The Young Alumni Award is presented to a recent graduate who is making outstanding contributions to society, and whose accomplishments and career reflect favorably upon themselves, their community and Grand Valley.

Gloria Masterton Hunter discovered her passion for leadership and education when she was a Grand Valley student. Today, she brings that same energy to the classroom as a high school educator and mentor. 
 
A 2017 graduate with a degree in social studies and secondary education, Masterton Hunter now teaches at Legion Collegiate Academy in Rock Hill, South Carolina. She covers subjects ranging from honors government to economics and psychology, while also serving as social studies department chair, faculty mentor and advisor to student council and yearbook. 
 
Her deep commitment to her community has not gone unnoticed. One student wrote, “We joke the school would fall apart if Ms. Masterton took a sick day. She does it all. She’s a Laker through and through. This year, she encouraged me to apply to GVSU, and I was accepted!”

In 2022, Masterton Hunter was named a Top 10 Educator of the Year by the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS). At GVSU, she was recognized as the 2017 Social Studies Major of the Year, served as vice president of Phi Alpha Theta, and contributed to the Great Lakes History Conference and National History Day.
 
Beyond the classroom, Masterton Hunter serves the broader education community. She’s contributed to South Carolina’s Instructional Materials Review Panel, represented the state at the Jumpstart National Educator Conference on Financial Literacy and mentored students in National History Day competitions.
 
With a career rooted in service, mentorship and academic excellence, Masterton Hunter exemplifies what it means to be a Laker for a Lifetime.

For more information about the GVSU Alumni Awards, visit gvsu.edu/alumni/awards.