S P R I N G 2 0 1 1 E D I T I O N S P E C I A L T U R N E R E D I T I O N M A Y 2 0 1 1 Presidential Awards Recipients For information about the Darwin T. Turner Scholarship Program, Check Out WWW.UC.EDU/ EPS It s the University of Cincinnati s most prestigious honor for undergraduates. The 2011 recipients of UC s Presidential Leadership Medal of Excellence are Taiwo Adeoye, Ravi Grandhi, Andrew Smith and Shali Zhu. The symbol of this honor a bronze medal featuring the university s crest on the front and the recipient s name on the back. A UC tradition since 2002, the recipients of the Presidential Leadership Medal of Excellence are selected for their academic excellence, their commitment to co-curricular activities, their citizenship in support of the university s goals and values, their dedication to diversity and their potential for future success and achievement. They ll receive special recognition at UC s All-University Commencement ceremonies on Saturday, June 11, in Fifth Third Arena. The 2011 honorees were selected from 29 applications of graduating seniors and 12 finalists. Two of the four recipients are proudly graduating as alumni of the Darwin T. Turner fulltuition scholarship program. Taiwo Adeoye Born in Toledo, Ohio and raised in Nigeria, Adeoye, a Darwin T. Turner Scholarship recipient, is a graduate of Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School in Lagos state, Nigeria. She entered UC at the age of 22. She is earning bachelor s degrees in international affairs and political science from the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), along with a certificate in international human rights. Adeoye plans to dedicate her career to protecting the rights of women and children in developing countries more specifically, she wants to serve as an advocate to protect women against the practice of female genital mutilation and other archaic cultural traditions. Ravi Grandhi The Dayton, Ohio resident and graduate of Miami Valley High School will pursue a career as a medical doctor this fall as he enters the UC College of Medicine. The Darwin T. Turner scholarship recipient (and student ambassador for the program) entered UC through the Connections dual admissions program, which allows qualified high school students to reserve a place in UC s College of Medicine once they earn their baccalaureate degree at UC. Grandhi graduated magna cum laude from the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) last December with a bachelor s in biology and is also completing his master s in business administration (September 2011) from the UC College of Business.
P A G E 2 The annual Breakfast of Champions is traditionally an early morning awards ceremony hosted by The Darwin T. Turners Scholars Program to honor and acknowledge faculty and staff who have been influential in the success of over 100 scholars. The UC Marching Band provided a much needed good morning welcome. While students, faculty, and staff ate a hearty breakfast of eggs, muffins, bacon, fruits, and more, Dr. Livingston said the official University Welcome followed by the Breakfast of Champions occasion. Mr. Jerome Jackson, supporter and contributor to the Turner Scholars Program was honored for his continued years of support. Over 90 faculty and staff were present to receive medals of recognition from the students who nominated him/her. Ms. Taiwo Adeoye and Mr. James Day closed the ceremony by sharing with younger scholars what they have learned during their time at UC and why the Turner program has been instrumental in their success. Ms. Adeoye reminded us that the Turner program is not only a scholarship but a family of support through the staff of Ethnic Programs and Services, through current scholars who have become life-long friends, and through alumni who will always support the ideals of Turner. Come visit Ethnic Programs and Services in Steger Student Life Center Room 555! SALD Diversity Conference By: Brandon Reynolds On Wednesday, April 20, 2011, UC hosted its 3rd Annual Diversity Conference. The theme for this year's conference was Diversity & Inclusion: Accelerating the Transformation. Many people feel as though the definition of the term Diversity simply refers to a collection of different skin tones. This somewhat simple and underdeveloped explanation, fails to dig deeper into the true meaning of this definition. Realizing this, it is natural for one to become compelled into taking up the search for the true meaning of this complex term. While at the diversity conference, I was introduced to the University s stance on finding an applicable solution to this problem. One woman who played a crucial role in facilitating our exploration of what it takes to be truly diverse was Dr. Brenda J. Allen. While in her small group, she stressed the importance of clarity and how the University must be clear on what it is attempting to achieve in relation to increasing diversity on campus. When I asked Dr. Allen about her personal definition of what it means to be diverse, she stated that true diversity could only be achieved when people who represent and embody different aspects of life are valued. Dr. Allen s response resonated with me because it ties into my own personal definition of diversity and how it can only be achieved if we strive to diversify our ways of thinking. In sum, the Diversity Conference was truly an eye-opening experience. Although we are still in the process of developing a comprehensive definition of diversity, I feel that the seminars, discussions, and brainstorming sessions held at this year s Diversity Conference helped many members of the UC community take lengthier strides towards the acquisition of a university-wide solution to this complex issue. I would like to personally thank the Office of Ethnic Programs and Services for providing me with this experience and I cannot wait to witness the positive change true diversity brings to this wonderful University.
