Milestones

Mary Baldwin University held its 2018 Honors Convocation ceremony Mar. 29 to recognize and celebrate student academic achievement. Kaelyn Dickinson, of Henrico, received the Health Care Administration Award. This honor is given to the top student in the HCA program and is based on grade point average, classroom engagement, participation in HCA program activities, leadership, the quality of the required internship, a cooperative spirit and sense of humor. Imani Chestnut, of Henrico, received the Jane Addams Social Work Award. This honor is given to an outstanding student in the social work department. The award is named in honor of Jane Addams, the first American woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, founder of the Settlement House Movement, and a charter member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Qadira Muhammad, of Henrico, received the Study Abroad Scholarship: The Paula Stephens Lambert Travel and Study Stipend. This award of up to $10,000 is to support one student for a substantial period of global study.

Jayla Cropper and Angel Rowlett, of Henrico, were named to the dean’s list for the fall 2017 semester at Mary Baldwin University. To be eligible for the dean’s list, students must earn a grade point average of 3.50 to 3.74 for the semester.

The following students were named to the honors list for the fall 2017 semester at Mary Baldwin University: David Brown, Kaelyn Dickinson, Qadira Muhammad, Haley Shows and Shayla Spruill, of Henrico; and Katrina Moore, of Glen Allen. To qualify for the honors list, students must earn a grade point average of 3.75 to 4.00 for the semester.

At the Student Government Association Installation and Leadership Awards Ceremony on April 10, Mary Baldwin University recognized student leaders for their dedication and engagement. Kirsten Goodman, of Glen Allen, received the Brenda Bryant Leadership Award for excellence in campus leadership.

Wesley College student Steven Foster, of Henrico, recently was awarded the Reynolds duPont Scholarship, which is awarded to full-time returning students (sophomore, junior or senior) who are pursuing a degree program within the School of Business and Accounting. These scholarships are awarded to students with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.33 and evidence of leadership. The recipients are selected by Business Department faculty.

Edward Ayers, Tucker Boatwright professor of the humanities and president emeritus at the University of Richmond, has been awarded the 2018 Avery O. Craven Award for his book, “The Thin Light of Freedom: The Civil War and Emancipation in the Heart of America.” The award, which recognizes the most original book on the coming of the Civil War, the Civil War years or the Era of Reconstruction, is presented annually by the Organization of American Historians. Ayers was recognized at the organization’s annual meeting in Sacramento on April 13. Ayers also was awarded the 2018 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize by Gettysburg College and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Ayers accepted the $50,000 prize for his work at an event on April 26. Ayers has also been awarded the Bancroft Prize and Beveridge Award for other books on the Civil War.

Emily Hewitt, of Henrico, was named a Coe Honors Scholar at Williams Baptist College in Walnut Ridge, Ark. The title of Coe Honors Scholar is a tribute to the late Henry E. (Ezra) and Verbeth Coe of Tuckerman, whose estate gift endowed scholarships at Williams. The program is open to students with a proven record of academic achievement. Students recognized under this program participate in special field trips, symposia, lectures and other academic enrichment activities. Hewitt, a senior, will receive a bachelor of arts degree in liberal arts. She is the daughter of Earl and Ramona Hewitt, of Henrico.

Alysse Winter Stephens, a student at Mills E. Godwin High School, was one of five high school juniors and seniors to win the Virginia Council on Women’s 7th Annual STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Essay Contest. The Council on Women established the contest in 2012 to award scholarships to high school junior and senior girls planning to pursue STEM majors at institutions of higher education. Nearly 500 young women from across the Commonwealth submitted essays focusing on their vision for a future STEM career. Stephens represented the Richmond/Central Virginia Contest among the award winners, who will each earn a $10,000 scholarship. To participate, applicants must be a female or identify as a female who resides in Virginia, be enrolled as a junior or senior in high school and hold at least a 2.5 GPA. Governor and First Lady Northam announced the winners at a reception hosted at the Executive Mansion on April 18.