College Holds Wonder Women 2023 Panel/Scholarship Program
From left, Dean Elaine Wallace; Licenia Rojas; Alison F. Smith; scholarship awardees Lauren Gray and Alexandra Lugo; Rita Shea-Van Fossen, Ph.D.; Susie Levan; and Kyle Fisher, NSU Vice President of Public Relations, Marketing, and Creative Services.
On Wednesday, March 22, 2023, the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship’s Women’s Success Series in partnership with the NSU Center for Academic and Professional Success (CAPS) and Office of Student Success held its 2023 NSU Wonder Women panel and scholarship in the Alan B. Levan NSU Broward Center of Innovation. An inspiring panel of female business leaders in a variety of industries was moderated by NSU’s own Wonder Woman, Kyle Fisher, the Vice President of Public Relations, Marketing, and Creative Services.
The Wonder Woman panelists were:
- Susie Levan: Entrepreneur, Author, and Community Leader
- Licenia Rojas,:Senior Vice President, Chief Engineer and Chief Architect, TD Bank Group
- Alison F. Smith: Partner, Weiss Serota Helfman Cole + Bierman, P.L
- Elaine M. Wallace, D.O., M.S.4: Dean of NSU’s Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine
The panel spoke about a variety of topics and offered students advice on the challenges of work-life balance, power dynamics, and being one’s authentic self. The event concluded with networking with food provided by several female student-run HBIA businesses. The highlight of the evening was the naming of the 2023 Undergraduate Wonder Woman scholarship winner.
Leading up to the event NSU faculty, staff, and students were asked to nominate students they felt represented all of the qualities of a wonder woman. Nominees were evaluated based on the following criteria: Leadership, Academics Excellence & Career Focus, Community Service, Integrity/Ethics and Female Empowerment. An anonymous donor contributed a second scholarship allowed two deserving students to be recognized at the event.
There were more than 30 nominations from students in majors across NSU. All the nominees truly represented what it means to be a Wonder Woman. Just some of the accomplishments of those nominated for the award included:
Academic Achievement: The average GPA for those nominated was 3.65 and the range of GPAs was from 3.16 to 4.0!
They are peer advisors and lab assistants; they are doing research with their professors, where some are helping to cure cancer!
They are first generation college graduates, come from families of immigrants, participate in dance troops and other activities to keep their culture alive, help back at their high schools, and help others to achieve college dreams.
Many work, even volunteering hours beyond their workday for those in medical internships and jobs.
They have founded clubs on campus, leaders in their sororities, do community service projects, help in the nursery at their church, and life others up.
Lauren Gray, a junior behavioral neuroscience major and Honors College student, was named the 2023 Wonder Women Awardee and will receive a $500 scholarship. The second scholarship was given to senior Behavioral Neuroscience major and Honors College student Alexandra Lugo, who had won the award in 2021, and will also receive a $500 scholarship.
Posted 04/09/23