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CLASSNOTES
’12
Julia Guyton
is pursuing a
master’s in fisheries and wildlife
services at the University of
Missouri. She is funded by the
state conservation agency to
develop a standardized fish and
amphibian sampling protocol
for wetlands statewide and
to document wetland species
assemblages.
The World Student Christian
Federation–North America and the
Student Christian Movement–USA
(SCM-USA) recently hired
Sarah
McCune
as SCM-USA national
coordinator. McCune is primarily
responsible for planning the national
SCM-USA Leadership Training
Program that was held in April. She
is also exploring her creative side:
her mixed media piece “Prayer in a
Time of Distress” won first place
for visual art in the National Religion
Campaign Against Torture, and she is
currently working on a new series on
Biblical stories using candle wax.
In addition to joining Montgomery’s
Southern Poverty Law Center
as digital media associate in
September,
Kindred Motes
was
officially conferred a master’s in
international relations with honors
last fall from the University of Essex
in the UK.
CourtneyTallant
is one of the
newest faculty members at the Girls
Preparatory School in Chattanooga,
Tenn.
’13
Ryan DeMarco
earned a master’s
in international relations from the
University of Edinburgh in Scotland
in the UK in May. He is now an
admission counselor at BSC, along
with
Jordan Crenshaw ’12
,
Anna
Bodenhamer ’13
,
Coty Lovelady
’13
,
and
Brittany Arias Sturdivant
’13.
William
Justice
completed
his first year
of graduate
school at
the New
York Film
Academy
in NewYork City and is enrolled for
his second year at the academy’s
Los Angeles branch, where he is
pursuing an MFA in acting and film.
Mandy Shunnarah
of Birmingham
is working for Marie Forleo,
a motivational speaker and
internationally known author of the
best-selling self-help book
Make
Every Man Want You: How to Be
So Irresistible You’ll Barely Keep
from Dating Yourself!
Forleo’s
online TV show, MarieTV, and
her business certificate program,
B-School, are geared toward
helping women entrepreneurs
create better businesses and
relationships.
’14
Andrew Conner
, who graduated
with a double degree in
mathematics and English, is
enrolled in the Ph.D. program in
mathematics at the University of
Nebraska.
Every year, the AmeriCorps
program engages Americans aged
18-24 in intensive service to their
communities. Several new BSC
alumnae are serving as AmeriCorps
members in Birmingham, including
Kiwi Lanier
,
Hope Lloyd
,
Claire
McIlwraith
,
NnekaWalker
,
and
AmandaWilliams
. For many
AmeriCorps members, finishing a
term of service is the beginning of
a life dedicated to public service.
For example,
Kelsie Overton ’13
was placed with Leading Edge
Institute through the YWCA’s
AmeriCorps program in 2012. She
is currently assisting with program
development for the Alabama
Association of Nonprofits and other
local organizations. Her long-term
goal is to attend law school and
create systemic change through
public policy.
Robert Potts
is a business
development analyst at New
Capital Partners (NCP) in
Birmingham. He joined the
team full time in June after working
as an intern analyst since 2013.
During his time at NCP, Potts
has been involved in researching
prospect companies in NCP’s
Southeast and Texas markets. In
addition, he’s involved with the
creation of new, streamlined
research strategies and manages
relationships with intermediaries
throughout the U.S.
Alum
News
’04
Lacey Daughdrill Smith’s
work in
the system of justice and the legal
profession is gaining notice.
She was honored as one of Mobile
Bay Magazine’s 40 Under Forty in
its January 2015 issue. A panel of
business and community leaders
chooses the honorees each year based
on career success, involvement in
professional organizations and trade
groups, and community service.
Smith, whose legal career includes a
specialty in complex aviation litigation,
was recently named a partner at Armbrecht Jackson LLP in Mobile.
To properly represent clients, she has to keep up with expert
witnesses on topics like the metallurgical properties of aircraft-
quality steel. For the past three years, Smith has been named a
“Rising Star” in aviation litigation in the publication Alabama Super
Lawyers.
She credits one of her best friends and pledge sisters during her
undergraduate years,
Rebecca Beers ’04
, for turning her on to the
field of law.
“Rebecca inspired me to follow in her footsteps and pursue the
legal field,” said Smith, who received her law degree from Samford
University’s Cumberland School of Law.
In addition to studying history at BSC, she played on the
volleyball team as a first-year student and participated in the
Leadership Studies Program, service learning, and Greek life. She
acknowledges the faculty at Birmingham-Southern for helping her
to succeed.
“I think the most important influence my BSC professors had on
my career was emphasizing the importance of writing and helping
me hone that skill,” Smith said. “I feel confident that crafting
historical arguments to the satisfaction of Dr. [Mark] Lester has
helped me in my legal career because he was as sharp and tough
(in a good way) as any judge.”
Smith is involved in a number of legal professional organizations,
including the Alabama, Mississippi, and Mobile bar associations;
the executive committee of the Mobile Young Lawyers; and the
Mobile Volunteer Lawyers Program. She also donates her time
each month to the Ronald McDonald House and other community
nonprofits; last year, she raised more than $27,000 for the Leukemia
and Lymphoma Society’s Alabama/Gulf Coast chapter.
She said her main goal going forward is to lead a well-rounded
life. She and her husband, Glenn, have a one-year-old son, Morris.
“I want to successfully balance my career and family without
ever taking the latter for granted,” she said.