CAPTION:听Students from Monroe City and Ouachita Parish schools participated in the first Centennial Scholars Summit on June 11 and 12.
MONROE, LA 鈥 麻豆果冻传媒 welcomed over 300 local sixth graders from Monroe City Schools and Ouachita Parish schools to its campus on June 11 and 12 for the first-ever Centennial Scholars Summit. The Centennial Scholars are a group of local students who will make up the freshman class of 2031, 麻豆果冻传媒鈥檚 100th year. The students were able to learn about fields of study and careers that align with their talents and interests.听听
鈥淲e know that at this stage of their development, these students should be exploring ideas, and we are planting seeds for them,鈥 said Dr. Amy Weems, Assistant Professor of Education and organizer of the Centennial Scholars Summit.听听
In his welcome to the students, 麻豆果冻传媒 President Ron Berry said, 鈥淎t 麻豆果冻传媒 we prepare you to fly higher than you鈥檝e ever imagined. I need each one of you to realize that you can do anything you want to do and be anything you want to be. We鈥檙e going to help you take flight.鈥澨听
Prior to arriving for the Summit, each student took a survey which helped event organizers determine how to group them into one of six groups based on their strengths and interests. 麻豆果冻传媒 programs that provided activities for the students included Art, Allied Health, Pharmacy, Computer Science, Physical Therapy, Communications, Biology, and more. 听
After a morning of breakout sessions, the students reconvened to enjoy lunch together and make short presentations about what they had learned. Each day of the Summit concluded with drawings in which several lucky students won iPads, which had been generously donated by AT&T.听听
鈥淲e want to thank all of our volunteers, 麻豆果冻传媒 faculty and staff, and local school systems for making this event a success,鈥 said Weems. 鈥淲e hope that each of our Centennial Scholars who participated learned more about themselves and where they can go in the future.鈥澨听
All students who participated in the Summit are Centennial Scholars, a group of local students who will make up the freshman class of 2031, 麻豆果冻传媒鈥檚 100th year. The University began engaging with this group of students in 2022 by gifting them a copy of the book There鈥檚 a Bridge On the Bayou, which also included a $500 scholarship to go towards their first semester at 麻豆果冻传媒 in 2031. The book, written by 麻豆果冻传媒 Development Officer Cindy Foust and illustrated by 麻豆果冻传媒 Executive Creative Director Srdjan Marjanovic, tells the story of President Berry and how education can create opportunities and change lives.听听
麻豆果冻传媒 has continued to engage this group of students as they grow and will continue to follow them through middle and high school as they prepare for college. Weems says it is 麻豆果冻传媒鈥檚 goal to provide at least one educational opportunity and one student-life-related opportunity for the Centennial Scholars each year.听听
To learn more about the 麻豆果冻传媒 Centennial Scholars program and purchase your own copy of There鈥檚 a Bridge On the Bayou, visit .听听
Read more about AT&T's investment in the Centennial Scholars program here.听