Recent News and Updates!JAYDEN PIERRE
NOAH SATTERWHITE
AYANNA OTEY
2019 STELLAR SCHOLARS GRADUATE WITH HONORS!CONGRATULATIONS TO LAILA AMPY-THOMAS 2019 MMHMF Scholarship Recipient
“On Fri, May 26, 2023, Laila wrote: “I had an article done on me by Virginia Tech for being an outstanding senior. I am working this summer in my field; I am currently a 4-H liaison with the hopes of a position here or elsewhere becoming permanent. I would then like to start my master’s in the fall of 2024. I am always so grateful for all the items and snacks you have sent over the years; they are always right on time when I need some encouragement. Thank you so much for all of your kindness.” Below is the article appearing in the Virginia Tech NEWS newspaper, by Marya Barlow, 27 April 2023 Class of 2023: Laila Ampy-Thomas finds a future in 4-HAn internship with Virginia Cooperative Extension introduced Ampy-Thomas to a career path that combined her passions for working with animals and kids.
"As soon as I finished my first lesson with elementary school kids about dairy and saw their excitement about making ice cream, I realized this was something I could see myself doing forever," she said. The internship experience inspired Ampy-Thomas to make it the focus of her senior capstone project and to pursue a career in 4-H. After graduating in May with a bachelor's degree in animal and poultry sciences, she has a job lined up to lead 4-H camps for the City of Richmond. In the future, she hopes to earn her master's degree and find a position as a Virginia Cooperative Extension agent. "I was unaware of 4-H in my school growing up, and it would have been such a great fit for me," she said. "I want to ensure that more people living in urban and underdeveloped areas are aware of the amazing opportunities that exist in 4-H. Ampy-Thomas traces her love for animals back to kindergarten in Chesterfield, where she helped the teacher care for several ducks, snakes, and mice that were classroom pets. In high school at Chesterfield Career and Technical Center, she fell in love with veterinary science courses and decided to pursue her passion in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. "I knew Virginia Tech had the best animal science program and the best hands-on experience and professors," she said. "My classes showed me so many paths for doing what I loved, from being a veterinarian to managing a barn or animal shelter to being a professor or Extension agent." While at Virginia Tech, Ampy-Thomas was active in Minorities in Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS), Multicultural Academic Opportunities Program and was president of Sheep and Goat Club. She also volunteered at the swine barn, caring for sows, and with Hokie High Five, welcoming and mentoring first-year students. After landing her paid internship with Virginia Cooperative Extension in the summer of 2022, Ampy-Thomas worked alongside 4-H Extension agents, leading activities for kids in local schools. With the encouragement of her supervisors, she developed and led a week-long day camp for kids ages 8 to 13. Ampy-Thomas called the camp Making Tracks and filled it with fun activities and lessons on the care of reptiles, companion animals, and livestock. As she stood in front of a room full of campers on her own for the first time, Ampy-Thomas was grateful she had seven years of experience as a youth cheerleading coach to guide her. "I've been coaching cheerleading since I was in ninth grade and I love it," she said. "My experience in cheer really helps me with 4-H. I've already worked a lot with this age group, so I understand how to communicate with and entertain them." To help teach campers about companion animals, Ampy-Thomas brought in her bearded dragon, Hiccup, and her dog, Blue, and made dog treats and washcloth puppies with the children. "There are several more bearded dragon owners now because of me," she joked. The week culminated in a visit to Hidden Triple Oak Farm, where the kids got to see and learn about horses, chickens, pigs, and cows up close. Ampy-Thomas also helped run Henrico County's Junior 4-H Camp, a week-long sleepaway camp held at Jamestown 4-H Educational Center. When tasked with planning and leading a class for the students, Ampy-Thomas said there was no question it would be about cheerleading. She taught the kids jumps, tumbling, stunts, and a full cheer routine, and made them all cheer bows for their hair. "Many of them told me it was the highlight of their day," she said. "One camper made me cry by saying that Miss Laila always made him feel comfortable and heard. Seeing that what I was doing had an impact on each child really cemented that this is something I want to do for life." Associate Extension Agent Carter Humphries '14, M.S. '16, who helped supervise Ampy-Thomas during the internship, said many kids are asking if "Miss Laila" will be returning to camp this summer. "The future of 4-H is bright with Laila in it," Humphries said. "The youth absolutely loved her. She was extremely creative and showed great leadership skills among the youth she worked with but also among our Henrico staff, high school interns, and teen counselors. We felt like a colleague was leaving us at the end of her internship. I look forward to having her join us as a fellow 4-H agent one day."
CONGRATULATIONS TO 2019 MMHMF SCHOLAR JONATHAN E. COLEMAN II• BS in Business Administration - Management Information Systems THE 25TH ANNUAL AWARDS PROGRAM SPEAKER Jonathan E. Coleman II
Jonathan graduated from ECU in three and a half years. This is noteworthy because in addition to carrying a full load and achieving an overall 3.5 GPA, Jonathan: 1). has been employed since his freshman year; 2). was a Division I football player (four-time All-Academic Team and Vice President of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee 2019-23); 3). was a top 10 finalist for Captain of the Ship-Homecoming (2022); 4). served on the Chancellor's Student Advisory Board (2021); 5). was an ECU Representative for UNC System Strategic Planning Committee (2021-23); 6). joined the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc at ECU (manages chapter budget and funds, organizes and facilitates chapter meetings, Spring 2022 – Present); 7). And is a member of the Inaugural Copeland Diversity & Inclusion Fellow Class (2021-Present). Jonathan earned the following scholarships during his undergraduate years: Danny R. Scott Scholarship; Stan and Laurie Eakins Scholarship; Comcast Future Business Leaders scholarship.
As a Copeland Fellow, Jonathan developed a project called "Brother In Me." He has mentored several students in a middle school in Greenville since August 2023. MMHMF is extremely proud of Jonathan! We commend his parents, Mr. & Mrs. Jonathan (Traci) Coleman Sr. for a job well done in raising Jonathan, such an amazing young man. They also have three other terrific young people: Jessica, a graduate of Hampton University and works for ESPN in NYC; Jacob, a junior football player majoring in criminal justice at East Tennessee University; and Jada who is a freshman majoring in environmental science at Hampton. We are pleased to acknowledge and celebrate this wonderful family! In his remarks during his awards program, Jonathan said to the three scholarship recipients "never give up!. Just keep trying!" |