P A G E 3 Turner End of the Year Awards Ceremony By: Shivam Kedia The Turner End Of the Year Awards Ceremony is a time that all Turner Scholars look forward to. The ceremony allowed students to look back at their year and realize how much they have accomplished in a short period of time. The most memorable part of the day was the "A Year in the Life of Turner" presentation, a slide show of all the events hosted by Turner and EPS for the 2010-2011 year. Everyone laughed at the shared silly moments and pictures that documented their growth over the year. Seniors were recognized for their 4 years of hard work, shared future plans, and imparted wisdom to current scholars and incoming scholars. I remember when I was invited to the banquet as a senior in high school and it made me realize how amazing the program is. This year I was awarded "Mr. EPS" as well as the coveted" Turner Scholar of the Year" award. When Dr. Brandi Elliott and Ms. Yakaira Ramos called my name, I was speechless because it is very rare for a freshman to win Turner Scholar of the Year. I realized that all my hard work during the year was encompassed in this award. The end of the year ceremony for ever scholar revives old memories, creates new memories, and allows us to build new connections with the incoming scholars while saying goodbye to the departing seniors. The banquet reminded me and my peers of the family that is the Turner program and that I AM TURNER!
P A G E 4 Turner Olympics The Turner Olympics and cookout is not only just a few games of tug of war, dizzy-bat, relay race, or dodge ball. The Olympics is an opportunity for all the scholars to demonstrate class pride. This year freshmen were pitted against seniors and sophomores faced the juniors in an epic game of tug of war. Several seniors demonstrated true Turner competitiveness in the relay race against their younger peers. Everyone participated in a dodge ball showdown as well as a new game of balloon pop. Students tied blown up balloons to his/her ankles and tried to avoid another person attempting to pop the balloon at his ankle. Freshmen, outnumbering all other classes this year took home the championship. After two of hours of nonstop activity, students chowed down on a hearty meal of burgers, fries, salad, and fruit. Farewell Dr. Stacy Downing!
P A G E 5 Farewell Turner Seniors! Taiwo Adeoye Carrington Bates Ghenet Besera Taylor Birch Alexandra Blood Emily Cao Melissa Chavez Ambreesh Chawla Rajina Eskridge Taylor Epsy Ravi Grandhi Khalia Jenkins Alyna Williams Bethany Kintigh Vanessa Martin Ryan Mcguire Jenae McSayles William Morton Dustin Muller Graciela Negri Allison Ng Jacqueline Nguyen Lauren Oka John Pham Ryan Smith Kristina Vu Dion Webb
P A G E 6 D a r w i n T. T u r n e r S c h o l a r s E n d o f t h e Y e a r A w a r d s S p r i n g Q u a r t e r 2 0 1 1 Leadership Distinction Yvonne Agumuo Shivam Kedia Brandon Reynolds Kyler Burroughs Elizabeth Delozier Darienne Jordan Andrew Kordahi Martha Maberry Carlo Cruz Connie Fu Chizi Igwe Ghenet Besera Maria Rosmarin Highest GPA Saloni Hemani Rahul Prasad Allyx Capek Rohan Hemani Benjamin Ko Allison Ng James Rankin Award Alexandra Blood William Bowen Award Ravi Grandhi William Mallory Award Taiwo Adeoye Turner Scholar of The Year Shivam Kedia Turners Beyond UC Right: Ryan Larkin and Sean Walton Jr. graduated with a J.D.s from Capital University Law School. Left: Dr. Michael J. Alexander received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan May 2011 and is now working for General Motors within Research and Development. S P E C I A L T U R N E R E D I T I O N