Published: December 16, 2008 10:54 pm      

Excellence in Education

• ENTERPRISE – Mya King, a fourth grade student at Enterprise Elementary School, has submitted the poem "Family Appreciation" in a contest sponsored by Kentucky Fried Chicken and Upscale Magazine. The theme for each poem is to tell why it is important to spend the holidays with family and friends. • Lucio Cangiano has been selected to receive the George J. Blackwell Scholarship at Meridian Community College. This $1,000 award is funded through the MCC Foundation. Blackwell was a conservationist and an avid sportsman. He is remembered as the host of a popular outdoor segment for WTOK TV, Channel 11.

A native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Cangiano is a freshman in the University Transfer Program. He is pursuing a degree in engineering. Cangiano plays number one singles and doubles for the MCC Eagles Tennis team. He finished the fall ranked No. 7 in the nation by the International Tennis Association ranking system, thus qualifying for the National Small College Championships.

• Edhereveno Omena Etibo has been selected to receive the Richard F. Riley, M.D. Scholarship at Meridian Community College. This award is funded through the MCC Foundation from an endowment established by Mary Ann Bonney Riley in memory of her husband. Dr. Riley practiced general surgery in Meridian for more than 30 years. He and his brother, Dr. William Riley, owned Riley Memorial Hospital and founded The Riley Foundation.

A native of Nigeria, Etibo is in the third semester of the Associate Degree Nursing Program at MCC. He achieved his GED in 2004. Etibo is a member of the Organization of Student Nurses and Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year college students. He is a resident assistant in the student housing dorm. His goal is to complete a bachelor of science degree in nursing.

• Brian Keith Driskill has been selected to receive the Crescent City Grill Scholarship at Meridian Community College. This $1,000 award is funded through the MCC Foundation by Robert St. John of Hattiesburg. The renowned restaurateur and author is owner of the local dining establishment.

Driskill, a 2007 graduate of Southeast High School, is a sophomore in the Hotel Restaurant Management Technology Program. Driskill is a member of Delta Epsilon Chi – Distributive Educational Clubs of America. He works full time at Holiday Inn Express and is president of his church youth group. His career goal is to be a general manager of a hotel.

• Kimberly Davis and Amber Bloebaum have been selected to receive the Jerry Greene Hotel and Restaurant Supply Scholarship at Meridian Community College. Theses $1,500 awards are funded through the MCC Foundation by Jerry Greene. Greene, a longtime supporter of the college, is a member of the MCC Foundation Board of Directors.

Davis is a 2008 salutatorian of Southeast Lauderdale High School. She is a member of the Baptist Student Union and is a student worker in the MCC Production Center. Davis is in the University Transfer Program with plans to pursue a career in culinary arts. Her hobby is creating novelty cakes.

Bloebaum is a 2008 graduate of Southeast Lauderdale High School. A freshman in the Hotel Restaurant Management Technology Program, she is a member of Delta Epsilon Chi, Distributive Educational Clubs of America. Bloebaum will pursue a career in the hospitality industry.

• Megan Jade Boyd has been selected to receive the Rodney Walker Technology Scholarship at Meridian Community College. This $1,800 award is funded through the MCC Foundation from an endowment established by Meridian businessman Tommy Dulaney in memory of his mentor. Walker taught drafting and design for many years at MCC.

Boyd is a 2007 graduate of Millry High School in Alabama. A Dean’s List scholar, she is a sophomore in the Drafting and Design Technology Program. Boyd works as youth video director, technical director, and Bible school assistant for her church. She plans to complete the associate’s degree and then further her education at a state university.

• Shaun Dustin Skinner of Butler has been selected to receive the Foundation Donor Scholarship at Meridian Community College. This $1,000 award is funded through the MCC Foundation.

Skinner, a 2003 graduate of Sulphur High School in Louisiana, is a sophomore in the University Transfer Program studying marketing. He is a member of Delta Epsilon Chi, Distributive Education Clubs of America. Skinner works part time at the Pro Shop at Briarwood Country Club. His career goal is to manage a golf course.