Elon presents 27th annual Phillips-Perry Black Excellence Awards

Outstanding students along with distinguished faculty and staff members were recognized Saturday, April 25, at the 27th annual Phillips-Perry Black Excellence Awards.

The campus tradition, however, took on a different form this year as students, faculty and staff are away from campus for the rest of the semester for a period of online learning. The 2020 Black Excellence Awards were hosted virtually, allowing students, faculty and staff to celebrate their achievements at home with family and friends.

​Established in 1993, the mission of the Black Excellence Awards ceremony is to recognize, celebrate and affirm the presence of Black students at Elon University. Approved by the Elon University Board of Trustees, the annual Black Excellence Awards Banquet was named on April 22, 2006, to honor former Elon students

The virtual ceremony included remarks from President Connie Ledoux Book, who encouraged students to continue to strive for excellence, even during this period of social distancing. Book also honored students for their dedication to their studies and positively impacting the Elon community.

“You have accomplished so much during your time at Elon,” said Elon President Connie Ledoux Book. “I am proud of each one of you – and you should be proud of yourselves – for finishing what you started and overcoming the obstacles that may have hindered you.”

Jasmin Walters’ 20 accompanied the presentation of awards with the singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” and Sydney Simmons ’20 issued a charge to students honored in the ceremony.

Watch the 27th annual Phillips-Perry Black Excellence Awards in the above video. Honored students, faculty and staff at this year’s ceremony included the following:

Academic Excellence Awards

Students enrolled at Elon University as full-time undergraduate students with a minimum of 12 semester hours of academic course work and a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher during the Fall Semester are eligible for this award.

Highest GPA by Class

• Class of 2023 (five-way tie): Jay Blue, Christina Carr, Amaya Gaines, Makayla Oby, Dani Toma-Harrold
• Class of 2022: Spencer Buehlman
• Class of 2021: Kiara Hunter
• Class of 2020: Kiristen Draughn

Highest GPA Male Athlete

• Tyler Stanley (Baseball)

Highest GPA Female Athlete

• Samantha Dominguez (Women’s Soccer)

Maroon Group Awardees (3.2-3.49)

• Angy Aguilar
• Alexa Baer
• Kendal Battles
• Jazmin Bender
• Joycelyn Bentley
• Julian Boddie
• Charlotte Bradsher
• Michaela Bramwell
• Rachel Brown
• Matt Brown
• Patrick Brundidge
• Melody Burke
• Sienna Burris
• Samantha Cabbell
• Gloria Cadet
• Sena Cadmus
• Jizelle Campbell
• Gab Chambers
• Heeba Chergui
• Hannah Cheyney
• Alicia Clanton
• Lauryn Clarke
• MiKisha Davis
• James DiBiasi
• Noah Dyson
• Haile Ferrier
• Morgan Fisher
• Destin Flloyd
• Oscar Flores-Montero
• Ciani Foy
• Dee Franklin
• Chris Garner
• Lindsay Gray
• Natalie Green
• Dinora Guadarrama Flores
• Chazz Harley
• Shawna’ Harris-Lenoir
• Malik Harrison
• Isaiah Hill
• Jenny Howard
• Ashley Irby
• Quinton Irwin
• Olivia Jacquier
• Maya Johnson
• Cierra Johnson
• Kimberly Jones
• Tres Jones
• Alicia Jordan
• Avery Kutis
• Tydechelle Lewis
• Kayla Liles
• Derrick Luster
• Kamaria Majors
• Rayna Mason
• Holly Miranda
• Breanna Mitchell
• Austin Moore
• Isaac Morrison
• Sarah Mouton
• Saadia Munford
• Olivi Murray
• Sara Nderitu
• Michaela Neal
• Caleb Ogunmola
• Ayo Onasanya
• Sayo Oni
• Sarah Parks
• Marvin Pearson
• Sarah Poselle
• Jaelan Price
• Sydney Randolph
• Kat Recio
• Shekinah Reese
• Soniyah Robinson
• Sydnie Rogers
• Shawn Royster
• Kendall Saulsby
• Victoria Seymore
• Sade Smith
• Rae Spears
• Taylor Spruill
• Araya Sykes
• Jahmai Sylvestre
• Vanessa Taylor
• Julian Valderrama
• Mackenzie Wilkes
• Mia Wilson
• Imonni Withers
• McKinley Witherspoon
• Kris Wooten
• Lallo Yadeta
• Trinity Yancey

Gold Group Awardees (3.5-3.79)

