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Monthly Voorhees College E-Newsletter |
September 2014
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Are you sharing the VC Digest with your classmates and other members of the Voorhees Family? Look for the Forward email link after the Did You Know section and spread the word on the latest news, accomplishments, and happenings at Voorhees! To share any recent accomplishments of alumni, please e-mail Teesa Brunson, communications director, at [email protected].
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Miss Voorhees College 2014-2015 makes positive changes on campus By: Jalen Hunter, Mass Communications major
What makes a worthy Miss Voorhees College? Is it how she looks? Could it be what she does for the campus? Whatever it is, Tamyra Berry has accepted that role. But who is Berry? And what makes her worthy to have been crowned Miss Voorhees College? Well, to answer that question you first have to know just who Berry really is.
Being born and raised in Hartsville, S.C, Berry has always wanted more for both herself and the community around her. "I love to see people around me happy, which in turns makes me happy," said Berry.
Since being elected by the student body, she has collected more than 30 formal gowns for female students to have at no charge and with no expectation of them being returned.
She was known as a role model student all through middle school and high school and even graduated in the top 20 in her class. However, her transition into college was not exactly what she was expecting.
"Coming from a predominantly white school, I was nervous coming to an HBCU. I was scared and really shy as a freshman," said Berry.
But that all changed when she made the cheerleading team.
"Making the cheerleading team gave me the confidence I needed to interact with new people and believe in myself," said Berry. Not only did she make the cheerleading team, but she also met Karla Davis, coordinator of retention/assessment and college success in the Division of Academic Affairs. Their relationship would pave the way that Berry needed.
Berry, a 21-year-old business administration major, said that even today, now in her senior year, Davis is her mentor and she looks to her for advice on many occasions.
"I love Tamyra (Berry)," Davis said. "She is a bright light for Voorhees and the most perfect Miss Voorhees the school could have. She has already made the school better and is continuing to excel in her new position," she continued.
Berry said she was able to learn more about sisterhood from being a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
"Becoming a member of AKA is one of my biggest accomplishments in my life. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done but when I finished, I was so proud of myself," Berry said.
Berry, along with other AKA members, has held countless women's empowerment forums and mentored many young ladies.
"Berry helps me out whenever I need her, whether it is with homework or an ear to listen when I need someone to vent to," said junior Namiah Paige, criminal justice major from Maryland.
Being Miss Voorhees is just the start to the future Berry is hoping to have. She wants to go to graduate school and eventually work in a bank helping people obtain loans and grants.
"I feel that is why God has put me on this earth, to help" said Berry. She even has advice for everybody striving for something they want in life. "Never be scared to fail. It is going to happen. But when you fail, that is the first step to succeeding," she said.
Berry will be officially crowned Miss Voorhees College 2014-2015 during the annual coronation ceremony on Friday, Sept. 26 in the Leonard E. Dawson Health and Human Resources Center at 7 p.m. The theme for coronation is "Royal Elegance: A Glamorous Affair."
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 Voorhees beautifies the campus with The Home DepotVoorhees College faculty, staff and students, along with a team of representatives from The Home Depot, recently beautified the campus through a $10,000 grant from The Home Depot's 2014 Retool Your School Campus Improvement Grant Program.
On Wednesday, Sept. 24, parts of campus received a makeover that involved planting new flowers, placing mulch in areas needed, edging the landscape, adding a drip line irrigation system and doing basic yard clean up.
During the day, a check was also presented to Voorhees College President Cleveland L. Sellers, Jr.
"We are very appreciative of The Home Depot in their efforts of helping us continually beautify our campus," Sellers said. "I would like to also thank our students, faculty and staff who came out to assist with these efforts."
To conclude the day's activities, a closing ceremony was also held, and the students who worked the hardest throughout the day were recognized.
Nicole Richardson, a senior from California, received recognition for her hard work and dedication.
"I really enjoyed helping to enhance our campus," Richardson said. "It was a great experience, and I was able to learn more about gardening, which is something I've never had a lot of interest in until yesterday."
