Alumni Awards

Newy Scruggs has built an illustrious career in sports media, earning 12 Emmy Awards and recognition as one of the leading sportscasters in the Dallas-Fort Worth market. Since beginning his broadcasting career in 1992, Scruggs has worked in Florence/Myrtle Beach, Austin, Cleveland and Los Angeles before joining NBC 5 in Dallas-Fort Worth in 2000, where he continues to serve as sports director.

A dedicated supporter of education, Scruggs established the Newy Scruggs Sports Broadcasting Scholarship at UNCP in 2003 to support students pursuing careers in sports media. In 2007, he created the Dr. Sylvester Wooten Omega Psi Phi Scholarship for members of the Chi Mu chapter at UNCP. He also endowed the Newy Scruggs Scholarship for Student Enrichment Opportunities at the University of Texas at Arlington and served two terms on the UNCP Board of Trustees.

In recognition of his career achievements, Scruggs was inducted into the Lone Star Chapter’s Sports Emmy Silver Circle. He is a proud 1994 graduate of UNC Pembroke.

For more than 35 years, Dr. Sandra Locklear has provided quality eye care to her community as owner and operator of Pembroke Optometric Clinic. A Robeson County native and valedictorian of Prospect High School’s Class of 1980, Locklear earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with an emphasis in Biochemistry from UNCP in 1984. She went on to graduate from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, earning another bachelor’s degree in 1988 and her Doctor of Optometry in 1993.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Locklear has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to service. She traveled to the Philippines in 2020 to provide routine eye care in underserved villages during the COVID-19 pandemic. Locally, she has supported UNCP Athletics by volunteering with events such as Youth Night and Faith and Communities Night.

Her professional leadership and personal dedication have made her a role model in the field of optometry and a proud representative of BraveNation.

Alexandria Pilot Chambers serves as assistant director of operations for the Center for Neurobiology Research at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion. In her role, she manages summer research programs for undergraduates and high school students and supports the operational needs of the center.

Chambers is deeply engaged in service and advocacy, volunteering with organizations including the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Susan G. Komen, Feeding America and the Rescue Mission of Roanoke. She has also participated in Mission of Mercy initiatives and other community outreach efforts.

In addition to her professional responsibilities, Chambers lectures for Virginia Tech’s Translational Biology, Medicine and Health graduate program and has presented her dissertation research on reproductive health choices at national conferences. She has been invited to speak at Women’s History Month events, the Appalachian Translational Research Network, the American Council on Education’s Virginia Network Conference and various community and corporate organizations.

Chambers has also partnered with UNCP’s Office of Admissions to support student recruitment. She is a proud two-time UNCP graduate, earning her degrees in 2009 and 2014.