by Joy Esiemokhai
It was standing room only at the Campus Center Ballroom as proud family and friends attended the 2014 Multicultural Achievement Program Academic Awards ceremony on Tuesday, March 25, 2014. The annual event, also known as the MAP awards, is organized by the Multicultural Achievement Program at UWG’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion. Eighteen Carrollton-area high school students and over 400 UWG students were honored for their scholastic achievements at this year’s program.
The event opened with a welcome address by Dr. Scot Lingrell, UWG’s vice-president for student affairs and enrollment management. Dr. Lingrell spoke about the 30-year legacy of the MAP Awards and its encouragement of academic success of minority and international students at UWG. Following his speech, Dr. Camilla Gant, the chair of UWG’s mass communications department, introduced the evening’s keynote speaker, Sonya Bailey, an attorney and UWG alumna. Bailey reminisced about her time at UWG and the education and experiences she received at the university. Her address was followed by the presentation of the High School Achievement Award to the 18 high school students at the event. The ceremony then moved on to the main event- the presentation of the UWG Academic Awards.
There were three categories of awards for the UWG students honored at the event. All the students received the Academic Achievement Award, which is given to minority students with grade point averages of 3.25 and above. The next award, the Academic Excellence Award was given to UWG junior and senior minority students with GPAs of 3.75 and higher. The biggest honor of the program, the Ace Award, was given to a UWG minority junior or senior with the highest overall GPA. All the honorees received certificates of recognition while the Academic Excellence and Ace Award winners received other prizes in addition to the certificates.
“I graduate this semester and this event was the perfect pat-on-the-back from the university,” said Bilal Alaji, an Ethiopian student and nursing major who was a recipient of both the Academic Achievement and Academic Excellence Awards. “Having my hard work acknowledged is incredibly fulfilling.”
The program concluded with closing remarks from Ashley Lewis, the coordinator of MAP. She highlighted UWG’s minority enrollment heritage from its voluntary and peaceful integration and the enrollment of the first African-American student, Mrs. Lillian Williams, in 1963. Guests were also treated to a brief reception immediately after the event.
