The Windsor D. Ferguson Memorial Awards

The Windsor D. Ferguson Memorial Awards

Channing Hatchett, Jabrill Lilly and Sam Merlus

By Cheryl F. Jones

      The Windsor D. Ferguson Memorial Awards Tuskegee University STEM Student Award Recipients:

Congratulations to Channing Hatchett, a senior Animal Science student from Fulton, Md.; and Jabril Lilly, a junior Mechanical Engineering student from Miami, Fla. and Sam Merlus, a sophomore Chemical Engineering and Chemistry double major student from Miami, Fla.; recipients of The Windsor D. Ferguson Memorial STEM Award at Tuskegee University.

Hatchett’s career goal is to become a Veterinary Pathologist to focus on understanding different illnesses and diseases. This will require four years of vet school and an additional three years for specialization. Currently, she is enrolled in the Animal Science: Vet Science option (3+1 program) and her senior year includes 1st year vet school courses.

Hatchett is an honor student, a Tuskegee University Scholar, and has been on the Dean’s List. She served as Secretary of MANRRS, Secretary of the Pre-Vet Club, and a member of the Pre-Alumni Club. She volunteers at the Tuskegee University Goat Farm and the Tuskegee University Teaching Hospital. She has gained summer experiences at Michigan State University, Purdue University, Smithsonian National Zoo, and Henry Doorly Zoo.

The Windsor D. Ferguson Memorial Awards summer she will intern at Banfield Pet Hospital.

She will graduate in May 2017 and continue her studies in Tuskegee’s vet school. “Hatchett expressed a willingness to give back, “…while serving the society with honor, compassion, and purpose.” I believe her work will make a difference. My beloved Phil was an emotional support for me when my husband passed. When Phil died, I gained a greater appreciation for pets and those in the veterinary field because I experienced the impact of their purpose. May God continue to bless and keep her as she reaches and exceeds her career goals”, Mother Rosemary Ferguson, widow of Bishop Windsor D. Ferguson, Sr.

Lilly’s dreams of becoming a successful entrepreneur, owning multiple businesses so that he can give back to inner-city communities and help his family as well. After earning his undergraduate degree, he plans to pursue a Master’s Degree in Business Management. Lilly is a Tuskegee University Merit Scholarship recipient. He earned a Computer Science Associate in Arts from Miami Dade College, prior to enrolling at Tuskegee. He graduated from William H. Turner Technical Arts High School in Miami. The Windsor D. Ferguson Memorial Awards your career goal of becoming an entrepreneur, giving back to your community and your family. We pray that God blesses you along your journey”, Mother Rosemary Ferguson.

Merlus’s career goal is to become the Secretary of Energy, with ideas to create plans for water stability in Haiti and waste management in China, combat infectious diseases found on abiotic surfaces, and create more jobs for the work-force.

He is an honor student, a Tuskegee University Scholar, and has been on the Dean’s List.

Merlus is an undergraduate research student for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and a Teaching Assistant for Tuskegee’s Chemistry department. He produced scientific presentations for the American Chemistry Society, Tuskegee University, University of Michigan, and University of Minnesota. Merlus will conduct scientific research at the University of Wisconsin or the University of Minnesota. The Windsor D. Ferguson Memorial Awards summer.

He is a member of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), American Institute for Chemical Engineers (AIChE), and the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). He is the first in his family to at-tend college and a graduate of Miami Northwestern Senior High School.

“Sam’s outlook is promising as he aims to reach his career goals. His success so far is a testimony that with Christ, the impossible becomes the possible. We congratulate Sam for a job well done and pray that he exceeds all goals”, Mother Rosemary Ferguson.

The Windsor D. Ferguson Memorial STEM Awards at Tuskegee University will be presented on Sunday, April 9, 2017 during the Tuskegee University President’s Essay Contest and Scholarship Awards Program.