University of South Alabama civil engineering junior Jacqueline Parks recently received a national student leadership medal from the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) during their annual Joint Engineering Training Conference (JETC).

She has distinguished herself over the past two years through her dedicated service to SAME. Parks was instrumental, along with members of the Mobile Post, in establishing the student chapter of SAME at USA in 2010. She was selected as the inaugural chapter president and is currently serving a second term. During this time, the Chapter has grown dramatically to nearly 70 members.

She has served on the College of Engineering�s Dean�s Advisory Council, as a supplemental instructor for a pre-calculus/trigonometry course, and as an instructor�s assistant for the introduction to engineering course. Parks also has been instrumental in establishing joint tailgating cook-outs between the Engineering Alumni Society and the Student Chapter. In 2011, Parks was selected to serve as the SAME National Student Council President. During that time, she worked closely with the College Outreach Committee in development of the SAME Student Chapter Guidance Manual.

Parks, who previously served in the U.S. Army National Guard, has dedicated numerous hours to support initiatives such as MATHCOUNTS, the Girls Exploring Math and Science Program, and the JubileeBEST Robotics competition.

�To be awarded this distinguished medal in St. Louis at the JETC was an extreme honor,� Parks said. �I was humbled to have accepted it and I did so on behalf of our local Mobile SAME Post and the USA College of Engineering. Both of these organizations provided me with outstanding support and cooperation thereby allowing me to develop the qualities that prompted the SAME Awards Committee to take my nomination into consideration.�

�Jacqueline Parks is an outstanding student and leader who richly deserves the recognition provided by this national award from SAME,� said USA College of Engineering Dean Dr. John Steadman. �Her achievements both in the classroom and in her co-curricular activities are truly remarkable. It is a pleasure to have Jackie as an engineering student at USA. She is already a fabulous role model for other students and will be a great engineer when she enters the work force. We are very proud of her previous military service as well as her current accomplishments.