Excellence in Education
By Staff
Feb. 19, 2004
Jessica Sheron Clark of Collinsville has been awarded a Trustee Academic Scholarship to attend the University of West Alabama.
The award is based on academic achievement and proven leadership potential. Clark is a senior at West Lauderdale High School and plans to pursue a career in nursing.
Three Meridian Community College students have been selected to receive the Ruth Van Dyke Nelson Memorial Scholarship: Shelley Scarbrough, Jamie Danielle Strickland and David Kellen Lane.
These $1,100 awards are funded through the MCC Foundation from an endowment established by Arthur W. Nelson in 1995.
Scarbrough is a 2002 highest honors graduate of Meridian High School. She is a sophomore in the University Transfer Program and a dean's list scholar.
She is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year college students. She plans to pursue a degree in speech language pathology.
Strickland is a 2003 graduate of Lamar High School where she was a member of the National Beta Club, the Spanish Honor Society and the literary magazine staff.
She was named to Who's Who Among American High School Students. She is a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army. She is in the University Transfer Program.
Lane is a 2003 highest honor graduate of Meridian High School. He was a member of the National Honor Society, the Key Club and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
He was named a scholar athlete, received an academic letter for two years and received the 2003 Computer Science Award. He is in the University Transfer Program and plans to pursue a degree in computer engineering.
Daniel F. Barber, a senior accounting major at the Southern Methodist University Edwin L. Cox School of Business in Dallas, is participating in a 10-week internship with the international accounting firm of Ernst and Young.
There, Barber will have the opportunity to perform many aspects of the audit process for several national and Fortune 500 companies.
He will graduate from SMU in May. The 2000 honors graduate of Lamar High School is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jim Barber of Meridian.
Matthew Shoemaker of Petal and Chad Hopkins of Selma, Ala., have been selected to receive the Ed Lewis Memorial Scholarships at Meridian Community College.
Robert E. Lewis Jr. of Ridgeland and Julius Cruse of Jackson fund these $500 awards through the MCC Foundation.
Shoemaker is a 2002 graduate of Petal High School, where he was a member of the speech/debate team, the drama team and the National Honor Society.
He was editor for the school paper, band section leader and golf team captain. He is a sophomore in the University Transfer Program studying pre-med. A dean's list scholar, he is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year college students.
Hopkins is a 2003 graduate of John Taylor Morgan Academy. He was a member of the Agribusiness Club, the Senior Choir and the Student Government Association.
Hopkins received the Bain Gleason Award, the Senior Athlete Award and was named the Most Valuable Player of the golf team. He is in the University Transfer Program and plans to pursue a career in turf management.
Both men are members of the MCC Golf Team and volunteer for My College Cares Day and Toys for Tots.
Ovid Vickers of Decatur, an author and retired East Central Community College English instructor, is this year's recipient of the Doster Award.
The award is the highest honor presented by the Two-Year College English Association-Southeast, a regional affiliate of the National Council of Teachers of English.
Vickers will receive the award at the organization's 2004 conference on Feb. 27 at the Huntsville, Ala., Marriott.
A reception will also be held in Vickers' honor beginning at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 27 at the hotel, and will be followed by remarks from Vickers and Beverly Fatherree, recipient of the Cowan Award.
