2008 Woodie Awards
The V.I.P. List
The Exceptional Educational Opportunities Program host their annual Honor's Awards Dinner.
By Whitney Nichole Stevens
Issue date: 3/26/07 Section: Campus News
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The night was filled with students, supportive family, and friends smiling from ear to ear and gleaming with pride. Two hundred and fifty of EEO's finest students were honored for their outstanding achievements throughout the Fall semester. Fabian Baker, Cymone Coker, Phillip West, Shalumeil Hill are a few of the many students who made the Honor's list, some of them for the second, third, and fourth time. Najah Lockhart, Melissa Brady, Vanessa Mendoker, Vanessa Valdes, Camilya Jones, and Jeffery Feinman, and Jamie Ferrulli received the highest honor of being placed in the 4.0 club, for students who have obtained a 4.0 GPA.
Ms. Yolanda Hamilton, native of Elizabeth, New Jersey and Kean University alumna was the keynote speaker for the evening. She gave an empowering and inspiring speech on success, hard work, and determination, encouraging students to do whatever it takes to get the best out of life. Yolanda came from humbling beginnings in her hometown of Elizabeth. However, she would go on to graduate in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and receive a MBA from Lacrosse University. Yolanda is currently the Program Director for the West Ward Collaborative, a community organization which assesses and consults parents on various social programs, in Newark, New Jersey. And she is not done yet. In the near future, Ms. Hamilton will be pursuing her PhD in Psychology, proving that if you can conceive it, you can achieve it.
Cymone Coker, junior Media and Film major said, "I worked really hard to make the Honor's List and I am truly honored. During my time in EEO, I have watched a lot of my peers drop out. Making the list has made me feel as though I have achieved something really great." Phillip West, senior Media/Film and Education major said "`It felt really good to be recognized for my academic achievements because I worked really hard. I studied hard and did what I had to do and it paid off". Shalumeil Hill senior Education and Psychology and major said "It's a great feeling to be honored. Nothing in life comes easy so you have to work twice as hard to get what you want. Education is the key but as long as you strive for what you want you achieve anything."
These students have lived up to everything EEO stands for and are living proof that hard work and dedication always pay off. So if you missed the Honor's List this year, don't worry. Continue to give it all you've got and you are sure to make the Honor's List next year.