Batson earns Auburn’s two top awards

Sydney Batson has earned the President’s Award and W. James Samford Foundation Award for 2016, the highest academic honors that Auburn University presents. CONTRIBUTED/GREG MACHEN PHOTOGRAPHY

MADISON – Sydney Batson has earned the President’s Award and W. James Samford Foundation Award for 2016, the highest academic honors that Auburn University awards to any student.

In addition, Batson learned on April 7 that she was selected as this year’s recipient of the Jean Wickstrom Liles Endowment for Scholarship in English. The English department presents this honor to an English major with a record of academic excellence.

She graduated from Bob Jones High School in May 2012. Batson is majoring in English with minors in Italian and business.

Batson’s other AU honors include the Spirit of Auburn Founders, Liberal Arts Humanities and Ruth and Carolyn Faulk scholarships. She earned the Castanoli Study Abroad Scholarship and Wiatt Fund for Excellence award.

She has maintained a 4.0 GPA and is a Fulbright Scholar Semifinalist, Sustained Dialog Committee president and a resident assistant.

Her memberships include Phi Kappa Phi and Tau Delta honor societies, Undergraduate Studies Committee, Italian Club and Student Writing Council. Batson is host of Radio Italiano.

In volunteer work, she works with foreign exchange students and other minority groups on campus to help them feel more welcome at Auburn. She also tutors elementary students in various subjects.

Away from the classroom, Baton enjoys reading and writing, playing piano, learning new languages and being outdoors, especially to go hiking, biking and paddle boarding.

A former track team member at Bob Jones, Batson now participates in intramural soccer and flag football at Auburn.

She will graduate this May and intends to apply to law school.

Her parents are Paul and Jo Batson. He works as an engineering manager for Mentor Graphics. She is chief financial officer of The Arc of Madison County.