Copeland receives 2016-2017 honor

A graduate of a Union County high school has been recognized for special achievements which he has accomplished during a career in the broadcasting field.

Sean Copeland has been selected as the 2016-2107 Shawnee’s Best recipient by the Shawnee Community Unit School District No. 84 Board of Education.

Recipients are chosen based on their accomplishments since high school graduation. 

Copeland graduated from Shawnee High School in Wolf Lake in 2003.

The school board noted that since his graduation from the Union County school, Copeland has had numerous accomplishments as a radio personality.

Copeland is scheduled to be honored at Shawnee High School’s homecoming festivities on Jan. 21.

The school board highlighted Copeland’s many achievements:

Since high school, Copeland has pursued a career in broadcasting that initially led him to St. Louis where, at 18, he became the youngest cast member ever on a nationally syndicated radio show. 

He also hosted a morning program for the largest Christian music broadcaster in the world, with his show being heard on more than 200 stations in 38 states. 

For the last seven years, Copeland has lived and worked in Indianapolis,  Ind.,where he hosts the number one morning show in the market. 

In addition to his weekly radio audience of 400,000, he also hosts a lifestyle-centered web series called “Sean In The City.” 

Episodes of the series have included an award-winning feature on Indianapolis native David Letterman, upon his retirement. 

Copeland is also the reigning Indiana Broadcasters Association “Personality of the Year.”

Aside from radio responsibilities, his community involvement includes serving as a spokesperson for Indiana’s largest food bank and for Western Governors University, a non-profit and fully accredited institution seeking to make higher education accessible and affordable to those in need. 

Copeland has also developed an innovative fund-raising model used by several Indianapolis charities, including The Ronald McDonald House, which enables parents to be near their children who are receiving treatment at the city’s children’s hospital. 

He is also a founding member and serves on the board of directors for an interfaith service organization that has seen a more than 900 percent growth since its inception. 

Copeland’s endeavors have also afforded him the opportunity to work alongside the mayor of Indianapolis and Vice President-elect Mike Pence, when he was Indiana’s governor.