Christina Martin, a senior at Florida Southern College, has been selected the 2008 General Russell E. Dougherty National Leader of the Year by Omicron Delta Kappa, the national leadership honor society.

LAKELAND, Fla. (June 11, 2008) — Christina Martin, a senior at Florida Southern College, has been selected the 2008 General Russell E. Dougherty National Leader of the Year by Omicron Delta Kappa, the national leadership honor society. Martin was chosen from among 35 nominees nationally, and will receive a $4,000 scholarship for graduate studies.

"Christina was one of the youngest students to qualify for ODK, and she immediately took on important leadership roles within our group, including serving as vice president, coordinating our annual High School Leadership Symposium, and now as president of our circle,” said Larry R. Burke, associate professor of music and the circle’s faculty secretary. “She is an outstanding, energetic individual and a real treat to work with. We are all very proud of her achievement of this rather amazing honor."

Martin also serves as ODK’s regional director for Region 1 and as a student-at-large member of the ODK national board of directors. Last summer, she participated in ODK's signature program CLT2 for specialized work on non-profit boards. Her efforts in coordinating the High School Leadership Symposium in conjunction with Leadership Lakeland Alumni Association involved over ten local area high schools.

In addition, Martin is 2008-09 president of Psi Chi, the psychology honorary; past president of the Association of Honors Students; past vice president of intellectual development at Alpha Chi Omega; member of Phi Kappa Phi, the national academic honorary; and Order of Omega, the national Greek honorary; and at FSC served as a Southern Ambassador, orientation peer leader and house representative with the Student Government Association. She also participated in the FSC Vagabonds Theatre Arts Club.

A psychology major and a theatre arts minor, Martin plans to attend medical school to become a child psychiatrist specializing in the creative therapies of art, music, drama and dance. She is the daughter of Robert and Susan Martin of Lakeland, Fla.