Scott Wing received the Student of the Year Award from the Tennessee National Association of Developmental Education in October. Wing was nominated by his English teacher, Jeannine W. Edwards.
Wing received a plaque, a $100 check, hotel, travel and meal accommodations for the trip to the Gatlinburg, Tenn., ceremony.
Wing said his most prized gift from the experience was a children’s book he received from Edwards. The book stresses the importance of being specific in writing.
Prior to attending The University of Memphis, Wing had been out of school for 15 years. He graduated from Memphis’ Kingsbury High School and decided to join the United States Marine Corps instead of attending college.
He said he “learned discipline,” in the Marine Corps.
After his stint in the Marines, Wing began working in textile lamination.
“I worked my way up from machine operator to manager,” said Wing.
Wing decided to start college full time in the fall of 1999.
He said he was looking for jobs with better pay and benefits, yet all of his inquiries were turned away because of his lack of a degree. Wing said even though he had management skills, he still needed a college degree.
Wing graduated from The University of Memphis in May of 2002 with a degree in finance and logistic marketing. He finished his undergraduate program summa cum laude and with yellow honor cords in two years and 10 months with a 3.957 GPA.
During his college career, Wing received only two B’s and the rest of his grades were A’s.
Wing is now in graduate school at The U of M focusing on finance, and plans to graduate in 2003.
He said he is looking for a full time position or internship for next semester.
“I have been blessed through relationships with professors and students,” he said. “Everyone has been wonderful.”
