Keesler health professional honored by USM Published April 25, 2014 By Steve Pivnick 81st Medical Group Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Terri Jordan, health promotion manager with the 81st Aerospace Medicine Squadron Health and Wellness Center, recently was presented two honors from the University of Southern Mississippi. She was awarded the Undergraduate Scholarship Gulf Coast and also selected as the Outstanding Student in the College of Health. "The Undergraduate Scholarship Gulf Coast is awarded to the student with the highest GPA in the Community Health Sciences program on the Gulf Coast. We currently have about 55 students in the program and she is at the top of her class. This is a departmental- level award," said Dr. Danielle Robinson Fastring, assistant professor and undergraduate coordinator for the Department of Public Health in USM's College of Health. Fastring also nominated Jordan for the Outstanding Undergraduate Student in the College of Health. "This award is chosen from all students in either community health sciences; social work; or health, performance and recreation, the departments that make up the College of Health," she explained. "These are competitive awards and there were many nominations from the departments within the College of Health. We wanted to recognize her achievement of passing the Certified Health Education Specialist Credentialing Exam which is not usually taken by students until they complete the curriculum and are awarded their Bachelor or Science degree. Terri sat for and passed this exam prior to graduation. This is quite an accomplishment as there are many graduates who have difficulty passing the exam." "Terri's work ethic and personal professionalism are just outstanding," Fastring added. "We love having her in class and hope she continues in the field of public health. We are so impressed with Terri. She is at the top of her class and we wanted to make sure we recognized her hard work. The experience she brings to the classroom is so valuable."