The Leon County Chapter of the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) National Alumni Association, Inc. (NAA) awarded seven scholarships during the annual V.L. Elkins Scholarship Award Ceremony held July 16 in the Charles Winterwood Theatre at FAMU. The scholarship ceremony was established to provide educational opportunities to high school seniors in Leon County and community college students who will be attending FAMU.
The 2014 award recipients are:
1. Lauren Bolar, Agricultural Business
2. Dione Douglas, Childhood Education
3. Caitlin Harden, Health Information
4. Kenya Lloyd, Information Technology
5. Adrienne Nelson, Computer Science
6. Kassidy Sharpe, Food Science
7. Ryan Stevens, Electrical Engineering
“We were excited about this year’s caliber of recipients and to have President Elmira Mangum address the awardees as our speaker put the icing on the cake,” said Chapter President James L. Moran, Jr., Ph.D. “Giving back to FAMU is what we do with pride as alumni of this great institution.”
The scholarship program is named after Virgil L. Elkins who gave many years of dedicated service to the chapter, and was a former chapter president. Elkins was a Farmers Home Extension Officer for many years and was a servant to his church and the community. The scholarships dollars are funded by the chapter’s signature Roast & Toast Fundraiser. Additionally, the chapter awards more than $10,000 in support of the FAMU theatre, football and music programs annually.
According to Moran, the program has grown tremendously over the years due to the outstanding leadership of the chairpersons and committee members who have worked hard to provide many opportunities for young minds to grow and develop at FAMU, which he affectionately describes as “Florida’s Opportunity University.” The chapter’s first recipient of the V.L. Elkins Scholarship Award was State Representative Alan Williams.
