Biology Department Awards Scholarships to Four Students

The biology department at Western Carolina University presented academic scholarships to four students during its annual award banquet Friday, Dec. 8.

Jared Hamilton Fisher of Cullowhee received the Ramsey Family Scholarship, which covers the full cost of in-state tuition for the 2001-02 academic year. The son of James and Diana Fisher of Cullowhee, he is a 1998 graduate of Smoky Mountain High School. A junior majoring in biology, Fisher is a dean’s list student and a member of the WCU Honors College. 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 Waynesville received the $1,000 John C. Rice Family Scholarship. The daughter of Charles and Carolyn Lester of Waynesville, she is a 1999 graduate of Pisgah High School. A dean’s list student and a member of WCU’s Honors College, Lester is a sophomore majoring in biology. The scholarship is given in honor of John C. Rice, retired research professor in the crop science department at N.C. State University.

Amanda Michelle Carter of 230 Dockery Lane, Murphy, received the $1,000 Biology Department Scholarship. A 1998 graduate of Murphy High School, she is the daughter of Edward and Gail Carter of Murphy. A junior majoring in biology, she is secretary and treasurer of the Biology Club and a member of Alpha Lambda Delta honors society. Recipients of the WCU Biology Department Scholarship are selected by the biology faculty on the basis of academic excellence and student potential.

Christina Marie Hardin of Statesville received the $1,000 Don Yopp Scholarship. The daughter of Steve and Korene Maynard of Statesville, she is a 1998 graduate of South Iredell High School. A junior majoring in biology, she is a dean¢s list student and a member of the Biology Club and WCU¢s Honors College. The Don Yopp Scholarship is named for a distinguished 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.