By Andrew Skerritt
Florida A&M University (FAMU) students recently won awards at the national convention of Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society.
Hosted by Albany State University and themed “Navigating the Pandemic: Recovering, Refocusing, Redefining,” the society’s 67th convention gave student participants an opportunity to collaborate with other institutions, conduct business of the society, and compete in chapter, scholarship, and research contests.
Two faculty, four graduate students, and four undergraduates represented the FAMU Kappa Iota Chapter, which received the award for most attendees, as well as first place in the Chapter Showcase ($200).
Civil engineering student Jorge Del’Angel, was a recipient of the $1,000 inaugural Brown-Morris Scholarship, awarded to two graduate scholars. Applicants were required to submit transcripts, letters of recommendation, a statement on their academic or career goals, and a brief description of their service to AKM.
In the research category, Doctor of Public Health student Ericka Horne won first place ($200) for her presentation, “Religiosity and Diabetes Management among African American Adults: A Systematic Review,” and political science major Anaje Austin won third place ($50) for “From Falling Behind to Left Behind: COVID-19 & an Imperfect Education System.”
The convention also marked the end of 4-year terms for two national officers: Associate Professor of English Veronica Yon, Ph.D. (president), and doctoral candidate in environmental sciences, Joy Jefferson-Yager (vice president). Yon will continue serving as an executive council member, as well as public relations director and chapter adviser, while Jefferson-Yager will serve as Florida Regional director.
History Professor Titus Brown, Ph.D., will continue his longtime service as national historian with plans to publish a book on the organization’s history (1937-2023) next year.
“I am so proud of all the participants,” said Yon. “They represented not only our chapter but also our University quite well.”
