Thursday, September 30, 2004

Sept. 30, 2004

Wilmington, N.C. – The University of North Carolina Wilmington recognized the achievements of its minority students Sept. 17 at the 19th Annual Academic Awards Program for Minority Students.

Brittany N. Pate of Leland was honored as the 2004 Upperman Scholar, a four-year, $5,000 award established by the late Dr. L. W. Upperman. Its purpose is to recognize an incoming freshman from North Carolina who enhances the minority presence at UNCW. Recipients must have a demonstrated interest in African-American heritage and outstanding academic achievement. The award was presented by Linda Upperman Smith, a member of the UNCW Board of Trustees.

Jermisha Y. Dodson of Raleigh received the Outstanding Minority Freshman Award. In her first year at UNCW, she was recognized for demonstrating a conscientious and committed focus to academic leadership. She was enrolled in one of the university’s first learning communities and was noted for her hard work, diligent attendance and focus on her goals.

Patrick W. Bullock of Cary was recognized as the high achieving minority athlete. He earned the CAA Commissioner’s Award twice during his athletic career. A criminal justice major, Bullock was named to the Dean’s List three times and was awarded the Golden Seahawk and Seahawk academic awards while competing in track and field where he earned All East Honors. He placed in the Penn Relays and barely missed qualifying for the NCAA Championship meet after placing in the NCAA East Regional meet. Bullock was active in Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and Black Student Union. Recognized as a UNCW Senior Medallion Award Winner, Bullock graduated in May 2004.

Demetrius A. Sidberry of Castle Hayne received the Outstanding College and School Award for the Cameron School of Business. He is a senior finance major with a 3.90 overall GPA and a 3.97 GPA within the school of business. He has served as a tutor to other students, as the Supreme Court Associate Justice of the Student Government Association, and as the president of the local chapter of the NAACP. During the summer of 2004 he completed an internship with the Global Private Equity Placement Group of UBS Investment Bank in New York City and has been offered a position with the company to begin upon his graduation from UNCW in May.

Other Outstanding College and School Awards were presented to Dayna D. Hairston of Holly Springs, College of Arts and Sciences; Aundrea R. Avila of Lumberton, School of Nursing; and Patrick H. Gunn of Wilmington, Watson School of Education.

The first in her family to attend college, Tonga Boney of Rose Hill was recognized for her academic achievement with the first Ralph Parker Scholarship. The scholarship was endowed by the African American Graduates Association of the UNCW Alumni Association. It is named for Ralph Parker of Southport, retired director of minority affairs at UNCW.

Billie Fleming of Huntersville received the Ralph Parker Award for Excellence. In addition to excelling academically, Fleming is very active in leadership supporting diversity. She is executive president of UNCW Global Serve, organizing and planning volunteer opportunities in Wilmington and the world for members; executive board member of the UNCW Native American Student Organization; and member of the Protégé and Leader Program, the Southeastern African American Student Leadership Conference, Black Student Union, NAACP and Minority Recruitment Club. She is also employed in the Academic Affairs Office for Academic Outreach, where she is the coordinator of the College Exploration Day Program.

Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo congratulated each of the 123 award recipients who attended the ceremony, the majority of whom received Academic Achievement Awards recognizing them for demonstrated leadership abilities and academic excellence by earning a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better during the previous academic year.

The ceremony was sponsored by the UNCW Office of Campus Diversity and the Division of Academic Affairs.