UB Alumni Association to Present Scholarships to Six

BUFFALO, N.Y. – University at Buffalo Alumni Association President Tim Lafferty, BS ’86, will present $8,000 in scholarship money to six students during the UB Alumni Association scholarship dinner Feb. 8 in the Center for Tomorrow on the UB North Campus.

Four students will receive J. Scott Fleming Scholarships. Established in 1985 as a student-to-student scholarship to recognize full-time undergraduate and graduate students for their leadership efforts, through extracurricular and volunteer activities, the awards have helped to promote student involvement and enhance the student experience at UB. In 1991 the $500 awards were renamed after J. Scott Fleming, who served as executive director of the Office of Alumni Relations and who exemplified the spirit of involving students, whom he called “alumni-in-residence.” The recipients are:

• Dominique Bertrand, of Austin, Texas, who is pursuing a PhD in anthropology. Bertrand is president of the Primatology Club and a senator for the Anthropology Graduate Student Association (AGSA). Both clubs have spearheaded numerous new initiatives during her tenure, including hosting an annual primate symposium designed for graduate students to share comprehensive research on a variety of primate-related topics, designing a new AGSA website, volunteering at Hawk Creek Wildlife Center and the Buffalo Zoo and creating a new, peer-reviewed, anthropology journal dedicated to undergraduate and graduate research.
• Senior Elvis Castelino, of Kuwait City, Kuwait, who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science. A resident advisor (RA), Castelino was named RA of the Year for Ellicott South residence hall in 2012. He is also a member of the Mortar Board National Honor Society and serves as its director of communication. Castelino is a member of the Indian Student Association, and has completed more than 100 hours of community service volunteering.
• English major Chelsie Hinckley, of Newark, N.Y., is a student leader who has been involved in numerous activities and clubs since she was a freshman. Hinckley is a student assistant in the Undergraduate Academies (UA), a living-and-learning on-campus community, and founded its student association. She is also working to create a UB chapter of the American Association of University Women. Hinckley has won or been nominated for numerous awards, including UA Student of the Year and the Pillars of Leadership Exemplary Leader Award.
• Marc Pierre, of Brooklyn, N.Y., who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in education and is studying to be a teacher. A member of the Intercultural and Diversity Center, Pierre helps students learn about and appreciate the value of diversity at UB. He also is an academic coach in the Educational Opportunity Program, where he helps disadvantaged yet talented students reach their full potential. He is vice president of Beta Sigma Kappa Afro-Latino Fraternity, whose focus is the unification of African and Latino people.

Two Alumnae Scholarships will be given to female students for their academic and extracurricular accomplishments. Created in 1941, this award lay dormant for decades and was reintroduced by the UBAA 2010. The 2012-13 recipients are:

• Lindsey Feuz, of Cattaraugus, N.Y., a 2009 Magna Cum Laude graduate of SUNY Geneseo, is pursuing her PharmD degree, and hopes to own her own independent pharmacy someday. She is a member of the Rho Chi Pharmaceutical Honor Society, Phi Lambda Sigma Pharmacy Leadership Society and Tau Sigma National Honor Society. In addition, she is a member of the National Community Pharmacist Association, and will serve as its Region One national representative, in addition to serving as secretary of the School of Pharmacy Student Association and president of the student chapter of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists.
• Chelsie Hinckley, of Newark, N.Y., who received a J. Scott Fleming Scholarship, also earned an Alumnae Scholarship.

The Willie R. Evans UB Alumni Association Legacy Scholarship assists currently enrolled UB students who are children or grandchildren of UB alumni who contribute to the growth and enrichment of the university through active membership and participation in the alumni association. This year’s recipient is:

• Ben Robinson, from Penfield, N.Y., a sophomore Eagle Scout who is pursuing a degree in pharmacy. The Dean’s List student is already involved with the profession as a pharmacy technician at a local supermarket. He has participated in UB’s cross country running club and is an avid fisherman. His father, UBAA member David Robinson, is a 1985 graduate of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

“I am so proud of these students and I look forward to welcoming them into the alumni family when they graduate,” Lafferty said.

The UBAA is a volunteer-led, international organization that provides support for, and services to, alumni.  The organization strives to create and promote lifelong bonds with UB graduates, and works to inspire them to care about the past, present and future of the university.  Together with alumni, UBAA supports UB as one of America’s great public research universities. The UBAA encourages UB students and alumni to take pride in their college experience and pass that enthusiasm on to their children, prospective students, faculty, staff and community.