Highlights: Student Success

Profiles of Excellence

Spotlight on Student Performers

Theatre arts major Lorenzo Henriquez received playwriting honors from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, as one of eight students recognized for their theatre talents. His play, “Every[Black]Man,” which depicts a Black boy confronting the harsh realities of being a Black man, was one of 16 plays considered for the festival’s prestigious national award.

He was also honored as part of a Bowie State student ensemble for Best Devised Theatre Performance, which BSU won for the second year in a row. The other BSU student honorees are Delante Dates, Nate Hatchett, Christen Munroe-Jones, Shalom Omo-Osagie, Ryan Pendleton, Broderick Pitts and Daniel Young. The devised piece, which was collectively created by the group, tells a comical story of four college friends on a road trip visiting campus offices to take care of the business of staying in school.

“What struck me about our Bowie State students at the festival where there are over 1,000 students from across our region is simply the pride that they have as an ensemble,” said Elena Velasco, a BSU assistant professor of theatre who organized the students for the festival.

National Research Honors

Competing at a national research conference highlighting multicultural topics, psychology major Shannel Blake and alumna Yeleny Hernandez-Amaya (’19) both took third place in the student competition at the joint conference of the National Association of African American Studies and affiliate organizations. Blake’s research focused on the influence of social media on perceptions of people of color of police misconduct, while Hernandez-Amaya explored the perceptions of Latinos of the U.S. legal system. In addition to winning $250 cash prizes, they won the opportunity to have their original work published in a scholarly journal.

“Pride does not come close to expressing how their mentors feel about their professionalism, diligence, humility, and accomplishments,” said Dr. Charles Adams, interim chairperson from the Department of Behavioral Sciences & Human Services and one of the researchers’ faculty mentors.

ESPN Fellowship for Rising Star

An up-and-coming sports writer, communications major Kevin Parrish Jr., was selected for ESPN’s Rhoden Fellowship – a one-year sports journalism internship program with ESPN’s The Undefeated, a multimedia news platform. He was one of six outstanding students from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) selected by senior editors at The Undefeated and former New York Times award-winning sports columnist Bill Rhoden.

Parrish worked as freelance writer, covering and reporting sports and general news at Bowie State, producing weekly multimedia content and podcasts that address issues and topics affecting young people.

“It’s a little surreal because it’s ESPN. That’s like the company that every kid wants to work for. My support system at Bowie State has made me into a better person and writer,” he said.

ROTC Cadets Saluted

Four top Army ROTC cadets represented Bowie State University in the largest-ever National Army Commissioning Ceremony in June 2020, recognizing the achievements of more than 1,000 top cadets from around the country. Jacob Davis was one of about 200 cadets selected to participate in a special in-person ceremony at the Pentagon, while cadets Brittney Andrews, Jesse Harr and Leah Spivery attended the virtual event. The BSU cadets ranked in the top 20 percentile among their peers nationwide and receive commissions as second lieutenants.

“I’m extremely proud each one of these cadets for personally going through what they did in their lives to get to this point, getting through all the Army training while being full-time students,” said LTC Wesley Knight, head of the BSU Department of Military Science. “I think these four are outstanding representations of leaders of character – people that will lead soldiers, America’s sons and daughters, and be fantastic leaders as they enter our Army.”

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