Alicia Cantrell, a student at Northeast Texas Community College, has been named a 2018 Coca-Cola Academic Team Gold Scholar and will receive a $1,500 scholarship.
Students are nominated for the academic team by their college administrators. Selection is based on academic achievement, leadership, and engagement in college and community service.
A graduate of Mount Vernon High School, Alicia serves as President of the Phi Theta Kappa chapter on the NTCC campus and is a Presidential Scholar in Honors Northeast. Cantrell also serves as President of the Honors Student Council and co-founder/President of the NTCC Speech and Debate Club. Named a 2017 Leader of Promise, Cantrell has won the Dr. Jerry Wesson Scholarship and the Walter B. Cooper Scholarship. Cantrell was recently inducted into the District III Region Hall of Honor for Phi Theta Kappa and recognized as an ?Outstanding Officer? in the Texas Region. Cantrell has also been very active in the film culture of Honors Northeast, playing Mary Kay?s antagonist in the most recent film.
Alicia?s essay entitled ?Rise of the Intersectional Feminists: Texans Barbara Jordan and Ann Richards vs the Male Establishment? was published in the January 2018 edition of Touchstone, the journal of the Texas State Historical Association. Cantrell was one of only two undergraduates, and the only community college student, who appeared on the program of the most recent Annual meeting of the Texas State Historical Association. Cantrell also presented work comparing Jeannette Rankin and Hilary Rodham Clinton at the Great Plains Honor Council and is in the process of getting that work published as well.
Alicia plans to become a lawyer and political activist so as to become the ?voice for those without a voice.?
?I am immensely proud of Alicia and her accomplishments. She is a hard worker with tremendous grit and determination to overcome obstacles and truly help others. She has a bravery and genuine acceptance of others that will take her very far in life,? said Dr. Melissa Fulgham, lead advisor for the Phi Theta Kappa chapter.
The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation sponsors the Coca-Cola Academic Team program by recognizing 50 Gold, 50 Silver and 50 Bronze Scholars with nearly $200,000 in scholarships annually. Each scholar also receives a commemorative medallion.
?The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has a long history of providing financial assistance to outstanding students at community colleges,? said J. Mark Davis, President of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. ?We are proud to partner with Phi Theta Kappa and make it possible for deserving students to achieve their educational goals.?
Coca-Cola Academic Team members will be recognized in both local and statewide ceremonies and will also be recognized internationally during Phi Theta Kappa?s annual convention, PTK Catalyst, April 19-21 in Kansas City, Missouri.
?We thank the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation for recognizing these student leaders and for investing in their futures,? said Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner, President and CEO of Phi Theta Kappa. ?Scholarships like these are integral to the success of these students in reaching their educational and career goals.?
Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of community college students and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in nine nations. Learn more at ptk.org.