Marcus Burgess, vice president of institutional advancement, was also recognized for spearheading the project.
"With the completion of this project, it is our hope that we can create a more welcoming and refreshing meditative space for our students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends," Burgess said. "I am so proud of our students for helping this project become a success."
Voorhees College was one of 13 HBCUs that won a $10,000 Tier II grant in The Home Depot's 2014 Retool Your School Campus Improvement Grant Program.
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 | | Dr. Lenny F. Springs |
September Alumni Highlight: Dr. Lenny F. Springs, II
Federal Student Aid Senior Advisor Springs joined President Barack Obama's administration in November 2009. He works with the Education Department and Financial Student Aid leadership to provide support to traditionally under-resourced colleges and universities, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, members of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and organizations devoted to helping schools transition successfully to the Direct Loan Program.
Additionally, he served as former president and CEO of The S-Group Inc., an organizational development and a strategic management firm in Charlotte, N.C. Springs previously served as senior vice president, director of supplier diversity and vice president of community relations for Wachovia Corporation.
He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Voorhees College and was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Voorhees College.
He is affiliated with various organizations including the Charlotte chapter of 100 Black Men of America, where he was a founding president for the chapter. Springs also served as vice chairman of the Voorhees College board of trustees.
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Voorhees getting ready for UNCF Corporate and Community Kickoff Luncheon
Voorhees College will host a UNCF Corporate and Community Kickoff Luncheon on Wednesday, Oct. 22 from noon to 1 p.m. in Massachusetts Hall Auditorium on campus.
The purpose of this luncheon is to bring together corporate and community leaders in Bamberg County and surrounding areas to support Voorhees' mission of providing a quality education to students.
Confirmed sponsors and contributors so far include the Voorhees College National Alumni Association, South State Bank, Southern Carolina Regional Development Alliance, Johney Haralson State Farm Insurance Agency, Home Federal Savings and Loans and the Nu Tau Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
This luncheon is one of Voorhees College's events in support of the UNCF. UNCF is the nation's largest and most effective minority education organization enabling more than 60,000 students each year to attend college. Voorhees is one of 37 UNCF institutions.
During the luncheon, current students who are UNCF scholarship recipients will be recognized.
The mistress of ceremony for the event is Von Gaskin, meteorologist at WIS in Columbia S.C. Gaskin has an extensive background in severe weather tracking and radar interpretation.
Prior to joining WIS, she was a meteorologist at WNCT in Greenville, N.C. She has also been a meteorologist at WWAY in Wilmington, N.C. and WPDE in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
She received a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. and a master's degree in geosciences and broadcast meteorology from Mississippi State University in Starkville, Miss. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
Tickets to the UNCF Corporate and Community Kickoff Luncheon are $25 per person. Sponsorship levels for businesses, corporations and organizations are available at $1,500 for a title sponsorship and $500 for a luncheon sponsorship.
For more information or to purchase tickets or sponsorships for the UNCF Corporate and Community Kickoff Luncheon, contact Teesa Brunson, communications director, at 803-780-1194 or at [email protected]. Also, click here.
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 | | Ronnie Sabb |
Voorhees congratulates alumnus Ronnie Sabb
Voorhees College 1980 alumnus Ronnie Sabb recently won the Democratic Primary run-off for state senate, representing District 32.
District 32 represents the counties of Berkeley, Florence, Georgetown, Horry and Williamsburg.
Sabb is the presumptive winner for the November election since no Republican candidates have filed to run.
In November, Sabb will likely become the state's newest senator. Sabb, a former assistant solicitor, has served in the House for four years.
To read the full article published on the website of South Carolina Radio Network on Sept. 17, click here.
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Did you know...quick bits of news and knowledge about Voorhees College - Rooms To Go provided new furniture for all the lounges in the residence halls, the student center and the admissions building. The donations were made possible through the company's initiative to help develop better living-learning spaces for students on HBCU campuses. - Voorhees College is active across various social media platforms. Be sure to follow, like, share and add VC to your social networks.
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