Martin, Burchell honored at HEADWAE events

POPLARVILLE - State leaders honored Pearl River Community College student Jill Martin of Picayune and science instructor Lonnie Burchell of Hattiesburg Tuesday, Feb. 20, at the annual HEADWAE events.

Higher Education Appreciation Day, Working for Academic Excellence was established by the Legislature more than 20 years ago to honor academically talented students and faculty.

Martin is a pre-nursing major, a member of Phi Theta Kappa honor society and the Leadership Honors Forum and is a paramedic with AAA Ambulance Service. She plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master’s degree as a nurse practitioner.

She and her husband, Joshua Martin, are the parents of three daughters - Kaylie, 13; Corrie, 10; and Abbie, 2.

Burchell has taught anatomy and physiology, microbiology and zoology for 20 years on the Poplarville campus. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from William Carey University. He is married to Patricia Burchell, Forrest-Perry County district attorney, and has a daughter, Jennifer Cannon of Houston.

HEADWAE honorees from Mississippi community colleges and four-year institutions were introduced to the Legislature before attending an awards luncheon at the Jackson Marriott Hotel. The event is made possible by corporate sponsors and coordinated by the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning.

Photo caption:

Instructor Lonnie Burchell, from left, Pearl River Community College president Dr. Adam Breerwood and student honoree Jill Martin of Picayune attended the annual HEADWAE events Tuesday, Feb. 20, in Jackson.