ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA – A North Carolina Wesleyan College senior, Jessica Wall, was recently awarded a scholarship from the Rocky Mount Kiwanis Club in memory of Mrs. Betsy Strandberg.
Wall, a native of Whitakers, North Carolina, attended high school at Northern Nash. She is currently majoring in Psychology with plans to graduate this spring. After graduation, she intends on pursuing her masters and doctorate. In her free time, Wall enjoys attending Covenant Campus Ministry on Wednesday nights, an outreach of Christ Covenant Church. During the summer, she works as a counselor with Lifeway FUGE Camps.
This scholarship was given in memory of Mrs. Betsy Strandberg, the first woman president of the Rocky Mount Chamber of Commerce and the first female member of the Rocky Mount Kiwanis Club. Strandberg was active with North Carolina Wesleyan University as President of the Board of Visitors, Chair of “A Day for Wesleyan,” as well as numerous fund drives for the College, including The Dunn Center. She was inducted into the Twin Counties Hall of Fame in 2018.
Kiwanis International is a global community of clubs, members and partners dedicated to improving the lives of children one community at a time. Each community has different needs, and Kiwanis empowers members to pursue creative ways to serve the needs of children, such as fighting hunger, improving literacy and offering guidance. Kiwanis clubs host nearly 150,000 service projects each year.
Rotary Club Scholarships Awarded to NC Wesleyan Students
ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA – Twelve North Carolina Wesleyan College students recently became recipients of scholarships from The Rotary Club of Rocky Mount. These scholarships were made possible by proceeds raised during the Tackle the Tar 5K Obstacle Course Race, held back in May.
This September, The Rotary Club of Rocky Mount presented North Carolina Wesleyan College, with a check for $27,000 from this year’s Tackle the Tar. In just four short years, Tackle the Tar has given $234,000 to Nash Community College, Edgecombe Community College and NC Wesleyan University to help fund scholarships.
Scholarships provide significant support for many of NC Wesleyan’s students seeking to further their education. Wesleyan students are encouraged to apply by writing an essay highlighting their leadership, good citizenship, community spirit and academic progress. Applicants must also be a US Citizen, a resident of Nash or Edgecombe County, maintain a GPA of 2.75 or higher and considered a sophomore, junior or senior. Once applications have been received and reviewed by the Scholarship Committee, students who meet all requirements and exemplify the character of the Rotarian Scholar are awarded a generous scholarship.
This year’s North Carolina Wesleyan University Rotary Scholars are: Michael Parker, Brianna Skipwith, Miranda Massey, Kenya Dickens, Jessica Wall, Kevin Teague, Nya House, Kiara Spooner, Madison Gill, Latarsha Powell, Jy’maca Revis and Joynese Speller.
Rotary International is a global network of 1.2 million neighbors, friends, leaders and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves. Rotary members provide service to others, promote integrity and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through their fellowship of business, professional and community leaders.
Wesleyan’s Youth Theology Institute Receives Grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.
ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA – North Carolina Wesleyan University was recently awarded with a $300,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. This grant will help to further the College’s efforts with its Youth Theology Institute (YTI), known as “Connect- YTI” on campus.
Connect, a summer camp and year-long mentorship program, exists to connect high school and college students to Christ, community and the church. During the past four years, more than 100 students have attended the program with the help of some 35 local churches that refer students. Connect has hosted several community-wide youth events and explored different theological topics – from Justice to Jesus in the Gospels – with the belief that theology (the study of God) is a life-long journey, not merely a religious study from a book.
Connect was launched in 2016 with a grant from Lilly Endowment as part of its nationwide initiative, High School Youth Theology Institutes at Colleges and Universities.
This new grant will help North Carolina Wesleyan University continue to support Connect during the next four years. Wesleyan hopes to continue strengthening the summer institute; training and equipping college students as mentors; hosting more guest speakers and artists; helping high school and college students with their discernment process of life; and providing mini conferences on campus to empower and equip lay leaders with issues they face in ministry.
