Branch, Kabir named 2021 Early Assurance Scholars
Each year, two of the 86 seats in the entering class of the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University are reserved four years in advance for deserving students at UNC Pembroke. This year, the distinct honor goes to incoming freshmen Sayeed Kabir and Lindsay Branch, who were named 2021 Early Assurance Scholars. Considered one of the most prestigious four-year merit awards at UNCP, the Early Assurance program pays for tuition, books and room and board. Kabir describes the congratulatory phone call from the dean of admissions at Brody as life-changing.
Alumna Randi Dagenhart named UNC System Presidential Scholar
Randi Dagenhart, a Fall 2020 graduate of UNC Pembroke, has been selected as a UNC System Presidential Scholar for the 2021-22 academic year. Dagenhart will serve a one-year appointment and provide a wide range of professional functions for the UNC System Office. She will have the opportunity to interact with President Peter Hans, his senior leadership team and the UNC Board of Governors. She will experience firsthand how education legislation and university policy affect current students and faculty systemwide.
Paging Dr. Woriax
Article written by Mark Locklear First published in the spring 2021 edition of UNCP Today Surgeons must possess a unique blend of skills and characteristics to be successful; they need more than just medical knowledge. While still early in her career, Dr. Hannah Woriax is quickly accumulating those skills.
Five alumnae complete Doctor of Pharmacy program at Wingate University
Five UNC Pembroke alumnae recently graduated from Wingate University’s Doctor of Pharmacy program. Alex Miles Locklear, Megan Stevens Kwasnik, Sharon Ayioka, Brooke Chavis and Ashley Arcara were among the Spring 2021 graduating class. Arcara and Chavis graduated from UNCP in 2016. Kwasnik, Ayioka and Locklear earned their UNCP degrees the following year. Ayioka, a native of Kenya pursuing a career as an ambulatory care pharmacist, credits her UNCP professors Rachel Smith and Maria Santisteban for her academic success.
UNCP to grow aspiring educators through North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program
The bond Anthony Barton formed with other North Carolina Teaching Fellows at UNC Pembroke was more like family. His experience laid the foundation for his success, first as a classroom teacher, and now as a principal with the Public Schools of Robeson County. “We were a community. The teaching fellows all lived on campus and took the same classes. We were like a family who shared a strong bond. Honestly, without the support I received from Dr. (Karen) Granger and the Teaching Fellows program, I believe I would not have finished school.”
Jared Tuton awarded second NC Space Grant
Biology major Jared Tuton is the recipient of a second North Carolina Space Grant. Tuton joins a distinguished group of undergraduate and graduate students from across the state whose STEM research for 2021-2022 is funded by space grants. Tuton's research, which is mentored by Dr.
Meet Dana Lamberton: UNCP’s first 3-plus-2 engineering program graduate
In the five years it takes for the average college student to earn a bachelor’s degree, Dana Lamberton completed two–one in applied physics at UNC Pembroke and another in mechanical engineering at N.C. State University. She was afforded this unique opportunity through UNC Pembroke’s 3-plus-2 dual-degree engineering program with N.C. State. Established in 2016, the program allows students to spend three years at UNCP and two years at N.C. State and graduate with bachelor’s degrees from both institutions. Lamberton is the program's first graduate.
Alumna Kennedi Henry to begin dental residency at ECU
UNC Pembroke alumna Kennedi Henry recently passed the North Carolina State Dental Board examination and will soon begin her residency at East Carolina University. Henry earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 2016 before earning a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from the ECU School of Dental Medicine in May. She is set to begin a one-year Advanced Education in General Dentistry Residency at ECU this month.
Alumnus Wells Graham accepted to Ph.D. program at Wake Forest University
James “Wells” Graham Jr., a spring 2021 UNC Pembroke graduate and aspiring scientist, has decided to further his studies in the physics doctoral program at Wake Forest University. Graham earned his applied physics degree, graduating with magna cum laude honors, on May 21. A Laurinburg native and Scotland County High graduate, Graham was a RISE Fellow while attending UNCP.
UNCP nursing student wins a $25,000 scholarship
Dekiah Parson, a junior nursing student at UNC Pembroke, has won a $25,000 scholarship from the Taco Bell Foundation. Parson, an employee of Taco Bell in Fayetteville, was among 26 students nationwide to receive the full scholarship amount. She plans to use the money toward graduate school. Parson discovered her passion for medicine after her godsister, London, was born prematurely. Her birth led to several health issues.