The Peralta Association of African American Affairs (PAAAA) hosted a lively celebration of student achievement on Thursday, May 2, 2024, honoring nine student scholarship award winners at their annual Scholarship Awardee Reception.
Dr. Lawrence VanHook, the PAAAA President, kicked off the evening with a warm welcome followed by Dr. Carolyn Martin offering Libations and honoring the past, while Alison Fletcher led the audience in a rousing singalong of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" (the Black National Anthem).
Berkeley City College President Dr. Denise Richardson kicked off the student recognition portion of the evening by presenting scholarship awards to BCC students:
- Aneise Jones
- Darius Standifer
- and Celestina Nsingang Mbianda International Award winner Oluwatunmise Akanie
College of Alameda Acting President Dr. Pam Luster had the pleasure of recognizing COA students:
- Chanceline Zannou
- Shemicka Johnson
Laney College President Dr. Rudy Besikof had the honor of recognizing Laney student Damien Pope, Jr.
Merritt College President Dr. David M. Johnson was thrilled to honor several Merritt students including:
- Lois Spicer
- Wisly Pierre
- and NAACP Award winner Bianca Townsend
Peralta Community College District Chancellor Dr. Tammeil Gilkerson, current Board of Trustees Vice President Louis Quindlen, former trustee Dr. Bill Riley, and many other community leaders across our district attended to show support for these amazing students. Dr. Gilkerson provided some closing comments, saying, "Thank you to the Peralta Association of African American Affairs for putting on what has just been incredible...I mean, my heart is full! I don't know how y'all feel but my heart is definitely full with just the brilliance in this room and the love and the warmth that has been shown." We are excited to see what the future holds for these amazing students!
Three cheers to the PAAAA Scholarship Awards organizing committee chaired by Douglass Cobb and including Ramona Butler, LaShawn Brumfield, Rose Allen, and Hope Lane. Also many thanks to Laney College student Elwood Jefferson for the outstanding photos. You can see more photos at Peralta's SmugMug gallery here. For those interested in video, Mark Johnson filmed the event without a tripod and those mildly shaky videos can be found in this YouTube playlist.
As a reminder, the 16th Annual African & African-American Graduation Celebration is coming up on Saturday, May 18, 2024, starting at 11am at the Evergreen Missionary Baptist Church in Oakland. If you are planning to attend, please RSVP at africangrad@peralta.edu. If you have any questions about the graduation, please contact your PAAAA campus representatives:
- Berkeley City College: Ramona Butler at rbutler@peralta.edu
- College of Alameda: LaShawn Brumfield at lbrumfield@peralta.edu
- Laney College: Douglass Cobb at dcobb@peralta.edu
- Merritt College: Rose Allen at ciallen@peralta.edu
For more information, please visit the website at https://www.peralta.edu/admissions/student-resources/paaaa/african-american-graduation.
