African American Studies Program honors awardees

Friday, April 24, 2015

The University of Iowa African American Studies Program has named the recipients of several awards for the 2014-2015 academic year:

  • National Association of Black Journalists Scholarships were awarded to Celina Carr and Lindsay Graf-Juarez.
  • The Black Student Union Seniors of the Year Award went to Yaslin Ruiz and Kyle Davis.
  • The UI chapter of the NAACP sponsored two awards:
    • The Orville and Billie Townsend Rising Star Award was given to Gabrielle Miller.
    • The Darwin Turner Faculty MVP Award went to Michael Hill.
  • Iowa Black Alumni Association Scholarships were awarded to Shyheme McElroy and Brianna Nash.
  • The African American Studies Leadership Awards went to:
    • Organization: UI chapter of the NAACP
    • Undergraduate: Justin Roberson
    • Graduate: Maggie Butler and Kayla Wheeler
  • African American Studies Academic Excellence Awards were given to Shawn Boursiquot and Caleb Rainey.
  • The African American Studies Cultural Research Award went to Sharde Davis.
  • The Marie Nesbitt Promise Prize was awarded to Ashley Lee.

The awards were given at the African American Studies Awards Reception on April 17, 2015 at the Clarion Hotel in Iowa City.

The African American Studies Program is part of the UI College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

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.