Three individuals have been recognized for their dedication and hard work at Cleveland State Community College. Lakelan Hammonds was selected as the 2025 Distinguished Graduate. Holly Appleton was selected as the Distinguished Staff Member, and Dr. Melodee Alexander was selected as the Distinguished Faculty Member.
Each year, nominations are submitted for the Distinguished Awards. These prestigious awards
recognize the outstanding service from a faculty member, a staff member, and an upcoming graduate who help to make Cleveland State a great place. The award recipients were recently
recognized at a reception on the Cleveland campus.
Distinguished Graduate Lakelan Hammonds graduated from McMinn County High School and
started Cleveland State as a Tennessee Promise student in 2023. He has been a member of the
Student Senate, serving as vice president this year. He has also been an active member of the
Speech and Debate Team for two years.
Hammonds credits Speech and Debate for keeping him involved at the college and pushing him
to learn and practice skills such as speaking in front of crowds, communicating with others and
working with a partner.
He will transfer to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in the fall majoring in political
science. He plans to complete his bachelor’s degree then continue to law school and become a
criminal defense lawyer.
Distinguished Staff Member, Holly Appleton began her career at Cleveland State in 2002 as the
Public Information / Recruitment Officer, and within a few years, she became the Enrollment
Management Coordinator. She joined the Communications Department in 2008 where she has
served as the Public Relations Coordinator, Community Relations Specialist and Communications Project Manager. In 2021, Appleton was promoted to Director of Communications.
A proud graduate of Cleveland State, Appleton transferred to Tennessee Tech where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. She has served the college as an adjunct instructor, an advisor to student ambassadors, co-chair of the diversity committee, Vice President of Staff