2014 May graduate Leon W. Bowman II said all of his hard work and persistence in his major has paid off.

Bowman already has found employment in his field once he walks across the stage on Saturday, May 3 to become and alumnus of Voorhees College.

A native of Walterboro, S.C. with a major in business administration and a minor in finance, Bowman will be entering a claims trainee program with Zurich North America working out of the Atlanta office.

"I'm very excited about this next endeavor in my life. I feel my biggest challenge will be getting acclimated to the company's work environment, but I am excited about this opportunity to learn and grow in the corporate world," Bowman said.

According to its website, Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich) is a leading multi-line insurer that serves its customers in global and local markets. With more than 55,000 employees, it provides a wide range of general insurance and life insurance products and services.

Beginning on June 23, Bowman will be employed as a claims trainee. His responsibilities will include handling low complexity claims through a structured 12-month training program working with the local manager and team.

"Following the 12 months of training, I will then do two months of centralized classroom training getting more hands-on experience at the company's headquarters in Schaumburg, Ill.," Bowman said.

The April alumni highlight is Alisha Sparks, a proud 2002 graduate earning a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics. She currently serves as the elementary schools STEM program manager at the Center for Educational Outreach at Johns Hopkins University.  Prior to joining Johns Hopkins, she worked for Baltimore City Public Schools, Baltimore CDF Freedom Schools and the Center for Women and Information Technology at the University of Maryland in Baltimore County.  

In addition to her professional experience, she has done extensive work in her local community and abroad by serving with organizations such as In His Presence Ministries, W. J. Thompson, Jr. Ministries, Girl Scouts of Center Maryland and the International Partnership for Service Learning.  

Her passion is working with young people and helping them to succeed.  Sparks firmly believes that "it is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men and women," as stated by Frederick Douglas. She is committed to training up children in the way that they should go so that when they are old, they will not depart from it as instructed in Proverbs 22:6.

Voorhees College recently installed its first female Student Government Association president in 13 years making her the fourth female SGA president in the history of the institution.

Autumn Woods, a 21-year-old native of Atlanta, Ga., said she was influenced to run for SGA president because there are not many young women on campus holding leadership positions.

"I would like to be a role model for young women so that they too will one day hold positions of leadership and recognize their ability to be great," Woods said.

Woods is a rising senior majoring in biology. Her extracurricular activities include the Elizabeth Evelyn Wright Culture Club and Student Government Association. She also enjoys reading, tutoring and singing.

Woods said she feels honored to hold the title of Student Government Association president.

"I'm excited to be in a position where I can influence and inspire students on campus," she said. "I feel that my peers at Voorhees need student leaders who have compassion for their needs and also cares about their progression at this institution."

As the SGA president, she would like to implement a campus-wide community service initiative and a campus-safety initiative. She hopes to also work with the youth in the Denmark community.

"My biggest priority as Student Government Association president will be to implement new initiatives on campus that will be beneficial for not only the student body but also faculty, staff and administrators."


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The first student to complete a major in African American studies at Voorhees is this year's top academic honor graduate.

Ben Bakayoko, a native of Philadelphia, is humbled by this honor.

"I am highly honored that I was able to become the first academic honor of my graduating class," Bakayoko said.

"Although becoming  first academic honor is an impressive acc
olade, I am more appreciative of the person that I have become in the process throughout my matriculation. Voorhees has helped me develop my character, focus in life, self-discipline, vision and my commitment and dedication to being of service to others."

While at Voorhees, Bakayoko was the student government association president for the 2013-2014 academic year. His goal as student government association president was to increase student pride and activities on campus. To achieve this goal, he created a fun day of activities for the Voorhees family.

Courtney Jones

Second academic honor graduate is no stranger to top honors. She was the valedictorian  for her high school graduating class.

Courtney Jones, a native of Philadelphia as well, majored in criminal justice. Her future plans are to attend graduate school and eventually become a forensic investigator.

Jones said Voorhees has helped her adapt to a new and challenging environment.
"Coming from a large city, Voorhees has humbled me. Voorhees has helped me learn how to relate to many different people of many different locations across the world and of many different ethnicities," she said.

"Voorhees also helped me become a stronger and more independent young woman. Coming from Philadelphia to South Carolina, which is approximately 12 hours apart, and also being the only child, I was very dependent on my parents, but Voorhees nurtured me and helped me grow intellectually, emotionally and spiritually."

An advocate of higher education for African-Americans, Aaron has showed her passion for higher education through her work with the United Negro College Fund. The Mayor's Masked Ball, which she founded with former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, continues after 28 years to be one of the organization's most lucrative special events and is now replicated in other major UNCF campaign cities. 

During Aaron's 14 years working for UNCF, for 10 years she co-hosted the Atlanta Lou Rawls Parade of Stars telethon, broadcasted on WXIA-TV, 11Alive, and traveled the southeast supervising UNCF fundraising programs.  She became the second woman in the organization to rise to the level of vice president for the southern region.

In December 2011, Aaron was honored again at the ball by Michael Lomax, UNCF's president and CEO, with the announcement of a new UNCF scholarship initiative in her honor-the Billye Suber Aaron UNCF Legacy Scholarship.  Although she has long been retired from UNCF, she continues to give her time and her talents to UNCF fundraising projects and continues to be one of UNCF's major donors and devoted volunteers.


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