President’s and Dean’s scholars recognized on Alcorn’s website

President’s and Dean’s scholars recognized on Alcorn’s website

The Alcorn State University Honors Curriculum Program has announced the President’s and Dean’s List Scholars for the spring and fall 2020 semesters. The Program plans to host the 82nd annual Honors Convocation Thursday, March 25.

Ayanna Lombard, a biochemistry pre-medicine major, understands the importance of safety during the pandemic and is very appreciative that Alcorn took time to recognize her as a President’s Scholar.

“It’s so much going on with people having deaths in their families, classes being canceled, and friends getting the virus, so I appreciate the recognition because I think it helps us stay motivated to finish striving towards the end,” said Lombard.

Lombard plans to graduate in May 2021 and pursue a career as a pediatrician.

“I made my studies a top priority because there are not a lot of African Americans in the medical field. I want to show other Black girls and boys that it is okay to strive to be the top student of your class,” said Lombard.

Joshua Martin, a junior recreation major, is dedicated to learning as much as possible to prepare for a career in his field of study. Since his freshman year, his motivation has been to graduate and receive his degree.

“Seeing myself as a Dean’s Scholar makes me proud to know that I am achieving my goals and that I am one step closer to graduation,” said Martin

For Chiamaka Iheme, a junior business administration major, exceeding her expectations is her top priority. Iheme has made the Dean’s List for both spring and fall semesters and aims to make the President’s List in the future.

“Seeing myself make the Dean’s List serves as a reminder that I’m doing a good job, and it pushes me to go higher in my accomplishments,” said Iheme.

When speaking of Alcorn’s handling of COVID-19 protocols, Iheme is pleased with how the University has handled operations during the pandemic.

“Overall, I feel like Alcorn has done an excellent job in regards to catering to the students during the pandemic.”

Daijah Richardson, a junior accounting major, realized that being a student-athlete can cause a student to lose focus on their studies. Being the oldest of four girls and the first in her family to attend college, Richardson desires to set an example for her sisters, who are also athletes.

“I was on a scholarship playing softball, but because of a knee injury and falling behind in school, I had to stop being an athlete. I kept reminding myself that I didn’t have softball anymore, so school is the only thing I needed to focus on,” said Richardson.

Richardson decided to only focus on her studies, and she made the Dean’s List for her first time.

“When I saw my name, I was like, wow, I really did that! I put my all into it. I didn’t make excuses, but I made it happen, and I made sure that I had everything straight, and this is the result. This is the reward for completely focusing on my work.”

Xavier Duncan, a junior biochemistry pre-medicine major, attends Alcorn on a full scholarship.

“During my freshman year, I was so close to jeopardizing my scholarship because I wasn’t focused. After barely meeting the requirements to uphold it, I knew I had to do better.”

Thanks to the motivating words of his late grandmother, Duncan has maintained being a Dean’s List scholar for most of his semesters at Alcorn. This semester, he exceeded it and made the President’s List. He said that he knows that his grandmother would be happy with his hard work.

“Last spring was tough for me because I lost my grandmother to pancreatic cancer. She consistently stayed on me about my classes because I didn’t always put my full effort into my work, and she was right. So, going into the fall, I told myself that I would give it my all. I know she would be proud because we always talked about me making the Dean’s List all the time, and her boy made the President's List instead.”