INA, Ill. (May 14, 2024)— The Banterra Bank Student of the Month is Brock Holloway of Mt. Vernon.
Banterra Students of the Month are selected based on combination of GPA, and campus and community involvement.
Holloway plays on the RLC baseball team and graduated Saturday with honors, earning both an Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees from Rend Lake. He is transferring to Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville where he will continue pursuing a career in secondary education. While at RLC, Holloway held a student worker position in the Academic Advisement Center.
"There are many people who perform a lot of behind-the-scenes work for the college who do not get recognized enough," he said. "I have been fortunate enough to get to meet some of these people and form relationships with them. I am extremely grateful for the entire faculty and staff here at RLC."
Holloway's instructors, Dr. Jeannie Mitchell and Dr. Nathan Brouwer, had good things to say about their student.
"Brock is a determined, hard-working, goal-oriented young man," said Psychology Professor Mitchell. "He is very dependable; a team player, and takes his responsibility as a leader very seriously. He is a joy to have in the classroom."
"Brock does a great job on all of his assignments and clearly works hard in the classroom while also balancing a busy baseball schedule," said History Professor Brouwer. "He works very hard academically and currently has an A in the class."
RLC is delighted to see its students recognized for their upstanding character not only by our faculty and staff, but also by leaders in our community, such as Banterra Bank President & CEO Jeff May.
“Banterra was happy to partner with Rend Lake College for the naming rights of an upcoming renovated sports facility, the Banterra Sports Complex, because we are two organizations that are committed to supporting Southern Illinois and our youth,” said May. “As part of that partnership, we are honored to sponsor a Student of the Month program which recognizes an outstanding RLC student each month for their achievements.”
The Game Plan is an opportunity to renovate and expand the facilities within the Waugh Gymnasium on the RLC campus. Banterra Bank acquired naming rights of the gym and will hence force be known as The Banterra Sports Complex, which is RLC’s largest corporate naming rights agreement to date. Renovations of the Banterra Sports Complex is estimated to begin in Fall 2024.
Rend Lake College is a member of the Great Rivers Athletic Conference (GRAC) and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Rend Lake College Warrior and Lady Warrior teams compete in archery, men and women’s basketball, baseball, men and women’s golf, softball, trapshooting, and women’s volleyball. The 2021-2022 Warriors’ basketball team was named NJCAA Academic Team of the Year, finishing with a collective of 3.61 GPA. In 2013, the Warrior men's basketball team won the Division II national championship.
The planned Banterra Sports Complex at Rend Lake College will include the existing James “Hummer” Waugh Gymnasium as well as a new addition to the space. Waugh Gymnasium is one of the original buildings on the college’s campus and in 1995 was named after Waugh, a long-time coach and educator with nearly 50 combined athletic seasons to his credit when he retired. In addition to the gym, it includes athletic offices and locker rooms.