• CJ Adams
• Lauryn Adams
• Jaelyn Alexander
• Alexis Alston
• Ashleigh Azan
• Ashley Billie
• Keiarra Bray
• Nyah Britt
• Jahmai Bruce
• Jinger Callwood
• Lauryn Carlton
• A’Shaela Chaires
• Victoria Colbeck
• Haley Cole
• Rebecca Collins
• T’keya Davy
• Briana Edwards
• Tamara Evans
• Jaylan Evans
• Kate Fowler
• Destiny Frett
• Nyles Geiger
• Victoria Getter
• Matisse Gilmore
• Scottlyn Goodman
• Moriah Griffin
• Nia Griffin
• Christin Hackney
• Michelle Harlan
• Megan Hernandez-Greene
• Anelisa Holder
• Maddie Holmes
• Brittney Hope
• Chantrisse Howard
• Hannah Hubbard
• Leila Jackson
• Kayla Jacobs
• Kendra Johnson
• Mj Jones
• Kev Lacey
• Kamal Lado
• Nadia Lawyer
• Yasmeen Lee
• Eukela Little
• Haley Love Burton
• Lucia Lozano Robledo
• Zion Middleton
• Ivy Montague
• Cameron Mullins
• Leah Naod
• Sophia Ortiz
• Samantha Palacios
• Cassidy Perry
• Nico Rios
• Felicia Robinson
• Aaliyah Rodgers
• Lumie Rostick
• Karissa Ruiz
• Sierra Rusher
• Kayla Sabre
• Vanessa Salama
• Teylah Saunders
• Krysten Scott
• Sha’leicia Simpson
• Lake Sims-Winfrey
• Alanna Solomon-Dodson
• Tyler Stanley
• Sarah Talley
• Chris Terry
• Jewel Tillman
• Emmanuel Tobe
• Tyja Traore
• Jordan Vaughn
• Hannah Webster
• Jabril Williams
• Ariana Wilson

Phoenix Group Awardees (3.8-4.0)

• Aniyah Adams
• Deztinee Allen
• Matt Beazer
• Mikaela Benton
• Sedric Beulah
• Jay Blue
• Spencer Buehlman
• Taylin Cain
• Jazzy Campbell
• Christina Carr
• Trinity Dixon
• Samantha Dominguez
• Kiristen Draughn
• Mikayla Ford
• Amaya Gaines
• Trevor Gee
• Kiara Hunter
• Amillion Kearse
• Dana Knowles
• Destinie Lovgren
• La’shaundranique Marshall
• Taylor McFadden
• Hunter McIntosh
• Makayla Oby
• Rebecca Oliver
• Arianne Payne
• Shannon Seignious
• Sydney Simmons
• Miracle Smythe
• Kayla Spalding
• Renell Taylor
• Dani Toma-Harrold
• Chandler Vaughan
• Christine Wanda
• Giselle Watts
• Briston Whitt
• Jordan Williams
• Sidney Wilson

Elon Experiences Award

These students were nominated by faculty and staff members of Elon University as students who excelled in on or more of the five Elon Experiences: Internship, Leadership, Service and Civic Engagement, Study Abroad/Study USA, and Undergraduate Research.

Excellence in Leadership

• Fredrick Evans

Excellence in Internships

• Tyler Stanley

Excellence in Undergraduate Research

• Yasmeen Lee

Excellence in Study Abroad/Study USA

• Chandler Posey

Excellence in Service-Learning

• Ashley Billie

The Wilhelmina Boyd African & African American Studies at Elon Award

The Wilhelmina Boyd AAASE Scholar Award was created in the Spring of 2008 to honor the work and contributions of Professor Wilhelmina Boyd’s 18 years of service to Elon University and African & African-American Studies. the recipient of the award must be a graduating senior with a minor in African & African-American Studies, with a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 and a minimum GPA in the minor of 3.2. In addition, the recipient must demonstrate a commitment to African & African-American Studies as demonstrated through coursework, citizenship/community engagement, scholarship, and student activities/leadership.

Wilhelmina Boyd AAASE Scholar Award

• Sydney Simmons

Elon Black Alumni Network Scholarship Award

The Elon Black Alumni Network (EBAN) strives to unite and represent the interests of Elon University’s Black alumni and students and promote active participation of its members. EBAN also seeks to promote the Black presence on campus and sustain the general alumni contributions to the university. Intended to help make an Elon education available to Black students, EBAN established a scholarship fund in 2007. To date, alumni and friends have donated more than $250,000 to the EBAN scholarship, which has partially funded the educational endeavors of five deserving Black students at Elon University.

Elon Black Alumni Network Scholarship Recipient

• Kiara Hunter

The Phillips-Perry Black Excellence Awards Celebration is presented by Elon’s Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education (CREDE). The planning committee included:

• Barb Carlton – assistant director, Moseley Center
• Amy Chilcutt – assistant director of academic-residential partnerships for dining engagement
• Carolyn Ent – director of events, Office of the President
• Anita Hodnett – assistant director, Counseling Services
• Tyrone Jean – assistant dean of students and director, CREDE
• Robert Johnson – director, Event and Space Management
• Marilyn Slade – program assistant, CREDE
• Deidra Smith – director, Alumni Engagement
• ​Michael Williams – director, Moseley Center

The 2020 Elon Experience Awards Committee included:

• Meredith Allison – professor of psychology and director of undergraduate research
• Melanie Bullock – director, Center for Leadership
• Bob Frigo – associate director, Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement
• Allegra Laing – associate director for global diversity and inclusion, Global Education Center
• Rene Jackson – associate director of career services for graduate school programs and director, PACE Program