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Awards, scholarships given at 2024 BFSO awards luncheon

Shown, from left, are UGA President Jere W. Morehead with award and scholarship recipients Andre Akinyemi, Christian Okitondo, Camryn Hollis, Arionya Gude, Rayna Carter, Aaliyah Khaiphanliane, Emma Mattox, Xavier Brown and Shayla Lee. (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA)

Six UGA students and four staff members received scholarships and awards during the Black Faculty and Staff Organization’s 2024 Founders’ Award Scholarship Ceremony, held Sept. 30.

UGA President Jere W. Morehead expressed his appreciation to the BFSO for its assistance in supporting the university’s students.

“The experiences and backgrounds that each and every one of our students bring to this campus is what makes the University of Georgia a remarkable place,” Morehead said. “You are the individuals who are creating a welcoming and nurturing environment for our students. Those interactions, combined with scholarships like the ones awarded today, can make a difference in the lives of our students and their families.”

UGA President Jere W. Morehead welcomes attendees to the 2024 Black Faculty and Staff Organization Founders’ Award Scholarship Ceremony (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA)

The 2024 scholarship awardees are:

Attendees mingle before the annual BFSO awards ceremony. (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA)

The BFSO also honored UGA staff members with the Ed Wilker Memorial Egalitarian Award, which recognizes the occupational excellence of UGA staff members. The 2024 awardees are Xavier Brown, School of Law; Lenita Howard, Facilities Management Division; Shayla Lee, Mary Frances Early College of Education; and Emma Mattox, School of Social Work.

Keynote speaker Alton Standifer, vice provost for inclusive excellence and chief of staff to the provost, spoke about the importance of the work done by his office and the BFSO.

Specifically, Standifer said the work is about breaking the chains of generational poverty and creating opportunities for more students who think they can’t go to college. That leads to closing gaps in graduation and retention rates.

“They need somebody from UGA who sees how incredible this place is to let them know it exists and that they can be successful here,” he said.

Alton Stander delivers the keynote address at the annual BFSO awards ceremony. (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA)

“We are connected as a community, and that is one of the things I love most about the University of Georgia,” he said.

To learn more or join the organization, email bfso@uga.edu.

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