Tadean Page

There's not enough good news in the world.

Winthrop University's Tadean Page wants to change that, one Facebook post, one scholarship and, now, one enrichment event at a time. As the community development coordinator for the City of Rock Hill, he helps lead urban development initiatives, including the Clinton ConNEXTion ACtion Plan. The plan focuses on attracting jobs, businesses and housing to the historic neighborhoods of southern Rock Hill, which have sometimes been overlooked.

Prior to his city role, Page served as the community relations and outreach coordinator for Winthrop's Office of Admissions, where he'll help create and facilitate events geared toward younger prospective students and oversee the office's alumni volunteers. He'll also lend a hand toward overall recruitment.

Page, an elementary education graduate from Dillon, South Carolina, launched his Motivating Males organization a few years ago. With hopes of providing encouragement and motivation to all males, he and followers share inspirational stories. In less than a year, the stories reached more than 30,000 people on Facebook.

In his stint as Council of Student Leaders president, he also created the I am H.I.M. Scholarship to give back to his local community. The monetary award is given to one Dillon High School male senior who maintains a 3.0 GPA and plans to attend a four-year institution in South Carolina. He's raising money for an annual gala, with funds going toward the scholarship.

"I decided to create the I am H.I.M. Scholarship Foundation to provide academic and moral support for males in my community through monetary scholarships and mentoring," Page explained. "Growing up in a community where the poverty level was sky-high and many resources were not provided, I wanted to lend a helping hand where it was needed."

But that's only the beginning for Page, who plans to spend his career positively influencing young males through the educational field. The place he feels most at home? Winthrop University.

"I knew I wanted to major in education, so I decided to do my research on the institutions within the state of South Carolina that had a great program," he said. "Of all the schools, Winthrop was the first one on my list to visit, and it has been home ever since. I fell in love with the campus and the professors in the department."

While at Winthrop, Page threw himself full-force into activities with the ability to reach the most people. His favorite experience was serving as an Orientation Leader-particularly because it let him help others.

"Serving as Orientation Leader was an amazing experience because it gave me the opportunity to assist freshmen with their transitioning and serve as an aid during their process," he said.

Page was also a member of the Winthrop chapter of the South Carolina Education Association and the Call Me MISTER program. He's active in his church and in programs at local elementary schools.