Page 10 - Florida Sentinel 9-4-18

Local Recipient Of National Award ‘Appreciative’
Working with the public often calls for going above and beyond the expected. Ms. Janelle McGregor doesn’t mind doing what- ever she can to provide as- sistance.
In her role as Assistant Public Safety Information Coordinator, she constantly exhibits “going that extra mile.” And, her dedication has not gone unnoticed.
Recently, Ms. McGregor was one of 35 recipients of the 2018 Nextdoor Champi- ons Award. In response to receiving the award she said, “I am truly appreciative of this national award. How- ever, the real recognition goes to the community members who work with the police department online
MS. JANELLE McGREGOR
Assistant Public Safety Information Coordinator
ability to keep residents in- formed and engaged about the issues that matter most to them with just the push of a button.
“One of my goals in the coming months is to create a strategy to help increase Nextdoor usage in areas, such as East Tampa. It’s im- portant for residents to know that this is a tool they can use to connect with de- partments throughout city government and not just the police, while building com- munity within their neigh- borhoods.”
A 14-year veteran of the Tampa Police Department, her role includes staying abreast of the latest technol- ogy and utilizing that tech- nology to communicate with
the city.
In recent years, social
media is no longer an av- enue for a certain age group, people of all ages use it. And, it has become an important tool in law enforcement.
Social media allows resi- dents the ability to choose when and how they want to receive information. Next- door is just one of the social media venues that she uses.
Ms. MeGregor began researching Nextdoor five years ago. The Tampa Police Department implemented Nextdoor in March 2017. Since its inception, the num- bers have doubled.
The department realized its value during Hurricane Irma and the dispatching of emergency information.
and offline to make their neighborhoods safer.
“The Nextdoor social media platform gives us the
USF Students Scholars Receive $2.1 Million Helios Awards Grant
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
Medjine Abellard’s
parents are Haitian immi- grants who worked hard to get an education and build careers for themselves in the United States.
Their story has always served as the impetus for Abellard to do well academ- ically. Recently, she got an- other shot of inspiration when she was named one of 12 students to receive a Black Leadership Network scholarship for the 2018- 2019 academic year.
And there will be many more BLN scholars thanks to a $2.1 million donation announced last week from Helios Education Founda- tion.
For Abellard, the schol- arship allows her to stay fo- cused on her Health Science studies rather than worry about juggling school with work to help pay for school. “I’m reminded that there are people to help me,” she said. “My success isn’t just for me, but for my family and the Black community.”
The grant is divided into two parts, establishing a $2 million scholarship endow- ment that will provide future support for 40 students per year in perpetuity. It also contributes $100,000 im- mediately for scholarships, mentoring, and leadership skills programming to help
Among those in attendance at the Helios Awards presentation were: USF President Judy Gen- shaft Medjine Abellard, Frea’Drika Curry, Ashanti Jones, Vladimir Leonard, Brunard Octavius, Essence Thomas, Zoubeida Ben-Mohamed, Tiana Hill, Ellis Kelly, Tonetho Lewis, Shaheim Rick- etts, De’Quan Wilson, and Vince Roig, Chairman. (Photography by BRUNSON)
know that we will support them along the way and we have their backs,” said Bell, founder and president of Bell IT Company. “They’re going to have better college experi- ence and less debt and go out and serve the community.
2018-2019 Black Leader- ship Network Scholarship Recipients:
The Muir Family Schol- arship – Medjine Abel- lard;
The Erica G. D. Daley Scholarship – Frea’Drika Curry;
The BLN Founder’s Scholarship – Ashanti Jones;
The Narain Family
Scholarship – Vladimir Leonard;
The Artia T. Small Me- morial Scholarship – Brunard Octavius;
The Hon. Les Miller, Jr., and Hon. Gwen Miller Schol- arship – Essence Thomas;
The BLN Founder’s Scholarship – Zoubeida Ben-Mohamed;
The Salley Family Inspir- ing Scholar Scholarship – Tiana Hill;
The Bell Family Scholar- ship – Ellis Kelly;
The Robert L. Greene, Jr., Memorial Scholarship – Tonetho Lewis;
The Frazier Family Scholarship – Shaheim Ricketts; and
The Wayne Anthony Quinn Ph.D. Scholarship – De’Quan Wilson
students graduate faster, bet- ter prepared, and with less debt.
Last Thursday, Lewis and other scholars were acknowl- edged at a reception on USF’s Tampa campus.
Vince Roig, founding Chairman of Helios, said the donation is a testament that the foundation is more than just a financial investor – it’s a “community investor.”
He called the scholars “amazing individuals.”
“I want you to understand this is all about you,” he said. “You have such a great op- portunity. You have all the support in this room to make sure you’re successful. Be-
cause if you’re successful, we’re all successful,” he said. USF President Judy Gen- shaft said the university is proud to be recognized by Helios for its efforts to help students succeed.
“We’re working to shape the future,” she said.
In his recorded remarks, USF Board of Trustees Presi- dent Brian Lamb ap- plauded the partnership, saying it will falls in line with the university’s mission “to position all students to be successful.”
The Black Leadership Net- work was founded in Decem- ber 2016 with a mission to enhance the education and
leadership opportunities for African American students in the USF System. The Helios grant increases the number of scholarships BLN can award in the upcoming year from 12 to at least 24 and provides an additional $20,000 for mentoring and professional development programming to further ben- efit the scholars.
Former Tampa Bay Buc- caneers player Jerry Bell, a founding member of the Black Leadership Network, said the scholarship will en- sure that students are af- forded a “well-rounded college opportunity.”
“It allows students to
PAGE 10 ORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2018