Building Bridges: Scholarship program recognizes deserving students

Building Bridges: Scholarship program recognizes deserving students who display same leadership qualities as Barbara Jordan

BY DANA BENSON
Rice News Staff

Eleven Rice freshmen
who possess some of the characteristics of Barbara Jordan
were awarded scholarships that honor the late congresswoman.

The Barbara
Jordan Scholarships recognize deserving students who exhibit
the qualities that were an integral part of Jordan’s
character—the ability to build bridges across racial,
cultural and religious divides—and who will enhance
the campus environment by embracing the racial and ethnic
traditions that are a part of our society.

With diverse
backgrounds and life experiences, the scholars are tied
together by their admiration and respect for Jordan and
their desire to emulate the qualities she possessed.

“It was
a tremendous honor,” Eve Bower said of receiving a
Jordan scholarship, “and one that did not come to me
without also conveying the strong sense of obligation I
had to uphold Ms. Jordan’s honorable commitment to
public service and the improvement of American society.
It truly was an inspiring and motivating honor.”

Born in 1936
in Houston’s Fifth Ward, Jordan had influence that
reached far beyond the borders of her childhood community,
profoundly affecting the nation. She gained national prominence
when she lent her eloquent voice and unshakable faith in
the Constitution to the Watergate impeachment hearings.
She left Congress in 1978 to teach at The University of
Texas and remained active in politics. Jordan was diagnosed
with multiple sclerosis in 1973 and died in 1996 of complications
from leukemia.

Created in 1998,
the four-year, half-tuition scholarships are awarded to
students who are selected based on specific qualities and
aspects of their character. Students do not specifically
apply for the scholarships.

• Kevin
Jontae Bailey, Brown College

As three-year class president, captain of the basketball
team and founding member of Teens Uniting Catholic Schools,
Kevin Bailey served as an example at his private Catholic
high school in Garland, Texas, that nontraditional, underrepresented
minorities can contribute in meaningful ways that his peers
hadn’t been exposed to.

“Most of
my peers had relatively little contact with minorities while
growing up, and while the relationships between students
were exceptional, some misconceptions still had to be corrected,
and that’s hopefully what I was able to do by example
in my leadership roles,” Bailey said. “If I am
able to replicate the kind of success that I enjoyed in
high school, I think that I will have a rich experience
at Rice.”

Being from Texas,
Bailey noted that he was familiar with Barbara Jordan, and
he added that she was one of his parents’ biggest heroes.
“As I have learned more about her accomplishments,
I realize how much of an honor it is to receive an award
named for a woman who committed herself to the advancement
of equality, justice and the rights of all people around
the world,” he said.

• Eve
Wilson Bower, Lovett College

Growing up in
a diverse environment surrounded by people with different
backgrounds, Eve Bower, a native of Augusta, Ga., made it
a priority to bridge cultural gaps that exist in society.

In her hometown,
she was involved with a committee that worked to heal wounds
that have divided the community along racial lines for more
than 50 years. She wrote an editorial that ran in local
newspapers, participated in cleanups of the graves of lynching
victims and helped organize a convention to educate people
about modern racism and its historical roots.

Since arriving
on campus, Bower said she has been pleased with such activities
as the diversity training during orientation week and the
prevalence of campus organizations that honor cultural pride.

At Rice, Bower
said, “I am eager to become more involved in such efforts
as I find the right ones for me. Furthermore, I will continue
to seek out ways in which I might initiate such efforts
in new ways on campus.”

• Eboneé Nicole Butler, Will Rice College

Living with her
grandmother in Beaumont, Eboneé Butler said she was
taught to always do whatever she could to help others.

She put that
lesson to use in high school as president of the Anchor
Club, which organized community service activities and planned
events that focused on different cultures, and by serving
as a volunteer tutor and working to feed the homeless.

“I hope
to participate in similar clubs here at Rice and also to
search for new ways that I can be of service to others,” Butler said.

Of receiving
a Barbara Jordan Scholarship, Butler said, “I felt
honored and inspired to do more service for others. I also
felt that not only had I accepted Rice University, but that
Rice had accepted and wanted me as a student.”

• Ryann
LaVaughan Ferguson, Baker College

Being raised
a Buddhist was the No. 1 factor that has made it important
for Ryann Ferguson to get involved in activities that promote
diversity and bridge-building.

In high school,
Ferguson had the opportunity to take the Buddhist concepts
she learned at home to the Youth Theological Institute in
Georgia. One of only two non-Christians to attend the program,
she studied Christian theology and introduced others to
her religion.

“I took
them to the Buddhist community center in Atlanta. It was
amazing to see their responses and their willingness to
learn and be theologically inclusive,” she said, adding
that at Rice she would like to start a Buddhist student
association.

Ferguson always
has been inclusive of all religions. She has many Southern
family members who are Methodist. “I love all religions
and want to see the similarities and great differences,” she said.

Of Jordan, Ferguson
said, “I’m so glad to represent the things she
stood for, and I admire her courage to take on challenges
and build successful programs that can help people.”

• William
David Hodges, Baker College

At his science-
and math-oriented high school in Oklahoma City, Bill Hodges
provided a point of view new to most of his peers: one of
world citizenship.

Hodges was able
to provide this viewpoint because of his background. His
parents are from different cultures, and his family lived
in China, where he learned a lot about the culture and language.
He was a leader in his school’s student government
council that promoted multicultural awareness through events
like a Cinco de Mayo celebration and a trip to see Desmond
Tutu speak.

