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State-wide physical activity group honors grad student

Renee Brown, Physical Education and Teacher Education doctoral student, received the Ethnic Minority Graduate Fellowship Award at the West Virginia Association of Health Physical Education Recreation and Dance conference held earlier this fall semester.

Brown was unable to attend the conference, however, she is grateful for the opportunity to be involved with WVAHPERD and credits her current success to the organization.

“WVAHPERD was my first experience with conferences in my program. This conference allowed for professional development in a multitude of areas. I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to attend a conference that expanded my knowledge about physical education, dance and program evaluation.”

Brown acknowledges her faculty and mentors who helped her develop career goals, and credits them for having received the award.

“First and foremost, this award would not have been possible without the love and support of the CPASS and Child Development faculty members, as well as faculty from the Office of Student Success. I am thankful for Dr. Bulger because without him I would not have had the opportunity to acquire a skill set in program evaluation or be nominated for this award.”

“In addition, I am grateful to Drs. Elliott, Taliaferro, Emily Jones, and Floyd Jones for enhancing my diverse background and allowing me to work with different populations, whether it was with underserved youth in rural areas, at-risk youth in the city, or children with disabilities. Those experiences taught me to look at things from a different viewpoint other than my own and to focus on our similarities as opposed to our differences,” Brown explained.

“Most importantly, I am grateful for my advisor, Dr. Flett, and his fiancé, Dr. Hartman for everything they do in my life. If it was not for them, I truly would not be where I am today. I could not imagine how different my experience would have been if I did not have their support throughout my time here at WVU. I consider them to be a part of my family because they not only care about furthering my education but because they care about me as a person and my well-being,” Brown concluded.

The Ethnic Minority Graduate Fellowship Award was created by Dana Brooks, CPASS dean. Nominees must be of a minority background, a citizen of the United States, reside in West Virginia and a member of WVAHPERD. Additionally, nominees must have excelled in coursework and extracurricular activities with a proven commitment to the profession.

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