Scholarship success: Two UC grads shine at spring commencement

Armed with scholarships that paved their paths through college, they received bachelor’s degrees from the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services during the spring commencement ceremonies, marking the culmination of years of dedication and hard work.

But what sets Randall and Manning apart is not just their academic prowess; it's the remarkable journey they undertook to reach this milestone, a journey made possible by scholarships that paved their paths to success.

Before earning her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, graduating summa cum laude, Randall received the Charles A. Sallie and Charlene A. Tucker Scholarship, helping to hone her skills toward a career as a PreK-5th grade elementary school teacher. “UC’s investment in my education through the scholarship helped me achieve my dream of becoming a teacher,” says Randall.

As a student of UC’s Elementary Education program, Randall successfully achieved  leadership roles in a variety of organizations on and off campus, such as serving as president of the Omicron chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

Randall’s leadership skills began as a bioscience student in Columbus before transferring to UC, eventually guiding her toward a future as an elementary school educator. "UC's investment in my education helped me gain the confidence to switch majors and pursue studies in teaching young students," Randall remarked.

Because her teaching classes were small, intimate and cohort based, as opposed to 500 students in her bioscience classes, Randall collaborated much more easily with her student cohorts, eventually calling themselves “teacher besties.”

Meanwhile, Manning's journey was propelled by the prestigious Darwin T. Turner Scholarship.

As an IT student, Manning also applied for the IT Accelerated Program, receiving acceptance into the MBA track in her first year. “But I started the evening classes toward an MBA in my third year, finishing both degrees in five years,” states Manning.

“And because I was already offered the Darwin T. Turner Scholarship, that sealed the deal to attend UC,” affirms Manning. “The scholarship went toward both my undergraduate and master’s tuition, which I couldn’t have achieved without that critical funding.”

Among several campus leadership positions, Manning served as co-president of Women in Technology, president of IT Proud and officer for CECH Student Ambassadors. In addition, Manning was a student success coach for the School of IT and held memberships in the National Society of Leadership and Success and the National Alpha Lambda Delta honor society. 

Manning’s path toward IT started as a high school student. “I got involved in a coding camp in Cleveland for young Black girls called IndeedWeCode. This eventually led to an internship at Rockwell Automation in their Engineering Pathways Program, which seeks out high schoolers and college students heading toward a STEM path,” says Manning. “Being self-motivated as an only child, I was determined to get involved in STEM activities, and owe much of my educational success to my mom who was always supportive through the whole process.”

Manning remained at Rockwell, a global leader in industrial automation, throughout her college co-ops. There, she worked on various software products.

After accepting a full-time position at Rockwell starting in May, Manning had a job in hand even before she graduated. “In my new career with Rockwell, I’ll continue working on industry-leading commercial software.”