UA Senior Earns Lucy Foster Award; Nominated for ‘Do Something Awards’

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — University of Alabama senior social work major Adrienne McCollum still feels the positive energy from the defining moment of her college career.

The Winfield native spearheaded the “Not an Isolated Incident” campus march in the fall that drew more than 200 people, including students and faculty. The initiative was designed to raise awareness of diversity issues on campus and explore ways to respond to racial incidents if they occur.

As a result of meetings with McCollum and other students, former UA President Robert E. Witt convened a council of student leaders to make recommendations.

McCollum recently received the 2012 Autherine Lucy Foster Award, given annually by the UA Black Student Union and Black Faculty and Staff Association to one student “who has made a significant contribution to the University of Alabama through their leadership and service to the minority community.” Foster was the first black student admitted to the University of Alabama in 1956. An endowed scholarship, given to a sophomore each year, is also set up.

“Lucy Foster, that’s huge,” McCollum said. “I get compared to some really great people, like Dr. (Cassandra) Simon in our department. People call me ‘Little Cassie.’ She’s passionate about her work and has done a lot of great things. To get this award means I really did make a difference.”

McCollum also is a nominee for the “Do Something Awards,” given annually by Dosomething.org and VH-1. A panel of past winners will select a group of semifinalists later this month. From that group, finalists will be chosen and flown to New York City, where they’ll learn if they’ve won a $10,000 community grant or the grand prize $100,000 community grant.

McCollum said she expects to hear if she made the semifinalist cut later this month.

“It’s an honor just to be nominated,” McCollum said. “I was just surprised someone thought of me when it came to such a huge reward.”

Similar to the Autherine Lucy Foster Award, McCollum had to write multiple essays for the Do Something Awards. If she wins one of the $10,000 awards or the grand prize, she hopes to establish a UA chapter of the National Coalition Building Institute, which helps train community members to combat intergroup conflicts and discrimination.

McCollum is slated to graduate in May. She plans to take the summer off and begin graduate school in public administration in the fall or spring.

McCollum is a McNair Scholar and is a member of the diversity and affirmative action committee at the School of Social Work. She is also the president of the Social Work Association for Cultural Awareness.

“Adrienne is a very talented and hard-working young lady, not to mention high-spirited and motivated,” said Deidra Perry, director for advancement at the School of Social Work. “Her sense of determination stands out among her peers and makes her a unique person.”