Love's Reward - North Carolina A&T State University

Spring
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campus briefs
Students
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Seniors Jasmine Farrar and Joel
Williamson, along with Dr. Lemuria Carter,
assistant professor of accounting, recently
represented the university at the Institute
for Emerging Issues Forum in Raleigh, N.C.
During the two-day conference, “GenZ”
ambassadors had an opportunity to meet
with the state’s top educators, corporate
leaders, community activist and public
officials to exchange ideas and offer
viable solutions to some of North
Carolina’s problems.
Jessica Dara Webb, a junior chemistry
major from Hollister, N.C., is featured in a
national advertising campaign by the Honor
Society of Phi Kappa Phi to promote its
study abroad scholarships. A picture of a
broadly-smiling Webb appears prominently
on a poster that has been sent to colleges
and universities across the country.
In the spring of 2011, Webb applied for
and won one of only fifty $1,000 grants
provided by the group to help students
afford the expense of studying abroad.
Last summer, Webb used her Phi Kappa
Phi grant to help fund her study abroad
experience at a university in Denmark.
On another note, Webb received one of the
highest scores for her poster presentation
in the area of physiology at the Annual
Biomedical Research Conference for
Minority Students (ABRCMS) meeting held
in St. Louis, Mo. She was recognized at the
closing banquet. The prize was sponsored
by the American Physiological Society.
The A&T Register weekly student newspaper won three awards
at the N.C. College Media Association convention in February:
Feature Writing, third place, Sylvia Obell and Jennel McMillon;
Photography, honorable mention, Kenneth Hawkins; and Opinion
Writing, honorable mention, Trumaine McCaskill.
The A&T Register also won four awards at the 14th annual BCCA (Black
College Communication Association) Excellence in Journalism Student
Newspaper Awards during the 14th annual National HBCU Student News
Media Conference that was held at Norfolk State University in February: first
place, Best News Coverage, first place, Obell, “Project Haiti Fails to deliver”;
Best Individual Page Design, first and third place, Kelcie McCrae, “Japan:
A nation in crisis” and “Aggie-Eagle Classic,” respectively; and Best Design-
Broadsheet or Tabloid, third place, staff.
Obell, managing editor, is a senior journalism major/print concentration
from Ewing, N.J. In addition to The A&T Register, her writing credits include
the News & Record (Greensboro, N.C.) and Advocate Messenger (Danville,
Ky). She is part of the 2011 Freedom Forum Multimedia Scholars class.
McMillon, a regular contributor to the newspaper and its website, is a junior
journalism major/print concentration from Burlington, N.J. Her writing
credits also include Tasteful magazine.
Hawkins, photo editor, is a senior journalism major/print concentration
from Atlanta. He has worked for the News & Record (Greensboro, N.C.) and
St. Petersburg Times (Florida). He is an alumnus of the New York Times
Summer Institute, part of the 2011 Chips Quinn Scholar class, an NABJ
Student Projects participant, and a 2012 Pulliam Fellow who will be going to
the Indianapolis Star after graduation.
McCaskill, the opinion editor for two years, is a senior history major from
Clayton, N.C. He plans to pursue a teaching career after graduation.
McCrae, editor in chief, is a senior journalism major/print concentration from
Clayton, N.C. In addition to The A&T Register, her writing credits include the
News & Record (Greensboro, N.C.) and Green Bay Gazette (Wisconsin). She
is part of the 2011 Chips Quinn class.
Entries for the NCCMA and BCCA contests reflected the 2011 spring,
summer and fall semesters.
Kori Higgs, 31, graduated at the top
of her class with a perfect 4.0 G.P.A. in
December. The Ocean Springs, Miss.,
native received her Bachelor of Science
degree in biological engineering with
a concentration in natural resource
engineering.
According to Higgs, A&T wasn’t her first
attempt at obtaining a college degree.
After graduating from high school, she
enrolled in a small college in South
Carolina, but found the experience to be
too overwhelming. She wasn’t able to
focus and her grades reflected it.
Higgs left college, went back home for
a while and then moved to California to
volunteer with AmeriCorps. After securing
a job as a community organizer, she
moved to Louisiana and later to Charlotte,
N.C., where she worked as a member
services representative. By this time,
Higgs realized that she needed a college
degree to fulfill her goals, so she enrolled
at Central Piedmont Community College.
“I felt like I would have greater
opportunities with a college degree,” she
said. “And I also knew the work I wanted
to do around environmental issues would
require professional training.”
Higgs made all A’s at Central Piedmont
and graduated with an associate’s degree.
But she knew she needed a bachelor’s
degree to pursue her career. After hearing
about A&T’s engineering program from
her brother and visiting the biological
engineering department for herself, she
decided to enroll.
At A&T, her mission was to remain
focused and to excel. The honor student
emphasizes the importance of setting
priories in college.
“Sometimes you can’t do what you want to do, but what is
necessary. It might mean staying up all night working on a
paper or project, but you do what is necessary to get the
work done.”
A recipient of the Department of Natural Resource and
Environmental Design Leadership Award, Higgs knows the
advantages of being well rounded, yet she found ways to
balance her social and academic life as well as maintain a
positive attitude.
“Meditation and prayer are two of the things that will get
you through your challenges,” she said.
Before graduating, Higgs received several job offers. She is
convinced that having an education was the key.
“I have a vision for the work I want to accomplish in my life
and I know that education is necessary to achieve it. That
vision and goal are what motivate me.”
Higgs is the daughter of Ernest (and Lessie) Higgs of
Ocean Springs, Miss., and Paulette (and Robert) Weaver of
Fayetteville, N.C.
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