Wake Forest Magazine, March 2007 - Past Issues - Wake Forest ...

A great runIn academics and athletics, senior Michelle Sikes sets the pace.ICHELLE SIKES LOVES RUN-MNING AND WINNING. On achilly weekend last November, shedid both.In Pittsburgh to interview forthe prestigious Rhodes Scholarship,Sikes was not about to let the day goby without a good run. She took tothe streets, exploring the city with afellow Rhodes candidate. Later thatday she learned she had becomeWake Forest’s newest RhodesScholar—its eleventh since 1986.Sikes, a mathematical economicsmajor and captain of the women’scross-country team whose senior-yearresume is a laundry list of academicand athletic honors, will travel toOxford University next fall for twoyears of study. She hopes to pursuea master’s degree in economics aswell as a master’s of science in globalhealth sciences, that will prepareher for a career related to her areaof interest—organ donation.When Sikes was a high schoolsenior in Lakewood, Ohio, she waslooking for a school that successfullycombined top-level programs inacademics and athletics. She consideredDuke and Stanford, as well asWake Forest. She was impressedwith Wake Forest’s small-schoolatmosphere and Division 1 program.She connected well with her futurecoach, Annie Bennett, and enjoyedthe friendliness of the women on thecross-country team. All those factors,combined with what she consideredgreat weather, led her to chooseWake Forest.“Wake Forest has exceeded allmy expectations,” Sikes said recentlyas she stretched after a morningrun. Part of the Rhodes applicationprocess was asking eight people towrite letters on my behalf. Five ofthose letters came from Collegeprofessors, one from a law professor,and one from the director of athletics,she said. “The network of support“I love to spend time withmy friends and competein the sport I love. Iwould do it even if I didn’thave a team around me.”you find at Wake Forest is one ofthose intangibles that you don’t appreciateuntil you’re applying for graduateschool or a job in the real world.”Michael Lawlor, professor of economicsand Sikes’ academic advisor,says she has been a great student.“Michelle is really interested in thenotion of applying economics tocrucial social issues,” he says. Tofulfill a requirement for her healthpolicy administration minor, sheworked last summer at the AmericanEnterprise Institute for Public Policy,a think tank of scholars who activelyresearch in health, political science,and economics. She was a healthpolicy intern for a researcher studyingthe organ donation system.Fluent in Spanish, Sikes volunteersas an interpreter at El CentroBy Cherin C. Poovey (P ’08)Clinico, a clinic for low-incomeHispanic residents in Winston-Salem. She also serves as a StudentGovernment representative.Sikes acknowledges that runningis the part of her day that she mostlooks forward to. “I love to spendtime with my friends and competein the sport I love,” she says. “Iwould do it even if I didn’t have ateam around me.”A 2001 state champion and 2002All-American at her high school inOhio, Sikes placed second in hercollegiate debut and was namedACC Rookie of the Year in 2003. Herathletic honors include AcademicAll-ACC, All Southeast-Region, andtwo-time ACC Performer of theWeek. She paced the women’s crosscountryteam to a 27th overall finishat the 2006 NCAA Championshipsin Terre Haute, Indiana, finishingthirteenth overall out of 253 runnersin the 6K race. Sikes earned All-American honors as a result of herfinish in the top 30.In May, as she prepares to walkacross the stage at Commencement,Sikes says she will probably bereflecting on how amazing the lastfour years have been and how muchshe’s looking forward to the nexttwo. “I feel so fortunate to havehad the opportunity to enjoy stimulatingacademics, membershipin an intensely competitive sportsconference, and an incomparablysupportive and friendly environmentduring my time here.”S T U D E N T P R O F I L EMARCH 2007 25