“This is such exciting news for our program! Lilly Endowment has been so generous to us. I have told many people, it’s really cool to see how the generosity of one person, family or organization can impact the lives of so many people. I think this grant is a testament to that,” stated Mikah Brondyke, Director of Connect- YTI. “The past four years have laid a great foundation for our program. It will be really neat to watch our program build upon this and continue the work of encouraging and empowering the next generation of youth.”Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family – J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons J.K. Jr. and Eli – through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly & Company. The Endowment exists to support the causes of religion, education and community development. Lilly Endowment’s religion grant-making is designed to deepen and enrich the religious lives of American Christians. It does this largely through initiatives to enhance and sustain the quality of ministry in American congregations and parishes.
Wesleyan Bids Farewell to Class of 2019
Graduates Inaugural Masters Class
ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA – North Carolina Wesleyan University held its Spring Commencement on Saturday, May 4 at the Rocky Mount Event Center. This year’s commencement speaker was Tony Stroud, alumnus of Wesleyan and founder and CEO of Stroud & Company, a Wilmington, NC accounting firm.
Stroud, spoke about graduates staying true to themselves, filtering through the noise and listening to their inner voice. “Integrity is who you are when no one is looking. That whisper is who you are when everyone is looking. And if you listen to that whisper, you win,” stated Stroud. After his speech, an honorary degree of Doctor of Humanities was bestowed upon Stroud.
Spring 2019 graduation was especially moving as Wesleyan honored Brad Melton, who passed away in December 2018, with a Posthumous Degree. Brad was a member of the Class of 2019 in the Master of Criminal Justice program. Brad’s mother was in attendance to receive the degree in his memory.
There were 233 undergraduate students in the Class of 2019 Saturday, with over 2,650 guests in attendance. In addition, 11 students graduated in the first cohort of Wesleyan’s new Master’s in Criminal Justice program.
“We are very excited to graduate our first master’s class,” stated Wesleyan President Dr. Dewey Clark. “These students, both undergraduate and graduate, have gained a wealth of knowledge here at Wesleyan and they are ready to go out and take on the world. I wish them nothing but the best.”
Beverly Anaele received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan award which honors a senior who best exemplifies excellence in character, leadership and service to the community. Anaele obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical science. She will pursue a Master of Public Health at Thomas Jefferson University in the fall.
The President’s Cup, an award that recognizes the attainment of the highest standards of academic performance, went to Jessica Brabble. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and will pursue a Master of History at Virginia Tech in fall 2019.
Dr. Erica Kosal, Professor of Biology, received the Exemplary Teacher Award which honors excellence in teaching, service to the college and scholarship.
This year’s graduates hail from 10 states around the country, calling home Arizona, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Maryland, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia. There were sixteen international graduates from Argentina, Egypt, El Salvador, Greece, Nepal, Nigeria, Panama, Sweden, United Kingdom, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Wesleyan Signs Three Articulation Agreements with NC Community Colleges
NC Wesleyan was one of many colleges to sign a transfer agreement for students pursuing Music, Theatre or Fine Arts at North Carolina’s community colleges. Students can now seamlessly transfer to any of a number of private colleges in the state to complete a bachelor’s degree in one of those disciplines. READ ENTIRE ARTICLE >
Wesleyan Students Awarded for their Research
Biomedical Science seniors, Beverly Anaele and Jawuanna McAllister, presented their research at the NC Academy of Science (NCAS) at UNC Wilmington on March 23rd. Both young women have been doing research at NC Wesleyan for the past two years, independently as juniors and later as part of their senior honors theses. Beverly has worked with Dr. Kosal, and Jawuanna has worked with Dr. Stovall.
At the conference, Beverly won the 3rd Place Derieux Award for her oral presentation in the Ecology, Botany, & Zoology category! Her talk was titled “Can a natural plant product, such as the American beautyberry, repel and alter mosquito behavior?” Jawuanna won the 1st Place Derieux Award for her oral talk in the Cell & Molecular Biology and Physiology category. Jawuanna’s talk was “Effect of Caffeine on PALLD Expression and GBM Cell Invasion.”
