Premier Awards for Scholarship, Leadership Announced at UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Recipients of the 2012 Premier Awards – the top individual honors for scholarship, leadership and service at The University of Alabama – were announced at a presentation dinner Feb. 23.

The 2012 UA Premier Award recipients will also be recognized at UA during Honors Week, and they include:

The William P. Bloom Scholarship Award – Emma S. Fick

The William P. Bloom Scholarship Award honors a junior who has improved intergroup relations within the University community; this year’s winner is Emma S. Fick of Covington, La.

Fick has demonstrated a commitment to reaching across cultural boundaries to foster interaction and collaboration among students. A top student majoring in English with an art history minor, she has also excelled in campus involvement and community service as a University Fellow within the Honors College. Fisk has worked as an intern for both Creative Campus, where she encouraged communication between different spiritual groups, and the UA English department’s Slash Pine Press, where she focused on organizing the creative community in efforts to bring awareness of the relevance of writing to people of all age groups and education levels.

 The John Fraser Ramsey Award – Hannah E. Hicks

The John Fraser Ramsey Award recognizes in a junior the versatility of gifts and attainments, as well as the breadth of excellence in mind and character that have traditionally been the goals of a liberal education. The recipient of the Ramsey Award is Hannah E. Hicks of Attalla.

Hicks exemplifies how a liberal arts education can develop a student’s capacity for forming genuine human connections. An honors student who plans to attend law school, Hicks serves as an Ambassador for the College of Arts & Sciences, where she is majoring in philosophy and religious studies. She is a Blackburn Fellow, an undergraduate teaching assistant in the UA philosophy department, and a member of several honor societies and service organizations. She is also the executive director of cUltivAte Peer Mentors, where she promotes student connections by pairing upperclassmen with freshmen in learning seminars

The Morris Lehman Mayer Award – Seema Kumar and Dr. Kenneth B. Ozzello

The Morris Lehman Mayer Award recognizes one graduating senior and one member of the teaching faculty who exemplify integrity, selfless service and leadership at UA and in the community, and who have made significant contributions to student life. Dr. Kenneth B. “Ken” Ozzello is the faculty recipient and Seema Kumar of Shreveport, La., is the student recipient.

Seema Kumar – Kumar is well-known for embodying the values of the Mayer Award on a daily basis with her responsibility, respect for others, determination and dedication to her goals. Kumar, a UA Honors College Fellow, is a biology and Spanish major who plans to attend medical school. A recipient of the 2011 William P. Bloom Scholarship Award, she has continued to serve and lead across campus as a Creative Campus intern, a member of The Other Club, The XXXI and Mortar Board Society.

Dr. Kenneth B. Ozzello – Ozzello, director of UA’s Million Dollar Band, not only instructs music, but also guides and mentors band students in developing the skills of self-discipline and teamwork that are necessary for being part of one of the most outstanding, visible marching bands in the country. A talented musician, Ozzello has been featured as a guest conductor at the Carnegie Hall Festival. Every member of the University community benefits from his tireless commitment to excellence, and his work is enjoyed by millions of people nationwide each year.

The Catherine Johnson Randall Award – Daniel John Preston

The Catherine Johnson Randall Award recognizes the most outstanding graduating senior at UA, based on GPA, rigor of course study and extraordinary scholarly or creative endeavor. Daniel John Preston of Allentown, Pa., is this year’s recipient.

A top student who maintains a GPA above 4.0 while completing some of UA’s most rigorous engineering and computer science courses, Preston has combined the highest level of undergraduate research with a passion for volunteering and helping others through teaching. Preston is a mechanical engineering major and Computer-Based Honors minor who serves as an officer in two engineering honor societies and is a teaching assistant in the CBH program. His scholarly research has recently focused on energy issues through his work as lead student at the Alabama Industrial Assessment Center.

The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award – Alexandra E. Tucci, Xavier L. Neal-Burgin and Dr. James W. Thompson

The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award recognizes excellence of character and service to humanity. The award honors one man and one woman of the graduating class and one non-student who has been helpful to and associated with the University. Student winners of this year’s Sullivan Award are Alexandra E. Tucci of Auburn and Xavier L. Neal-Burgin of Columbus, Miss. Dr. James W. “Jimmy” Thompson is the non-student recipient.

Alexandra E. Tucci –Tucci has demonstrated the practical application of noble ideals in the service of humanity, which is the heart of the Sullivan Award.  As a Creative Campus intern, Tucci was a leader in the debut of the popular campus event, “Quidditch on the Quad,” which promotes literacy and brings diverse campus groups together. Double-majoring in international studies and advertising with a minor in French, Tucci also serves as a University Honors College Fellow, member of the Anderson Society, Mortar Board, women’s leadership honorary The XXXI and as a scholar in the Center for Ethics & Social Responsibility.

 Xavier L. Neal-Burgin – An award-winning film production major, Burgin is equally dedicated to his craft and his community. After being chosen to participate in the prestigious student internship program of the Cannes International Film Festival last summer, his film “Portrait of a Storm,” based on Tuscaloosa’s April 27 tornado, won best 3-D film at the national Campus Movie Fest and premiered in Hollywood, Calif., where Burgin was awarded a $5,000 grant from the International 3-D Society. Burgin is a member of several senior honor societies, a residence-hall adviser, fraternity president and president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council at UA.

 Dr. James W. Thompson – For the last 32 years, Thompson has provided the direction and vision that has made UA’s Brewer Porch Children’s Center a nationally award-winning, model treatment center that is known throughout Alabama as a place where families can find hope, help and support. Thompson, who holds master’s and doctoral degrees from UA, has served as director of operations at Brewer Porch and is now the executive director, a position he has held since 1996. Under his guidance and vision, Brewer Porch has grown from a small residential care facility for special needs children to a multifaceted treatment center that now includes therapeutic foster care and community autism intervention.