Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business and Entrepreneurship

Samaria Christian, a senior majoring in business administration with a concentration in management, is a proud product of the Atlanta Public School system.   She was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Samaria will graduate from Benedict College in May 2019 with several accomplishments. On campus, she is heavily involved in the National Society of Leadership and Success, the National Society of Collegiate Schools, and Delta Mu Delta International Honor Society.  She is also the team leader for the Benedict College Cheerleading Squad, Miss School of Honors (2017-2018), and the membership chairperson and secretary for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. She volunteers as an assistant coach for the Palmetto Youth Tigers Cheerleading Squad and has been working for the First Year Experience at Benedict for two year. Even though she is involved in many extracurricular activities, Samaria manages to maintain a high GPA.  She has received President’s Trophy for a 4.0 GPA in a semester.  

For the past four summers, she has been held an internship for the City of Atlanta in several departments.  She worked with the Department of Parks and Recreation, Department of Public Works, and Department of Watershed Management. During the summer of 2018, she worked in the Office of Performance and Accountability in the Department of Watershed Management.  She learned project management, time management, and networking. After graduation, she plans to work in the Human Resources Department for Delta Airlines or return to the City of Atlanta as part of their management team. Summarizing her time at Benedict, Samaria states, “Benedict College has prepared me to be a power for good in society.”

Mr. Shawn Brown, a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, is a rising junior majoring in business administration with a concentration in marketing. He will graduate in May 2020. Shawn is actively involved on campus.  He is Mr. Junior 2018-19, a Benedict College Student Ambassador, and the drummer for the Benedict College Gospel Choir.  He is also a member of the Men Achieving Leadership, Excellence and Success (M.A.L.E.S.) organization, and the Collegiate 100 Leadership Organization on campus.

Reflecting on his extracurricular involvement, Shawn says, “The reason I decided to run for Mr. Junior is because I desire to ensure that students have all of the tools they need to take themselves higher as well as the tools to lift others. I believe if students see someone their age achieving leadership, excellence and success, it will motive them to want to do the same.”

Denera McCullough was born and raised in Harlem, New York.  When she graduated in May 2010 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting, she became the third member of her immediate family to graduate from Benedict College.  She graduated from Webster University in June of 2016 with an M.B.A in Management and Leadership while working at PricewaterhouseCoopers, a big four accounting firm. 

Ms. McCullough is a member of several organizations such as Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Phi Beta Lambda Business Organization, and Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) just to name a few.  She takes pride in being a board member and Director of Women Affairs for the National Association of Each One Teach One, Inc. non-profit organization founded in Harlem, New York by her father, Mr. Robert McCullough.  She is also a mentor and motivational speaker for the National Association of Each One Teach One, Inc. High School program.  Ms. McCullough instills in her mentees that, “Leadership is not the ability lead others.  Leadership is the ability to get others to lead themselves.”  She believes that being impactful to your community by passing on valuable knowledge is essential to ensuring your community’s survival and for the survival of their future generations.