ESU’s 17th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Breakfast a Success with one of Largest Crowds in History

From left to right at ESU’s 17^th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Breakfast on Monday, January 20, are ESU junior Aalih Hussein, winner of the MLK student award, Boddie Scholarship winner and ESU junior Tambria Lee, Boddie Scholarship winner and ESU junior Brittany Washington and ESU president Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D.

Rev. James Jackson, Ph.D., the senior pastor of the Goodwin Memorial Baptist Church of Harrisburg, Pa. and an associate professor in the department of psychology at Kutztown University, was the keynote speaker for one of the largest crowds in the 17-year history of ESU’s MLK Celebration Breakfast.

From left to right are this year’s Julianna V. Bolt art contest winners: Stroudsburg High School’s Catherine Stagliane, who finished third; Stroudsburg High School’s Leonardo Flores, who finished second; ESU president Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D.; and East Stroudsburg High School South teacher Stephanie McIlvaine, who accepted the first-place award for winner Christina Balog, who was home sick.

One of the largest crowds in the 17-year history of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Breakfast gathered in the Keystone Room at East Stroudsburg University on Monday, January 20, in honor of the late Dr. King.

The recipients of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Awards and the Gertrude Mary Smith Boddie Scholarships and the winners of the Julianna V. Bolt Art Contest were announced and honored in front of a crowd of nearly 330 people. Hosted by ESU, the breakfast featured keynote speaker Rev. James Jackson, Ph.D., the senior pastor of the Goodwin Memorial Baptist Church of Harrisburg, Pa., an associate professor in the department of psychology at Kutztown University and an adjunct professor at Wesco Evening College at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa. 

Gertrude Mary Smith Boddie Scholarships, awarded in honor of the first student of color to graduate from what today is East Stroudsburg University, were awarded to Brittany R. Washington, a junior from Summitville, N.Y., majoring in biology, and Tambria Lee, a junior from Bristol, Pa., majoring in communication studies with a concentration in public relations. The scholarships were each $2,890. Qualifying criteria for the Boddie scholarship include: a minimum grade point average of 2.5; enrollment as a full-time sophomore (30 semester hour credits completed) at the time of application; and demonstration of financial need as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and verified by the office of student financial aid. Scholarship applicants also must write an essay of 250 words describing their dedication to Dr. King’s philosophy and demonstrate a commitment to social justice through evidence of community and/or university involvement. Proceeds from the MLK celebration breakfast make this scholarship possible.

Aalih Hussein, a junior from East Stroudsburg, Pa., with a dual major in social work and sociology and a minor in women’s studies, and Jeter Smith, a resident director and assistant coordinator of student conduct at ESU, are the university recipients of this year’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award. William J. Parrish, Stroud Area Regional chief of police, received the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award that is presented to a community member. The criteria for the award include, among other qualities, demonstrated espousal of the principles of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., such as leadership, courage and service to the community.

Julianna V. Bolt Art Contest Awards were presented to local high school students for their submissions. The award was named after the late Julianna V. Bolt, an ESU accounting assistant from 1994-96 and longtime friend of the university. Forty-two contest entries were received from students representing East Stroudsburg South, Pleasant Valley, Pocono Mountain East, Pocono Mountain West and Stroudsburg high schools this year.

The winners of this year’s contest were: first place, Christina Balog, East Stroudsburg High School South (teacher, Stephanie McIlvaine); second place, Leonardo Flores, Stroudsburg High School (teacher, Leah McKain); and, third place, Catherine Stagliane, Stroudsburg High School (teacher, McKain). Honorable mention winners are: Emily Taylor, Stroudsburg High School (teacher, McKain) and Kristen Eberhardt, Pleasant Valley High School (teacher, George Boudman).

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