Western Carolina University’s biology department presented academic scholarships to four students during its annual awards banquet held recently.
Holly Morrison Bright of 4124 Fieldstone Drive, Gainesville, Ga., received the $1,000 John C. Rice Family Scholarship for the spring semester. Bright, daughter of Gainesville residents Sue Mathis and Robin Bright, is a 1998 graduate of North Hall High School in Gainesville.
At WCU, Bright is a senior biology major and dean’s list student and, as a member of WCU’s track and cross-country teams, was named Western’s 2001 Female Scholar Athlete of the Year.
The Rice scholarship is given in honor of John C. Rice, retired research professor in the crop science department at N.C. State University and a former member of the Western Carolina University Foundation board of directors.
Amanda Michelle Carter of 230 Dockery Lane, Murphy, was awarded the $1,000 Biology Department Scholarship for the spring semester. Carter is the daughter of Edward and Gail Carter of Murphy, and graduated from Murphy High School in 1998.
A senior dean’s list student majoring in biology, Carter is enrolled in the university’s Honors College and is a member of Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies.
Recipients of the WCU Biology Department Scholarship are selected by the biology faculty on the basis of academic excellence and student potential.
Chad Kyle Develle of Hazelwood received the Ramsey Family Scholarship, which covers the full cost of in-state tuition for the 2002-03 academic year. Develle is the son of Henry Develle and Cindy Develle of Waveland, Miss., and is a 2000 graduate of Bay High School.
The sophomore biology major is a dean’s list student enrolled in WCU’s Honors College. Develle also is a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta honor society and Phi Sigma Pi national honors fraternity.
The Ramsey Family Scholarship is given in honor of the late Donald M. Ramsey, the first full-time optometrist to practice in the town of Sylva, located a few miles from the WCU campus.
Crystal Nicole Lester of 396 Davis Hill Road, Canton, was awarded the $1,000 Don Yopp Scholarship for the spring semester. Lester is the daughter of Charles and Carolyn Lester of Canton and graduated from Pisgah High School in 1999.
A junior biology major at WCU, Lester is a dean’s list student and is enrolled in the Honors College. She also is a library student assistant and works as a volunteer for several local agencies.
The Don Yopp Scholarship is named for a distinguished WCU biology student who died of an apparent heart attack just weeks after graduating with honors in 1979. Recipients are selected by the biology department on the basis of academic excellence and student potential.
