Three Coastal Carolina University juniors have been selected as Swain Scholars at Coastal Carolina University for 2019-2020. Two of these students have been named Kenneth E. Swain Scholars and one has been named the Jewel Clemmons Swain Scholar. As Swain Scholars, these students will plan and implement community outreach and research projects designed to improve the quality of life of Horry County residents.

The Jewel Clemmons Swain Scholar is Caroline Durham, a public health major in the honors program from Myrtle Beach, S.C. She has a passion for international public health issues and has traveled to East Africa as part of a study abroad program and has volunteered with an international volunteer foundation for children with cancer in Colombia, South America. Durham plans to join the Peace Corps for two years after graduating and then pursue a master's degree in public health and work in preventative health care in underdeveloped countries.

"I am so grateful to have the opportunity to bring awareness and change to the community I was born and raised in," said Durham. "I hope to better the lives of residents in Horry County through research with other students that share common interests with me."

The Kenneth E. Swain Scholars are Jonah Nordeen, a psychology and biochemistry double major from Asheville, N.C., and Armani Sumpter, a public health major from Hemingway, S.C. Nordeen is a CCU University Housing resident adviser, a chemistry laboratory assistant, and a chemistry tutor. He is also currently participating in research involving the synthesis and modification of compounds that mitigate the effects of oxidative brain damage. Nordeen has particular interest in understanding the biological mechanisms of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. He plans to attend medical school and be involved in research for these disorders.

"To be named a Swain Scholar is an incredible honor, and I'm extremely excited to be a part of a program that simultaneously provides me with priceless experience and provides assistance to those in need in the surrounding communities," said Nordeen.

Sumpter recently completed an internship at Smith Medical Clinic in Georgetown, S.C, where she shadowed physicians and educated patients on the importance of disease prevention. She is involved in numerous initiatives on campus and volunteers for multiple organizations, including the American Red Cross and the Pee Dee Community Teen Improvement Project.

"Being a Swain Scholar means an opportunity to contribute to the local community through educating and creating awareness about health concerns specific to this area," Sumpter said.

The Swain Scholars are selected from top undergraduate students in CCU's sociology, public health, biochemistry, biology, exercise and sport science, and chemistry programs. The students receive scholarships up to $5,000 per year for a total of four semesters, funded by Kenneth E. Swain, a CCU benefactor and retired Myrtle Beach pharmacist who founded the program in 2009. Sharon Thompson, professor of public health, serves as the faculty adviser of the program.

"The Swain Scholars are high academic achieving students," said Thompson. "Through the courses they take during their junior and senior years, they will engage in community health outreach and research."

This year, the scholars will be working on research and advocacy related to gun violence. For more information about the Swain Scholars program, click here. To read about the 2017-18 Swain Scholars, click here.