East Mississippi Community College Speech instructor Sandy Grych was named as a William Winter Scholar Feb. 23 at the 29th Annual Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration.
Each year, dozens of Humanities Division instructors and students from colleges and universities in Mississippi are recognized for their outstanding work during the annual event at the Natchez campus of Copiah-Lincoln Community College.
The award winners were recognized during opening ceremonies for the event presided over by former Mississippi Gov. William F. Winter, after whom the scholarship is named.
“I can’t think of a more fitting recipient of this award than Sandy,” EMCC Associate Dean of Instruction Gina Thompson said. “Her work is exemplary and she is passionate about providing her students the best education possible.”
Grych, a Mathiston resident who is in her 20th year at EMCC, is a native of Krakow, Wis. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Telecommunications from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla., a Master of Arts in Journalism from the University of Mississippi, and 18 graduate hours in Communications from Mississippi State University.
She worked as a business manager for the Pulaski News and was employed with the Pulaski Community School District in Wisconsin for seven years. After graduating from Ole Miss, Grych took a job in Mathiston at what was then Wood Junior College, which has since closed. She worked there for 17 years before accepting the position at EMCC.
Grych said teaching Speech is rewarding in that it provides students a valuable skill that will remain with them the rest of their lives.
“I have taught thousands of students over a period of about 30 years and one thing they can’t learn from a textbook is how to overcome stage fright,” Grych said. “A lot of people suffer from it in varying degrees but the more you do it, the more relaxed you feel.
“I tell my students they don’t want to be considered professionally handicapped by an inability to speak publicly. I am not saying everyone is going to be the best public speaker but if you are a reasonably intelligent person you should be able to at least do a decent job of it.”
“Southern Gothic” is the theme for this year’s Natchez Literary Celebration. The two-day celebration that concludes Feb. 24 includes lectures on the topic by professors, academic experts, authors and artists. Other featured events are an evening of blues, a “Ghost Tour” of the Glenfield Plantation, a benefit lunch at the Dunleith Plantation and a cocktail buffet at The Elms.
