Darnisha Callies

QuadWorks is an organization that works to unite students attending Mercer with various activities, and opportunities for all sorts of personalities. From the calm craft and chats, to the more active scavenger hunts, all leading up BearStock, the event of the year, QuadWorks gives students chances to get to know people, and sometimes even win prizes. I work in the Marketing team, so I am frequently taking photos, making flyers, and dancing for tiktok. While it is a fun position, it is also a good chance to challenging my creativity, improve my artistic hand, and test my ability to grab attention, as well as keep engagement up.

MerServe is an organization on Mercer's campus that provides students countless opportunities to volunteer in the Macon area, and be a part of impactful change. From kids to kittens, MerServe helps a wide variety of individuals and organizations in need of an additional helping hand face to face. We work to provide students an attitude of willingness, work efficiency skills, collaboration, and problem solving abilities.

GCAPP, or the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power and Potential, teaches people around my age about valuable knowledge they might not teach you in school. They're very inclusive, and get into the nitty gritty without sugar coating the facts. They predominantly focus on educating youth about about sexual health and wellness, but I have also learned about money and general safety. I have walked away with better discipline, an understanding of my sense of self, and adjusting to new environments.

During my junior year of high school, I was bestowed the responsibility of Social Media Manager and Historian. The two jobs essentially functioned in tandem, as the Historian took pictures and videos of the choir, and the Social Media Manager was to post them and share any information that may be coming up. I became significantly more social and improved my communication abilities as I was required to learn about and talk to most of the singers across all 5 of the choirs, and communicated with students and parents if they were unable to reach the president with their questions. I also improved my time management given that information had to be relayed by a certain date, and posts needed to be made frequently to maintain our engagement.

As a Peer Mediator for my high school's marching band, I have worked with many musicians across different instrument families to find a solution for any issues that may arise. Given that we are a large band, there's going to be some sort of drama or conflict to arise. Not everyone is going to get along with everyone, so it was my duty to meet with feuding groups and find a solution for peace again. This position improved my listening and communication skills, rationality and reasoning, and ability to find compromise. Additionally, I was the band's librarian. It was also my role to locate, print/copy, and file music. With so many students, different instruments, and pieces being played, I was surrounded by a LOT of music. As the librarian, they taught me organization and patience.

As a proud member of the Girl Scouts, we worked hard to provide for our community, learn about ourselves and each other, and obtain valuable skills that would follow us down the line in life. We learned about various cultures, observed individuals with different career paths, got a better understand of how the world works, and really stepped out of our comfort zones to further benefit those around us. We worked countless hours, and critical thinking was crucial at every turn. On top of that, I personally gained a lot of public speaking skills, understood emotions better, discovered my initial love and willingness to help however possible, improved how to demonstrate respect, as well as became a very good friend to everyone I encountered.

My name is Darnisha Callies, and I am currently a student at Mercer University studying vocal performance. In my field, we primarily focus on music making, and take classes to further our voices and minds. Weekly lessons, theory classes, public speaking, and frequent performances are a must. Students are presented with many opportunities to discover well known individuals in our respective fields, share the art form we love with those who may have similar interests, and work to be better involved in our community. My ultimate goal is to become a better music maker, performer, and person

• Honoree of National History Day 2nd Place Region and 1st Place State Honorable Mention (2021)
• Honoree of 2nd Place FBLA Competition (2023)
• Honoree of Superior Score Solo and Ensemble (2019, 2024)
• Honoree of Director's Choice Senior (Choir 2025)
• Honoree of Director's Choice Award (Theater 2025)
• [General Music Scholarship] Scholarship Recipient
• [Mercer Merit Scholarship] Scholarship Recipient
• [HOPE Scholarship] Scholarship Recipient
• Relevant Coursework: QuadWorks Social Media Manager
• 3.8 GPA
• Mercer Leadership Fellows Member
• MerServe Member