{"590448":{"#nid":"590448","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Nearly 300 Students Honored at the 23rd Annual Tower Awards ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMyron R. Anderson, a leader in higher education at the Metropolitan State University of Denver, once wrote, \u0026ldquo;You can have diversity without excellence, but you can\u0026rsquo;t have excellence without diversity.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor 23 years, the Tower Awards have celebrated the academic achievements of underrepresented students at Georgia Tech. Of the more than 1,200 students eligible to receive a 2017 Tower Award, nearly 300 gathered for the annual recognition ceremony, hosted by \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.omed.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EOMED: Educational Services\u003C\/a\u003E, on April 6.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Our students set the standard for what the next generation can accomplish with a high-quality education and community support,\u0026rdquo; said OMED Director Cynthia Moore. \u0026ldquo;For instance, one of our Tower Award recipients, Cray Noah, was recently accepted into Harvard Medical School, and we are very proud of him! Cray served as a physics tutor and mentored several pre-med students in OMED for years.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAward \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/omed.gatech.edu\/content\/tower-eligibility\u0022\u003Ecategories\u003C\/a\u003E included \u003Cstrong\u003EPh.D. Awards, Master\u0026rsquo;s Awards\u003C\/strong\u003E (graduating GPA of 3.5 or higher), \u003Cstrong\u003EGraduating Senior Awards\u003C\/strong\u003E (cumulative GPA of 3.15 or higher), \u003Cstrong\u003ESustained Awards \u003C\/strong\u003E(cumulative GPA of 3.15 or higher), \u003Cstrong\u003EYearly Awards\u003C\/strong\u003E (GPA of 3.15 or higher over the past three semesters), and \u003Cstrong\u003EFirst-Year Awards \u003C\/strong\u003E(cumulative GPA of 3.15 or higher). Within each award category, except the Ph.D. and Master\u0026rsquo;s Awards, sub-categories included Bronze (GPA of 3.15-3.49), Silver (GPA of 3.50-3.94), and Gold (GPA of 3.95 or higher).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETwo special honors were also conferred: the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gtblackalumni.org\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Black Alumni Organization\u003C\/a\u003E (GTBAO) Unsung Hero Award and OMED Student Mentor Award. \u003Cstrong\u003ERenee Copeland\u003C\/strong\u003E, a biomedical engineering undergraduate student, received the Unsung Hero Award, and \u003Cstrong\u003ENyemkuna Fortingo\u003C\/strong\u003E, a biochemistry undergraduate student, was recognized with the Student Mentor Award. Both also received a 2017 Tower Award for their outstanding academic performance at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I am thankful to GTBAO for this award, and I credit support from OMED for this achievement,\u0026rdquo; said Copeland, who plans to pursue a graduate degree in public health. Fortingo, who plans to attend medical school, echoed the sentiment: \u0026ldquo;OMED has had a huge impact on my life \u0026ndash; both academically and socially. As an incoming freshman, I participated in the Challenge program, and my Challenge counselors inspired me to become a Challenge counselor and Edge mentor.\u0026rdquo; Challenge is an immersive bridge program for incoming freshmen, and the Edge program pairs first-year students with upperclassmen who help them acclimate to Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs the ceremony concluded, Henderson Johnson II, an aerospace engineering doctoral student and a co-founder of \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.theblackburdell.com\/\u0022\u003EThe Black Burdell\u003C\/a\u003E, reminded attendees of the meaning and significance of their success.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;As Georgia Tech students, you are called to change the world,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;Every day we are here, we make history. Your story should be one worth noting.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPart of Institute Diversity\u0026rsquo;s \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.csdi.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Student Diversity and Inclusion\u003C\/a\u003E, OMED is supported by more than 25 \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.omed.gatech.edu\/corporate-engagement\u0022\u003Ecorporate partners and sponsors\u003C\/a\u003E who attended and provided raffle giveaways at the Tower Awards. Corporate partners include 3M, BP, Eaton, John Deere, Northrop Grumman, Procter \u0026amp; Gamble, and Southwire.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo learn more about the Tower Awards, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.omed.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ewww.omed.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Of the more than 1,200 students eligible to receive a 2017 Tower Award, nearly 300 gathered for the annual recognition ceremony, hosted by OMED: Educational Services, on April 6. "}],"uid":"27465","created_gmt":"2017-04-14 17:51:37","changed_gmt":"2017-04-14 18:15:37","author":"Annette Filliat","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2017-04-14T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2017-04-14T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"590451":{"id":"590451","type":"image","title":"23rd Annual Tower Awards ","body":null,"created":"1492192605","gmt_created":"2017-04-14 17:56:45","changed":"1492192605","gmt_changed":"2017-04-14 17:56:45","alt":"23rd Annual Tower Awards ","file":{"fid":"224947","name":"OMED Tower Awards 2017 F.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/OMED%20Tower%20Awards%202017%20F.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/OMED%20Tower%20Awards%202017%20F.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":376419,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/OMED%20Tower%20Awards%202017%20F.jpeg?itok=A2EuddWr"}},"590454":{"id":"590454","type":"image","title":"GTBAO Unsung Hero Award and Tower Award Recipient Renee Copeland ","body":null,"created":"1492192820","gmt_created":"2017-04-14 18:00:20","changed":"1492192924","gmt_changed":"2017-04-14 18:02:04","alt":"","file":{"fid":"224950","name":"OMED Tower Awards 2017 G.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/OMED%20Tower%20Awards%202017%20G.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/OMED%20Tower%20Awards%202017%20G.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":547993,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/OMED%20Tower%20Awards%202017%20G.jpeg?itok=9DTp85R_"}},"590457":{"id":"590457","type":"image","title":"OMED Student Mentor Award and Tower Award Recipient Nyemkuna Fortingo","body":null,"created":"1492193125","gmt_created":"2017-04-14 18:05:25","changed":"1492193125","gmt_changed":"2017-04-14 18:05:25","alt":"OMED Student Mentor Award and Tower Award Recipient Nyemkuna Fortingo","file":{"fid":"224951","name":"OMED Tower Awards 2017 E.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/OMED%20Tower%20Awards%202017%20E.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/OMED%20Tower%20Awards%202017%20E.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":279842,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/OMED%20Tower%20Awards%202017%20E.jpeg?itok=P-hgnzSe"}},"590460":{"id":"590460","type":"image","title":"Doctoral Award Recipients at the 23rd Annual Tower Awards ","body":null,"created":"1492193481","gmt_created":"2017-04-14 18:11:21","changed":"1492193481","gmt_changed":"2017-04-14 18:11:21","alt":"Doctoral Award Recipients at the 23rd Annual Tower Awards ","file":{"fid":"224952","name":"OMED Tower Awards 2017 I.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/OMED%20Tower%20Awards%202017%20I.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/OMED%20Tower%20Awards%202017%20I.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":393914,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/OMED%20Tower%20Awards%202017%20I.jpg?itok=IguSpV2A"}}},"media_ids":["590451","590454","590457","590460"],"groups":[{"id":"1313","name":"Institute Diversity"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"21701","name":"Tower Awards"},{"id":"6045","name":"OMED"},{"id":"170543","name":"Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion"},{"id":"9171","name":"institute diversity"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAnnette Filliat\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECommunications Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EInstitute Diversity\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003Eannette.filliat@gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["annette.filliat@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}