Magazine Fall 2011 Northwestern State University of Louisiana

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Alumni NewsMaking an ImpactCall to Action scholarship recipients raise awareness of animal welfareOne can never underestimate theimpact that one or two individualscan have for the greater good anda unique scholarship initiated byan Northwestern State Universityalumna offers recipients valuable experiencein affecting positive change.The Call to Action Animal WelfareScholarship is a project-driven awardfocused on raising awareness andfacilitating community action to improveanimal welfare through studentinitiatives. Jennifer Walsh, a 1991graduate of the Louisiana Scholars’College, initiated the scholarshipto address animal welfare issues inNatchitoches and give students anopportunity to develop leadershipand community engagement skills.“The ideal student recipient isone from any academic disciplinewho wants the opportunity to completea project that is both challengingand rewarding in the lives theyaffect, both for animals and humans,”Walsh said. “Recipients should notonly be passionate about helpinganimals, but also be looking forreal-world experience. I want them torealize that you don’t have to have amillion dollars or be a public officialto make a difference.”Michelle Alford and GracieEmily McGeeScholarship criteria seek studentswho are motivated, task-oriented andaccomplishment driven. Each mustsubmit a proposal and participate inan interview process before selection.“My goal was to make our animalshelter a more welcoming placeand increase adoptions,” said ShelbyMcCain of Natchitoches, the 2010-11recipient. McCain coordinated thecreation of a designated area at theentrance of the Natchitoches AnimalShelter in which potential pet ownerscan become better acquainted withthe animals in a friendlier environment.“Through this process, I havegrown to learn better communicationskills because I have had to scheduleappointments with several differentpeople and groups in order to get thisproject started,” McCain said. “I ama psychology major, so this projectdoesn’t relate to my career field, butI’ve had a special love for animalsfor as long as I can remember andwith this project I am finally able tohelp make a difference in animals’lives.”As a result of this year’s interviews,Walsh decided to award twoCall to Action scholarships. EmilyMcGee of Florien and Michelle Alfordof Deville are recipients for the2011-12 academic year.“I was impressed with their commitment,”Walsh said. “They are bothgrounded and focused with realisticgoals and are clearly committed tothe projects.”McGee, whose interest is equinewelfare, is developing a campaigncalled Good Horse Sense. McGeecompetes in rodeo events and wasalready doing demonstrations onequine health when she heard aboutthe Call to Action Animal WelfareScholarship.“The Animal Welfare Scholarshiphas allowed me to expand whatI’m doing to more schools in Natchitochesand Sabine parishes,” shesaid. “The kids love it. I always bringone of my rodeo horses and I try tobring an abused horse and encourageadoption for the abused horse.”The abused horses come from thoserescued by the Humane Society inMany, and McGee often has a handin their rehabilitation.McGee developed a website,GoodHorseSense.com, a Facebookpage and an accompanying brochurewith tips and resource information onrecognizing and reporting abused orneglected horses.McGee is enrolled as a biologymajor at NSU and plans to pursuepharmacy or animal pharmaceuticalresearch as a career. The scholarshipis important because her savingsover the next three years will see herthrough pharmacy school. As part ofthe service project, she will presentfive equine health demonstrations persemester and document her progressin a report. She welcomes the opportunityto speak at fairs, rodeos, farmsupply stores and other events.“I generally talk to fourth gradestudents, but I hope to bring the messageto high schools and 4-H programs,”she said.She intends to continue her programeven after the scholarship expiresand foresees continued effortstowards equine rescue and rehabilitationin her future.Alford’s plans are to develop adog training program to benefit Hope10 / Alumni Columns Fall 2011 Visit our website at:
Alumni NewsBurns scholarship will assist Anacoco studentsAfter a long career as an educator,Billy John Burns intends to spendhis remaining years as a mentor tostudents. Burns has demonstrated hisstrong commitment to assist deservingstudents from his hometown byestablishing a scholarship at Northwestern.First preference for the BillyJohn and Judith Burns Scholarshipwill be given to an incoming freshmanfrom Anacoco High School.Burns, who lives in Bossier City,earned a B.A. in education at NSUin 1954, M.A. in 1958 and plus 30 in1966. Born and reared in Anacoco,he taught at Anacoco High Schoolfor 31 years working at various timesas a social studies teacher, librarian,assistant principal, principal, girlsbasketball coach and co-sponsor ofthe yearbook. He retired for oneyear and moved to Shreveport, wherehe taught for 14 years at CalvaryBaptist Academy and served as principalfrom 1990-2000. Events fromhis life and career are detailed inan autobiography, “One Last StrollDown Memory Lane,” completed in2007.Burns overcame tremendousphysical challenges as a child andattended Northwestern on a rehabilitationscholarship.“When I started at Northwestern,I didn’t have a job or any money. Igot a rehabilitation scholarship andgraduated in three years,” said Burns,who after 45 years as an educatorcontinues to mentor and assist collegestudents.Burns said the ideal candidatefor the NSU scholarship would besomeone with a financial need anda strong interest in attending Northwestern.As this year’s recipient,Sydney Sterling has demonstratedSydney Sterling, an honor student andrecent graduate of Anacoco High School,is the first recipient of the Billy John andJudith Burns Scholarship established afor a student from Anacoco High School.academic achievement, involvementin extracurricular activities and goodcharacter, he said.“Ninety-five percent of my life isbehind me and in my last few yearsI am interested in helping others becausewhen I was at Northwestern somany people helped me,” Burns said.Making an Impact continued from page 10for Paws, a Natchitoches non-profit organization dedicatedto the rescue, rehabilitation, fostering and adoptionof animals. Working with animals in obedience trainingimproves their chance for adoption, explained Alford,who is a sophomore majoring in biology/pre-veterinarymedicine.Alford’s father is a dog trainer and she has yearsof experience training dogs to sit, heel, walk and obeyother commands.“It’s important to be patient and steady with the animals,”she said. Alford volunteers in caring for the Hopefor Paws dogs and has participated in adoption days.She hopes to partner with the City of Natchitoches tooffer dog training classes to pet owners. She was alreadyconsidering volunteering to train the animals before sheheard about the scholarship. The financial benefit isespecially important now, as her father was diagnosedearlier this year with a life-threatening illness.“I wanted to be a veterinarian since I was 8 and I’mhappy to be getting closer to that reality,” she said.Walsh was in the first graduating class of the LouisianaScholars’ College where her concentration washumanities and social thought. She earned graduate degreesin public affairs from the University of Texas andnational security and strategic studies from the NationalWar College. She is employed with the U.S. Secretaryof Defense and is very involved with animal rescue inthe Washington, D.C., area. A visit to Natchitoches inwhich she noticed a number of unhealthy, stray and feralanimals raised her concern about animal welfare in thearea.“I wanted to do something for NSU and create anopportunity in which students realize they can make actionhappen, they can develop their ideas and their ideascan be validated,” she explained.Rather than be a one-time award, Walsh hopesthe Call to Action scholarship will encourage studentsinterested in animal welfare to take action and be heldaccountable for bringing their initiatives to fruition.Scholarship proposals are not limited to pets ordomestic animals; all projects that raise awareness ofanimal welfare are considered.“The purpose is for students to have ownership of aproject and see it through. This is a scholarship that willgive them experience in working with other people andhelp them later in life,” she said. “It’s about them learningthe value of hard work, patience, persistence andfinding inner strength to keep going.”www.northwesternalumni.comAlumni Columns Fall 2011 / 11
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Magazine Fall 2011 Northwestern State University of Louisiana

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