Scholar Spotlight with Amanda Barber

This week our Scholar Spotlight shines on Amanda Barber, a junior communications major from Charleston, WV. Amanda is a recipient of the Vera Malton Scholarship in support of English and communications majors. Established jointly by the Departments of Communications and English, the award honors Dr. Vera Malton, who was chair of Shepherd’s English department from the mid-1930’s through the early 1970’s, and later served as an emeritus professor of speech and English.

The award has had a very personal impact on Amanda, who says it provided some much-needed reassurance about her chosen major. “I received this scholarship during a time when I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue studying communications,” she explains. “Certain life events had caused me to doubt the quality of my work. But since this award is selected by faculty, I felt confident that the content I was producing was of high quality and up to my professors’ standards.”