Published October 7, 2015
AT&T announced a $25,000 contribution to the University of Louisiana at Monroe Foundation
to contribute to the Top Hawks fund. The fund provides scholarship dollars to students
who have achieved academic excellence during high school.
David J. Aubrey, Louisiana State Director for External Affairs at AT&T, made the presentation
to ULM officials. “It is vital that we prepare tomorrow’s workforce today and ensure they have the tools and education needed to guarantee that our country
and state are better prepared to meet global competition,” said Aubrey. “It’s estimated
that within the next year, Louisiana will have more than two million non-farm employees
for the first time in its history. Supporting ULM students through scholarships goes
a long way toward preparing our future workforce.”
Pres. Bruno, AT&T representatives, and local dignitaries
Dr. Nick J. Bruno, ULM President, said this contribution would help sustain an initiative
that was implemented several years ago. “The Top Hawks program allows us to recruit
the best and the brightest to ULM. There are a limited number of students eligible
for this award given the criteria that has been outlined, however, this award has
allowed us to triple the number of 30+ ACT students at the university. Once these
students arrive on campus they completely embrace the educational experience that
we offer. There is no doubt that these students are our future leaders.”
Dr. Bruno also expressed appreciation for the Northeast Louisiana delegation that
support ULM’s drive for excellence.
“Supporting and rewarding these top performing students is of utmost importance if
we are going to continue to move forward as a global leader in innovation,” said State
Senator Francis Thompson. “These students are our future, and we must continue to
invest in their education and development if we want to continue to see growth in
both our region and across our state.”
State Representative Katrina Jackson said, “Both ULM and AT&T recognize the importance
of providing Louisiana's best and brightest students with financial support for higher
education degrees. Every time we invest in students, we invest in the realization
that those graduates will continue to live and work in Louisiana and help build our
economy as well as our communities.”
Top Hawk students have the option of applying the scholarship towards study abroad
opportunities.
Abigail Fertal, a Top Hawk recipient and a speech language pathology senior, spoke
about her experience of studying abroad. “There is no greater learning experience
than to see things first-hand and have the opportunity to be exposed to other cultures.
I cherish the experiences I had in London and Paris, and I know this scholarship helped
make these experiences possible.”
