina. He is honored to receive the Award for Excellence in Professional Golf Management because he is very passionate about the sport of golf and what it has taught him and what it has done for so many others. As an aspiring PGA professional, Wright hopes to continue to inspire others through the game that has helped shape him into the person he is today.
Award for Excellence in Recreational Therapy – Rachel Knauer
This award is presented to a student who displays high academic standards while achieving excellence in Recreational Therapy through service to special populations and achievement in professional activities.
Rachel Knauer is a junior from Sumter, South Carolina. She found out about Recreational Therapy from a friend, fell in love with the mission and ended up transferring to Clemson University in order to get involved in the Department of PRTM. Because of her experience in EDGE, Rachel became an EDGE Mentor, which enriched her education through leadership training and professional development.
Working alongside Julianne Keehan as a Lead EDGE Mentor this spring, Rachel has used her skills to further facilitate a culture of encouragement, support and confidence for students in PRTM. Moving forward, Rachel dreams of bringing the impact of Recreational Therapy to the geriatric population as an advocate and helper to any older adult within her reach. She is excited and passionate about the field of Recreational Therapy as a whole and cannot wait to pursue an internship and future career in geriatric RT.
Rachel was also recognized for academic achievement at the senior level.
Award for Excellence in Travel and Tourism – Aysia Cooper
This award recognizes an outstanding student in Travel and Tourism based on academic achievement and demonstrated interest and dedication to the Travel and Tourism field.
Aysia is a senior PRTM major with an emphasis in Travel and Tourism from Greer, South Carolina. Aysia’s active spirit and mind has manifested itself into a love for running, traveling and hiking. This Summer she will serve as the City of Greenville Special Events intern, and upon completion will graduate in August. After graduation she hopes to pursue a career in community development.
Aysia was also recognized for Academic Achievement at the Senior Level.
Park and Conservation Area Management Founders and Leaders’ Award – Ryan Piller and Bryson Smith
This award is presented to a junior or senior in Park and Conservation Area Management who exemplifies the values, work, leadership and spirit of the founders and leaders of our public lands.
Ryan Piller is from Greenville, South Carolina. She is a PRTM major with a concentration in Parks and Conservation Area Management and a minor in History. She’s currently a junior, but is a senior in academic standing. She is a founding member and current secretary for the club, Young Women for America at Clemson, a place for women to discuss politics and religion freely.
Ryan enjoys being outside, playing piano, guitar and ukulele, singing, dancing, writing, reading, being with friends and working with kids. She hopes to work at an historical site, monument or battlefield where she can combine her love for parks and history.
Ryan was also recognized for Academic Achievement at the Senior Level.
Bryson Smith grew up playing on his grandfather’s land in Pauline, South Carolina. There he found his passion for the outdoors, spending every free moment out in the woods or on the pond. A love of nature led him to Clemson University and a major in PRTM with a concentration in Parks and Conservation Area Management. He plans on making a career out of preserving the outdoors so that others can enjoy it like he has.
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The parks, recreation and tourism management department at Clemson University is one of the largest and most well-recognized programs of its type in the nation. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in community recreation, sport and camp management, park and conservation area management, PGA golf management, public administration, recreational therapy, travel and tourism, and youth development leadership.
Melina Alberti is a senior from Greenville, South Carolina. She is studying Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management with a concentration in Community Recreation, Sport and Camp Management. Melina has two loving parents, one of which graduated from Clemson University and an older brother who also graduated from Clemson University in 2016. Melina is an avid sports fan, her favorite sport being Clemson Football, of course. She has her own photography business called Melina Alberti Photography and she would love to pursue photography as a career in the future.
Growing up just down the road from Clemson University in Anderson, South Carolina, Mackenzie has always considered herself a big Clemson Tiger fan. She loves going to any Clemson sporting event. She definitely belongs to a Clemson family, as both of her parents graduated from the university and her twin sister currently attends the school with her. She has an older half-brother and a younger half-sister in addition to her dog, Jolly, and her cat, Tripp. She really enjoys traveling and discovering new places. The coolest place that she has ever traveled to is Tanzania, Africa, where she got to hike part of Mount Kilimanjaro and enjoyed a safari on the Serengeti. She cannot wait to see where her life takes her, as she is sure she will travel to other unique locations in the future.
Julia Bragg, from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina is a PRTM major with a concentration in travel and tourism. She is currently finishing her senior year at Clemson University and scheduled to graduate in May 2020. She has loved every class and every professor throughout her Clemson experience. She is currently finishing her 400-hour internship at Greenville Country Club as the Membership Director and plans to move to Greenville and continue her career at Greenville Country Club after graduation.