Both Beverly and Jawuanna have just finished one-year terms as the Secretary and President, respectively, of the Collegiate Academy of NCAS. Both young women are graduating from Wesleyan this semester and have big plans! In August, Beverly, who recently won the Biology Award at the NC Wesleyan Honors Convocation, will begin a Master’s of Public Health program at Thomas Jefferson University, and Jawuanna will start her Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology at Cornell University.
Congratulations to these outstanding and successful young scientists! The Biology department will be sad to see them go. But, we are so excited to see what they become.
Honor Students Receive Awards
NC Wesleyan University recently held the 2019 Honors Convocation Award Ceremony. These Awardees and Honor Society Members have displayed outstanding contributions inside and outside of the classroom. When you see these students, please take a moment to congratulate them.
Recipients of the 2019 NCWC Honors Convocation Awards
| STUDENT SUPPORT | |
| Supplemental Instruction Leader of the Year Award | Trevor Harris |
| Peer Tutor of the Year | Beverly Anaele |
| Internship Award | Gordon ( Mitch ) Layton |
| ROTC Highest GPA Award | Elena Duran |
| ROTC “Hooah” Award | Savion Young |
| ROTC Golden Joe Award | Dion Cox |
| ROTC Golden Jane Award | Kate Avila |
| SCIENCE AND MATH | |
| Biology Award | Beverly Anaele |
| Environmental Science Award | Ericca Lenhardt |
| Exercise Science Award | Mehli Carolyn Erbaugh Marcellus |
| Chemistry Award | Kayla Lavan |
| American Institute of Chemists/North Carolina Institute of Chemists Foundation Award | Ivan Cockman |
| Mathematics Award | Ivan Cockman |
| Mathematics Award | Joseph Lloyd |
| HUMANITIES | |
| Religious Studies | Sean Michael Dancy |
| Senior English Award | Libby Edwards |
| EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SCIENCES | |
| Communications Outstanding Student Award | Ali Cucinotta |
| John Paul Jones History Award | Beverly Anaele |
| History Major Outstanding Student Award | Jessica Brabble |
| Political Science Award | Anderson “Andie” Batt |
| SNCAE Award | Tristan Marshall |
| Susan B. Taylor Excellence in Educational Practice Award | Karolina Winstead |
| Psychology Outstanding Student Award | Joseph Lloyd |
| Excellence in Sociological Studies Award | Keaira McMiller |
| Criminal Justice Outstanding Student Award | Courtney Paige Garofolo |
| BUSINESS | |
| Accounting Outstanding Student Award | Hannah Huls |
| Business Administration Outstanding Student Award | Shreya Suman Thakuri |
| Marketing Outstanding Student Award | Stephany Barbera |
| Organizational Administration Outstanding Student Award | Gene “Trey” Croom |
| Computer Information Systems Outstanding Student Award | Nabin Singh |
| ADULT DEGREE PROGRAM AWARDS | |
| Outstanding Adult Student Award | Latishea Faison |
Below you will find a list of honor society members who were recognized at the 2019 Honors Convocation Ceremony. When you see these students, please take a moment to congratulate them.