“Continuing
this at Rice, I hope to be an open source for people struggling
with cultural issues, such as culture shock. I want to be
supportive and find my place as a leader of diversity,” Hodges said.

Of receiving
a Jordan scholarship, Hodges said, “Foreign and other
cultures new to me are one of my major interests, my passion.
I hope to live this passion with the same fervor and success
that Barbara Jordan did in pioneering the way to open doors
for all people.”

• Grace
Hu, Jones College

When Grace Hu
learned that she was the recipient of a Barbara Jordan Scholarship,
she was particularly touched by one sentence in the notification
letter. It read, “The Barbara Jordan Scholarship recognizes
students from all walks of life who exemplify Ms. Jordan’s
principles by utilizing their intellectual and personal
talents to be of service to others.”

“How could
someone not feel honored by receiving this scholarship?” Hu asked.

At Houston’s
Jersey Village High School, Hu exemplified Jordan’s
qualities through her involvement in a mentoring program
called Getting Others To Achieve Higher Levels (G.O.A.L.).
She taught goal-setting skills and served as a role model
for students at risk of dropping out.

“This mentoring
program was as much a learning experience for our mentors
as it was for their students,” Hu said. “Many
of our mentored students came from low-income and troubled
homes, and learning to see things from their perspective
in order to help them was a huge challenge.”

At Rice, Hu plans
to continue studying Spanish, which she has taken for six
years, realizing that “learning a foreign language
is the key to understanding another culture.”

• Audrey
Lyn Hucks, Lovett College

Growing up in a suburb of Philadelphia, Audrey Hucks said
she was drawn to the diverse cultures prevalent in the big
city.

“I wanted
to leave my homogenous suburban town and learn about different
cultures and lifestyles,” she said. “My urge to
seek out new people and places is part of the reason I decided
to come to Rice.”

Hucks hopes
to start a campus chapter of the World AIDS Alliance, an
organization she was involved with in high school. She also
is an active member of Amnesty International and was involved
in high school in Peer Leadership, a group of upperclassmen
who mentored incoming freshmen about such issues as bias-reduction,
sexually transmitted diseases, family relations and substance
abuse.

Like her fellow
Jordan scholars, Hucks was honored to receive the scholarship
honoring the national hero. “I felt so honored, and
very surprised too, to receive the scholarship. She was
an impressive woman, and I hope to contribute my share to
the cultural bridge-building that she began.”

• Brooke
McShane Lathram, Baker College

A native of Memphis,
Tenn., Brooke Lathram said her parents encouraged her to
challenge the wrongs she saw.

She did that
in high school through her involvement in Bridgebuilders,
a citywide group of high school students from diverse backgrounds
that participated in service projects, and as a volunteer
at an after-school center for underprivileged children.

“At Rice,
I plan to do all that I can to serve the Houston community,” Lathram said, noting that she already is a volunteer tutor
at Hollibrook Elementary School.

Of receiving
the Jordan scholarship, Lathram said, “I am so young,
and I have so much left to do with my life. I only hope
that I can make such a difference. I am very honored and
hope that I live up to her ideals.”

• Naturaleza
Maria Moore, Wiess College

Ever since she was a little girl, Naturaleza Moore loved
making friends with all types of people. In high school,
she channeled that desire as a delegate to the United Nations
World Congress, president of the Foreign Exchange Students’
Club and a member of her school district’s Diversity
Council.

The Foreign
Exchange Students’ Club helped unite more than 40 students
from about a dozen countries, Moore said, and she learned
an important lesson from the experience.

“We all
learned that we were a lot more similar than we were different
and that the differences we did possess are what made us
special and unique,” she said.

Moore received
a lesson about a diversity much closer to home.

“Having
been born in Singapore to a Mexican mother and an American
father provided me with the most wonderful opportunity to
experience, understand and enjoy other cultures,” Moore
said. “My family always taught me to respect other
cultures, not judge by appearance only, and be open to new
ideas.”

• Abigail
Deborah Rubin, Hanszen College

A native of New York City, Abigail Rubin cites her parents
and the city where she grew up as major influences in her
life.

Of her hometown,
she said, “Every day I passed racial and social diversity
and strife, and every day it encouraged me to strive to
make a difference.”

She said that
her parents raised her to be very open-minded and benevolent
toward others. “From a young age, they taught me to
care about others and be generous and caring toward all,” Rubin said.

She has been
involved with her temple youth group and numerous community
service projects, including Habitat for Humanity. Her family
also has been active in Children’s International Summer
Village, an organization started after World War II to solve
the problem of war through the minds of children.

“Hopefully,
here at Rice I will be able to pursue many of my community
service interests that I was so dedicated to in high school.”

• Ta-Shina
Kathleen Williams, Baker College

A Native American,
Ta-Shina Williams hopes to instill interest at Rice in different
cultures, including her own, by inviting people of all backgrounds
to participate in cultural events.

In high school,
she was vice president of a multicultural fair, helped organize
a holiday event celebrating Hanukkah, Kwanza and Christmas,
organized dinners themed “Around the World in 80 Days” and was very involved with her tribe, the Mississippi Band
of Choctaw Indians.

Of the scholarship,
Williams said, “I was already honored with being accepted
to such a great university, but having received a scholarship
honoring the work of Barbara Jordan was even more enjoyable.”