NC-HCAP News

Science Enrichment Preparation (SEP) Program acknowledges outstanding students

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The North Carolina Health Careers Access Program (NC-HCAP) acknowledged recipients of highest honors, honorable mention and most improved at the Science Enrichment Preparation (SEP) Program Celebration on Friday, July 14 in the George Watts Hill Alumni Center on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus.

The SEP Program is an eight-week, honors-level academic enrichment program for disadvantaged undergraduate students (rising sophomores and juniors) who plan to pursue careers in health care. Program participants engage in more than 150 contact hours of rigorous classroom instruction in physics, organic chemistry, human physiology, quantitative skills and biostatistics, as well as classes and seminars in reading speed and comprehension, test-taking strategies, essay writing and interview techniques. Field trips to area health care and biomedical research facilities expose students to a variety of career options and allow them to discuss their career interests with health care professionals and biomedical scientists.

The SEP Closing Celebration honored the 46 program graduates, as well as recognized those students in each class who received awards from the faculty. Highest honors awards were given out to those students in each class who attained the highest overall grade point average (GPA). Honorable mention awards were given out to those students who attained high GPAs in each class, but did not attain the highest overall GPA in each class. Most improved awards were given to students who showed the most improvement in a class over the eight-week program. An overall highest honors award was also given to the student with the highest GPA of every student and out of every class.

Dr. Alex Deshkovski gave out the awards for his physics class. Matthew Dial, a rising junior at UNC-Pembroke, Jonathon Iradi, a rising junior at UNC-Greensboro, and Matthew Lau, a rising sophomore at UNC-Chapel Hill each received highest honors awards. Kyrone Nebolisa, a rising sophomore at NC State University, Candice Roberts, a rising junior at Western Carolina University, and Shanique Shaw, a rising junior at UNC-Chapel Hill received awards for being the most improved students in the physics class.

Burma Reed presented the awards for organic chemistry. John Bocock, a graduate student at UNC-Greensboro, and Matthew Dial received awards for highest honors. Shannon Hicks, a rising junior at Wake Forest University, and Jonathon Iradi received awards for most improved.

Dr. Virginia Shea and her program assistant Tiana Garrett handed out awards for the human physiology class. Matthew Dial, Jonathon Iradi, John Bocock, and Bryan Howington, a rising junior at UNC-Pembroke received highest honors awards. Honorable mention was given out to the following students: LaShana Chambers, a rising junior at Elizabeth City State University, Dennis Smythe-Macauley, a rising junior at UNC-CH, Annika Barnett, a rising sophomore at North Carolina Central University, Matthew Lau, Candice Roberts, Yenoh Adam-Samura, a rising junior at UNC-CH, Octavio Rodriguez, a rising junior at NC State University, Daniel Joe, a rising senior at NC State University, and Nicholas Gordon, a rising junior at Morehouse College. Candice Roberts and John Bocock also received awards for the most improved students.

Chi-Hung Liao awarded students for his quantitative skills and biostatistics course. Matthew Lau, Daniel Joe, and Matthew Dial received highest honors. Bryan Howington, Jonathon Iradi, and Alicia Moorer, a rising junior at NC State University, received honorable mention. Shannon Hicks and Candice Roberts were given the most improved award.
Matthew Lau received the overall highest honors award for achieving the highest GPA of all 46 students in all four classes.

NC-HCAP is an interinstitutional program of the University of North Carolina designed to increase the number of underrepresented minorities or other individuals from educationally or economically disadvantaged backgrounds trained, educated and employed in the health professions.
For more information about the seminars, the North Carolina Health Careers Access Program or the Science Enrichment Preparation Program contact NC-HCAP at (919) 966-2264 or visit our Web site at http://nchcap.unc.edu.