It’s a beloved tradition every Homecoming: The presentation of the annual Maryville College Alumni Awards, and this year is no different with three of those alumni being honored during the Friday night Founder’s Day celebration on Oct. 10, an afternoon and evening extravaganza that kicks off at the Clayton Center for the Arts at 4 p.m. with the President’s Welcome Reception, an event that will include the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Maryville College Alumni Association.

While all Scots depart College Hill determined to “do good on the largest possible scale,” as MC founder the Rev. Isaac Anderson extolled them two centuries ago, a few go on to change their communities, and sometimes the world, in unfathomable ways.

Each year, the association recognizes the recipients of some of the College’s most prestigious honors.

Jonika Dhima Hoomes ’02

The Alumni Citation Award, given to any alumnus/a of MC who has demonstrated outstanding leadership or initiative service in his/her community, church or chosen profession, will be bestowed upon Jonika Dhima Hoomes ’02. Hoomes is a Certified New Ventures West coach, a certified coach with the International Coaching Federation, and an MBA graduate of the Santa Clara Leavey School of Business spending her time helping others shape the kinds of careers that win them similar honors.

One of her biggest accomplishments was the build-out and leadership of Google’s first Automotive Channel Partnerships, which grew a small book of business into “one of the largest and fastest-growing reseller businesses, generating $1 billion in ad sales. Her impact was acknowledged through consecutive Women of the Channel awards, a prestigious recognition received by only three leaders at Google.”

All of those accomplishments, she says, can be attributed to a love of learning and “her mother’s insistence on teaching her multiple languages (five!) in empowering her to be Google’s first Albanian hire and thriving across various Google organizations.”

LeSean “Seanny” Brannon ’11

The Kin Takahashi Award for Young Alumni — recognizing an alumnus/a who has, within 20 years of his/her graduation from MC, lived a life characteristic of Maryville College’s most acclaimed alum, Kin Takahashi (Class of 1895) — the association chose two recipients, LeSean Brannon ’11 and Dr. Jerica Johnson Hall ’13.

Since founding the Alumni Community and Belonging Taskforce, both LeSean “Seanny” Brannon ’11 and Dr. Jerica Johnson Hall ’13 have served or currently serve as voting members of the MC Alumni Association Board, and both work in education: Brannon is a professional learning specialist for Curriculum Associates, an organization that partners with teachers to improve classroom experiences; and Hall currently serves as a human resources business partner with Hamilton County Schools in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she supports talent management and employee relations across the district.

Brannon was formerly a fifth-grade teacher for that same system, in addition to serving as a fifth-grade teacher in Knox County Schools for eight years, where she was named teacher of the year and launched an after-school program known as “After Party.”

Dr. Jerica Johnson Hall ’13

Her proudest accomplishment: The creation of the program MEC: Making Educated Citizens, begun through a 21st Century Learning grant that teaches students to research and write about current events in order to think more critically about the world and their place within it. She currently lives in Huntsville, Alabama, with her wife, Nicole, and their child.

Johnson’s work in bridging gaps with diverse populations is evident in her work in Chattanooga as well, where she serves as committee chair for the district’s Talent Retention and Culture Initiatives, through which she’s helped create retention programs such as Male Teachers of Color (MTOC), Female Teachers of Color (FemTOC), and Male Administrators of Color (MAC). Since fall 2023, she’s worked diligently to ensure these programs maintain a comprehensive approach to supporting educators of color and fostering a culture of belonging within schools.

“Each year, choosing these Scots is a powerful reminder that Maryville College produces graduates unlike any other — individuals shaped by a liberal arts education and a lifelong commitment to service. Honoring them is just a small expression of the immense pride and gratitude we feel for how they represent their alma mater,” said Jennifer Phillips Triplett ’07, director of Alumni Affairs.

Maryville College is a nationally-ranked institution of higher learning and one of America’s oldest colleges located in Maryville, Tennessee, between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the city of Knoxville. Maryville College offers more than 60 majors, seven pre-professional programs and career preparation from their first day on campus to their last, in the words of our Presbyterian founder, to “do good on the largest possible scale.”

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