| PSI ETA SIMGA |
| Bethany Bergman |
| Elizebeth Blair |
| Olga K. Bloh |
| Karlee Bjurstrom |
| Alyssa Nichole Brookhart |
| Bethany J. Dunham |
| Angela W. Groeneveld |
| Hayleigh Heckman |
| Hunter L. Ingram |
| Dan R. Locey III |
| Victoria Mayer |
| Eboni’ Sapphire Mayle |
| Hugo Mendes |
| Rebecca Renee Mitchell |
| Brittany Petticolas |
| Odalis Enmanuel Peralta Paulino |
| Mariana Rey Xavier |
| Taylor E. Roberson |
| Brianna D. Skipwith |
| Rodrigo Soto Gongora |
| Dawn E. Wallace |
| Ashley Carroll Wiggins |
| Sigma Tau Delta |
| Libby Edwards |
| Dalton Smiley |
| Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) |
| Hannah Ivester |
| Jawuanna McAllister |
| Dakota Casey |
| Savannah Flanagan |
| Psi Chi / Pi Gamma Mu |
| Thomas Keilty Hand |
| Justin DeBraska |
| Cecilia Patino |
| Sarah Griffiths |
| Thomas Keilty |
| Justin DeBraska |
| Cecilia Patino |
| Sarah Griffiths |
| Alpha Phi Sigma |
| Shelby Godwin |
| Jordan Forbess |
| Timothy Caulder |
| Anna Stribling |
| Faith Overton |
| Courtney Garofolo |
| Victoria Simmons |
| Jerry Cameron |
| Keith Garner |
| Gary Davis |
| Timothy Hathaway |
| William T. Smith |
| Patricia Sessoms |
| Jerry Shoemaker |
| Sigma Beta Delta |
| Rashonda Bradley |
| Willie Ray Flowers |
| Cheryl D. Garner |
| Lathen Earl Hyman, Jr. |
| Abigail Leather |
| Valerie Newton |
| Kendra S. Patterson |
| Sydney B. Taylor |
| Kelvin L. Wiggins |
| Sigma Tau Delta |
| Libby Edwards |
| Dalton Smiley |
| Kappa Mu Epsilon |
| Angela Nicole Bird |
| Payton Coleman |
| David Austin Mooney |
| Chinwe Cynthia Obi |
| Julia Anne Trimmer |
| Samantha G. Valeros |
| Jackie N. Webb |
| Abigail Wooten |
Students & Faculty Attend American College of Sports Medicine Conference
On February 14th and 15th, Drs. Crowley, Henderson and Magal, and four students attended the regional conference of the American College of Sports Medicine in Greenville, SC.
At the conference and under the direction of Dr. Crowley, Mehli Marcellus and Tyler Ricks presented a research project titled: “Factors Influencing Attitude Towards, and Participation in, Physical Activity in Eastern North Carolina”.
Also at the conference, Dr. Meir Magal, Program Director and Professor of Exercise Science together with Mr. Francis Neric, Director of Certifications at the American College of Sports Medicine, has co-presented a tutorial titled: “Graduated Now What? Succeeding in the Exercise Profession”
Wesleyan Hosts National Society of Leadership & Success Induction Ceremony
ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA– North Carolina Wesleyan University recently held its second annual National Society of Leadership & Success (NSLS) Induction Ceremony at The Dunn Center for the Performing Arts. Seventy-five student leaders were inducted in the organization, the nation’s largest leadership honor society.
The Wesleyan chapter seeks to foster personal reflection, goal setting and leadership development amongst its members. The focus this fall was to lead new students through completion of the national requirements to become fully inducted members.
“I am pleased to report that we have been very successful this semester. Ninety percent of those who joined in August have achieved induction, exceeding the national goal of forty percent,” stated Jessie Langley, Chapter Advisor and Associate Dean of Students for Campus Life.
Keynote speaker at the event was Ron Green, Chief Professional Officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tar River Region, who focused on the themes of generosity and love. In support of this theme, student members and their guests were encouraged to bring new coats, toys and hygiene items as a donation to the local Boys & Girls Clubs. Through NSLS member nominations, Excellence in Teaching awards were given to faculty members Richard Allsbrook, Dr. Jason Buel and Dr. Daniel Stovall. Excellence in Service to Students awards were given to Michael Mosley and Wayne Sears.
In order to achieve induction, members must attend Orientation, Leadership Training Day, three Speaker Broadcasts and three Success Networking Team meetings. Students are selected by their college for membership based on academic standing or leadership potential. Candidacy is a nationally recognized achievement of honorable distinction. You can learn more about the National Society for Leadership & Success at nsls.org.
Wesleyan Hosts Collegiate Academy of the NC Academy of Science (CANCAS)
NC Wesleyan University hosted the Undergraduate Research Workshop of the Collegiate Academy of the NC Academy of Science (CANCAS) on Saturday, November 3rd…read more.
