African American Studies announces awards and honors

Reception held on May 5 honored undergraduate and graduate students, faculty
Sunday, May 15, 2016

Scholarships           

AAS Major Scholarship: Rachael Hale     

NABJ/NURU Scholarship: Cassandra Santiago and Elona Neal

AAS Community Service Award

To recognize a campus organization, undergraduate and graduate student for:

  • serving people and diverse communities
  • addressing important community issues through service
  • participating in activities that have had a measurable impact on the community
  • demonstrating exemplary commitment to volunteerism
  • contributing to organized cultural and community endeavors

Organization: UI/Iowa City Carnival

Public Engagement: Associate Professor Loyce Arthur, Department of Theatre Arts

Undergraduate/Graduate: Lisa Covington     

AAS Leadership Award

To recognize a campus organization, undergraduate and graduate student for:

  • Actions that are effective to creating positive change
  • Actions that address important campus issues with a measurable impact
  • Actions that set a high level of integrity and personal standards
  • Actions that help build bridges between people and between organizations
  • Actions that motivate and inspire others to realize leadership potential

Organization: Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity 

Black Males and Police Project - Alex Lodge        

Undergraduate/Graduate: Bryan Porter         

AAS Academic Achievement Award 

To recognize undergraduate students who have taken at least three AAS courses and demonstrated an extraordinary appreciation of issues in African American Culture, along with academic accomplishments in the major.

Undergraduate AAS Majors & Minors: Rodnika Carter, Waale Gbara, Ashley Stott, Elona Neal, Matthew Bruce, Samuel Osaro, Brooke Kimbrough, David Butler-Mays, Taniesha Kauten      

Graduate AAS Cultural Research Award     

To recognize graduate students near completion of their dissertation for outstanding contributions, commitment and initiative related to research in African American culture.

Troy Mills (Religious Studies/Public Health)

AAS Creative Arts Award

To recognize an undergraduate or graduate student for inspirational talent, motivation, and creative ability.

Undergrad: Shawn Boursiquot, Caleb Rainey and Justin Roberson

Graduate: Alvon Reed (Dance)

AAS Cultural Awareness Award

To recognize freshmen, sophomores, and others who are good students, take a minimum of two AAS courses, and show an exceptional capacity for cultural awareness.

Gabrielle Young, Jeremiah Jones, Kyah Bridges, Fabio Thomas

Marie Nesbitt Promise Prize 

The Marie Nesbitt Promise was established in 2002 and incorporated into the Change Create Transform Foundation in 2010.  It was created in the memory of Marie Nesbitt who encouraged people to trust in God, reach for the stars, stand up for what you believe in and most of all never give up.  The prize is a tribute to an extraordinary student chosen to continue a tradition of excellence.

Aja Witt

Graduating Seniors

Madison Barnum, Rodnika Carter, Darian Cooper, Rachael Hale, Evan Ivory, Brittney Reed, Sara Lowery

The University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers about 70 majors across the humanities; fine, performing and literary arts; natural and mathematical sciences; social and behavioral sciences; and communication disciplines. About 15,000 undergraduate and nearly 2,000 graduate students study each year in the college’s 37 departments, led by faculty at the forefront of teaching and research in their disciplines. The college teaches all Iowa undergraduates through the college's general education program, CLAS CORE. About 80 percent of all Iowa undergraduates begin their academic journey in CLAS. The college confers about 60 percent of the university's bachelor's degrees each academic year.