Hahira's White Earns Louie D. Newton General Excellence Medal from Mercer University

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Mercer University President William D. Underwood, left, presents Hahira's Trenton White with Mercer's Newton General Excellence Medal.

MACON, GA (06/12/2012)(readMedia)-- Mercer University awarded Trenton White, of Hahira, the Louie D. Newton General Excellence Medal during the University's Macon commencement on May 12. White was also presented with Bachelor of Arts in international health and development summa cum laude from the College of Liberal Arts. The Louie D. Newton General Excellence Medal is awarded to a student who best exemplifies scholastic achievement as well as personal integrity, character and spiritual values.

"I could not be more honored to receive the Louie D. Newton Award," White said. "My time at Mercer has cultivated a sense of responsibility that intertwines with my commitment to service and a passion for pursuing the highest standard in academic achievement. I hope to live up to the model that the Rev. Newton and the other award recipients set for all Mercerians."

White personifies the qualifications of a recipient for this medal with his 3.86 grade point average and numerous leadership positions. Throughout the years that White has dedicated to Mercer, he has performed at the top of his class as well as demonstrating strong commitment to serving the community. He was an active member of Mercer's Student Government Association where he has served as freshman senator, senator-at-large, fiscal affairs chair and served as student body president for 2010-2011. White is also an active member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity where he served as scholarship chair and grand treasurer, as a Mercer student admissions team member and treasurer of the Sex Trafficking Opposition Project. He has also served as a judicial justice.

White's passion for service can be seen through his numerous Mercer On Mission trips. White has traveled to Peru to build homes with the Fuller Center for Housing, Rio de Janeiro to do research in maternal and child health in slums and Moldova to improve the lives of orphans in the impoverished country. White also worked as an AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate where he did research into the health of migrants in the United States and helped plan summer learning camps for at-risk youth in Macon.

White is serving in the U.S. Congress through the Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars Program this summer. Afterwards, he plans to pursue a Master of Public Health in the area of Health Policy at George Washington University.

About the Louie D. Newton General Excellence Medal:

The Louie D. Newton General Excellence Medal is presented to the graduating student who best exemplifies scholastic achievement, personal integrity and character, service to the campus community and a commitment to spiritual values. The award is named in honor of Mercer Alumna, Dr. Newton, former Mercer professor, Christian journalist, distinguished pastor and renowned denominational leader.

About Mercer University

Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The University enrolls more than 8,300 students in 11 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing and continuing and professional studies – on major campuses in Macon, Atlanta and Savannah and at four regional academic centers across the state. Mercer is affiliated with four teaching hospitals - Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah, the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, and The Medical Center and St. Francis Hospital in Columbus - and has educational partnerships with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins and Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta. The University operates an academic press and a performing arts center in Macon and an engineering research center in Warner Robins. Mercer is the only private university in Georgia to field an NCAA Division I athletic program. www.mercer.edu

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