Robin Bridgers is a rising senior from Beaufort, South Carolina. During her time at Clemson she has studied travel and tourism management and minored in business. After graduating she hopes to work for a Convention and Visitors Bureau and be an advocate for sustainable tourism.
Katie is from Duluth, Georgia and loves living in metro Atlanta. Her hobbies include cooking, baking, playing with her dogs, shopping and reading mysteries. Katie has two adorable dogs, both golden retrievers. She loves to spend time with her family and friends. She has a passion for ministry, and hopes to inspire and lead others into a growing relationship with Jesus.
Kat is a PRTM major with minors in Environmental Science and English. She was born in Munich, Germany, but attended high school in Greenville, South Carolina. A member of the Tiger Band for four years, she also played intramural soccer.
Sammy Griffith, from Anderson, South Carolina is a PRTM student with a concentration in Parks and Conservation Area Management. His hobbies include running, hiking, kayaking and swimming. A team captain of the Clemson Running Club, he has run a marathon in the Clemson Experimental Forest and several half marathons. He enjoys hiking in the mountains and traveling and has been to Spain, Ireland and Europe with extensive travel in the US. He loves visiting national and state parks with his favorite being Crater Lake National Park in Oregon.
Laura Jarriel is currently a junior at Clemson University, majoring in Recreational Therapy and hoping to pursue a minor in American Sign Language. Laura wants to become a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) after graduation and hopes to work with the older adult population. Laura is from Anderson, South Carolina and grew up a Clemson Tiger fan. She has two older sisters, two brothers-in-law, an 8 month-old nephew and a 5 year-old Golden Retriever. In her free time, Laura loves going on walks, listening to music, working Sudoku puzzles, playing card games and playing the harp.
Marissa, from Chicago, Illinois is a junior in Community Recreation, Sport and Camp Management. Some of her interests include attending workout classes, dancing, reading and exploring all of the hiking trails and waterfalls around the Clemson area. Her favorite Netflix shows are Altered Carbon and Jeopardy. In regard to athletics, her favorite sport to play is beach volleyball and her favorite sport to watch is hockey.
Logan McLaughlin is a PRTM major concentrating in Travel and Tourism. She is from Greenville, South Carolina where she lives with her Mom, Dad, younger sister and their two cats. In her free time she likes to spend time with friends, go to Clemson games and work out. After graduation Logan is hoping to get a job doing something with sports.
Ethan Meetze is a senior PRTM major from Travelers Rest, South Carolina. His concentration is in Parks and Conservation Area Management. Ethan has made the President’s List twice since being at Clemson. His goal is to be an Interpretation Ranger at a national park where he will be able to share his love for the outdoors and natural resources with people from every walk of life. He loves to spend time out in nature, whether it is hiking up to Black Balsam Knob or growing fruits and vegetables in his garden. One of his favorite experiences while in PRTM was the semester he spent abroad in England, which allowed him to travel to nine other European countries. Ethan is also the proud dad of his dog Beau, who is also always down to be outside. Ethan would like to thank his family for providing all the support he has needed to achieve his goals in college and in life.
Christina is a senior PRTM major with a concentration in Recreational Therapy. She is from Shillington, Pennsylvania and is on the Clemson All-Girl Cheerleading team. After graduation, Christina plans on attending graduate school for Occupational Therapy.
Macie Southern is a senior majoring in Recreational Therapy with a minor in Youth Development from Simpsonville, South Carolina. She has been a lifelong member of the Clemson family as her father is a Clemson University alumnus and her mother is an employee at Clemson University. Macie has enjoyed volunteering within the special needs community from a young age, so she chose to pursue a career in Recreational Therapy to continue her passion of serving others. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, traveling and spending as much time as she can with friends and family.
Kaylin Woods is a senior Recreational Therapy major, currently doing the 4+1 Master’s program. Her dream is to open her own equine-assisted therapy farm to work with individuals of all different diagnoses, and is so excited to be able to research and complete her thesis based off of this interest. She is the President of the Recreational Therapy club, the Senior Editor for Her Campus Clemson, an active member of Pi Beta Phi and one of the biggest Clemson fans there is!
Shaina Wynne is a junior PRTM major with an emphasis in Recreational Therapy. An only child from Asheville, North Carolina, she loves the outdoors, is on the Clemson University all girl cheerleading team and is a member of Zeta Tau Alpha. She can’t believe that she’s almost a senior and is counting the days until football season starts. Go tigers!
Conner Haberman
Meredith Powell
Ryan Schuchmann
Aurora Graichen
Hannah Snider
