Ackeem West, who is studying sports management at Emmanuel College in Royston, Georgia, was listed on the Presidential Honor Roll for the 2017 fall semester, his third time on the prestigious list. West has had to overcome some obstacles during his academic career, but these external challenges only make him work harder. West, 24, said that being on the honor roll for a third time meant a lot to him and inspires him to want to make the list every time. West only has one more year to finish his course of study at Emmanuel College where he is the only Jamaican in attendance. He entered college on an athletic scholarship in volleyball, attending G C Foster College for a year before taking the scholarship. Prior to attending G C Foster College of Physical Education and Sport, he studied air-conditioning and refrigeration repairs at Portmore HEART Academy in St. Catherine. West began playing volleyball in high school because of the coach, Mr. Patterson, who encouraged him toward the sport. Following high school, he attended training at the Venus Volleyball Club, where he started to see it from a different perspective. His coach there, Mr. Findlay, was a major factor in encouraging him in both volleyball and in “being a better person.” West plans to get a Master’s degree, but is uncertain about what direction to take at present. Emmanuel College was at the top of the list at the Conference Carolinas Presidential Honor Roll in the fall of 2017. This list comprised 2,198 student athletes achieving GPAs of 3.2 or higher. West is one of 334 student athletes to have achieved this goal at Emmanuel College.