THE BUZZ
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS
Indira Ridgeway recognized by President Obama Indira R. Ridgeway, a sophomore political science major, has been recognized by President Barack Obama with the President’s Volunteer Service Award for her work to educate people on the issue of human trafficking and advocate on behalf of its victims. Her awards — gold, silver and bronze medals — were presented to Ridgeway during the Jan. 21 DSU Board of Trustees meeting. A native of Harrisburg, Pa., Ridgeway said she was introduced to human trafficking as a high school 9th-grader, when she saw the movie Taken. After reading more about the crime, during her 10th grade year she developed a display on the subject and entered it in the regional National History Day competition. She advanced to the state competition and was recognized on the floor of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, where she met state Rep. Kevin Boyle. That connection led to an opportunity for Ridgeway to meet a victim of human trafficking, a female from Latin America who was being forced to commit prostitution. She and Boyle advocated on the victim’s behalf and played a role in convincing the state’s Office of the Attorney General to drop prostitution charges against her, Ridgeway said. Meanwhile, the FBI was able to track down and arrest the traffickers in that case. Throughout her high school years, Ridgeway continued to serve as an advocate for those caught up in such circumstances. Now in her second year at DSU, while majoring in political science and minoring in law studies, she has continued her work on human trafficking. She says that law school is in her future and that she aspires to be a prosecuting attorney.
Sharnada Martin named Allstate Ambassador Junior accounting major Sharnada Martin has been named by Allstate as its first-ever Quotes for Education Ambassador to help the insurance provider raise scholarship dollars for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). Martin was among a number of HBCU students who had received scholarships from Allstate and were considered for the honor. She was selected because of her track record of academic excellence and her involvement in constructive extracurricular pursuits, according to Allstate officials. The Philadelphia native is the vice president of the Women’s Senate as well as the Future Leaders in Progress (FLIP). She is also a member of the Educated Ladies Igniting True Essence (ELITE) and the National Society for Leadership and Success. She aspires to become a certified public accountant and also to possibly operate her own cosmetology business. She said Allstate is helping her achieve her dreams. “I believe any dream can come true through hard work and dedication,” Martin said. “So for students like me who come from poverty or an unfortunate background, it is possible to achieve your dreams.” Allstate has joined forces with the Tom Joyner Foundation to raise money for scholarships at HBCUs and has already donated more than $1 million, including $18,500 last fall to DSU. With every Allstate insurance quote requested and coupled with a mention of the Quotes for Education program, Allstate donates $10 toward its scholarship fund. Quotes can also be obtained online at allstate.com/hbcu.
Nivette Pérez-Pérez receives NOAA Scholarship Nivette M. Pérez-Pérez, a DSU graduate student who is working toward a master’s degree in Natural Resources, has been awarded a $36,000 Graduate Research and Training Scholarship from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Pérez-Pérez is a part of the College of Agriculture and Related Sciences’ Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center (LMRCSC). Her current research is focused on the survival and development of eggs and larvae of red deep sea crabs and testing the effects of diet and temperature in laboratory conditions. Her research project is a collaboration between Dr. Matthew Poach from NOAA’s James J. Howard Laboratory, Sandy Hook, N.J.; Dr. Bradley Stevens of the LMRCSC of University of Maryland Eastern Shore; Dr. Stacy Smith, senior research scientist, and her advisor Dr. Gulnihal Ozbay, professor and extension specialist of natural resources, both of DSU; and the Atlantic Red Crab Company of New Bedford, Mass. This study will develop protocols to help maintain red deep-sea crab larvae in laboratory conditions. Its immediate goal is to collect baseline information needed to open new lines of experimentation with this species including topics of climate change, ocean acidification, advance development and behavior. The longterm objective is to study the factors affecting the larval stages of the red deep-sea crab. Pérez-Pérez said that the scholarship is a significant development. “It puts me in touch first-hand with NOAA researchers and broadens my network within the NOAA community,” she said. “It will also broaden my skills and mold my future steps in my academic career.” Spring 2016
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The Echo
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