INSIDE ▼ Time to start booking your child's summer camp PAGE 1B Friday, March 4, 2022 • Vol. 15 • No. 9
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Educator named Fulbright Scholar MONROE – South Piedmont Community College administrator Makena Stewart was selected as a Fulbright Scholar as part of the International Education Administrators grant program and was slated to travel to Germany in 2021 for a two-week culture and experience sharing program. While the trip was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, she believes the grant award is an immense honor and advances the college’s international education goals. “I am grateful for the recogni-
tion as it increases access to various ways to engage our students in global conversations,” Stewart said. “The possibilities of future shared learning experiences like collaborative online international learning and other intercultural exchanges could begin to help our students bridge the global divide as they prepare to enter the workforce.” Stewart is the associate vice president for student success and directly oversees South Piedmont’s international education area. She brings 17 years of post-secondary education experience in supporting
student success and achievement. “International education became one of my passions when I was afforded the opportunity to travel to Spain while in high school,” Dr. Stewart said. “It showed me how important international experiences truly are during the educational process. The ability to experience and directly interact with other cultures is so important for student development.” South Piedmont provides programs that take place globally as well as on campus. The Office of International Education offers tra-
ditional and virtual study abroad and on-campus experiences that help provide exposure to the global world for students in Union and Anson counties. “Not all students can travel the world, so we are bringing the world to them,” said Carl Bishop, Vice president for academic and student affairs/chief academic officer. “Our Office of International Education had to shift temporarily during COVID, but it has allowed us to expand our virtual offerings and give more opportunities to South Piedmont students.”
WHAT'S INSIDE:
Tony Marciano Reverend
A spiritual experience at the dentist's
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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: Thomas Foster and Yorda Kidane (photo courtesy of Union County Chamber), Tahira Stalberte (photo courtesy of Union County Public Schools), Seth Goldwire, and Ericka McKnight.
Leading by example
50 influential African Americans in the community Black History Month gives us a chance to reflect on the past, but these 50 leaders provide hope for the future. They are in positions that allow them to shape the region for years to come. Surluta Anthony: former member, Monroe City Council Ulunda Baker: executive director, Serve Unity Outreach Gloria Barrino: executive director, Union County Crisis Assistance Ministry Jamar Bellamy: principal, Health Sciences Academy at Monroe Middle Jimmy Bention Sr.: member, Union County Board of Education Margaret Bivens: member, Marshville Town Council Jim Black: administrator, Land of the Waxhaws Paulette Blakeney: member, Marshville Town Council Kim Chinnis: principal, Prospect Elementary School Mikail Clark: attorney, Johnston Allison & Hord PA Valerie Coffey: member, Mineral Springs Town Council Lundeen Cureton: member, Mineral Springs Town Council Elenia Daniels: principal, Walter Bickett Elementary School Frank Deese: town manager, Town of Marshville Eric Dixon: general manager, ATI Jeff Duke: profit center manager, Assa Abloy Jennifer Duru Perry: development manager, DreamKey Partners Edwin Elam, political figure Camela Ford: principal, Monroe Charter Academy Thomas Foster: director, NCWorks Career Center Angela Foster: principal, Marshville Elementary School Seth Goldwire: facility executive, Atrium Health Union West Nathel Hailey: president, Union County NAACP Bashawn Harris: assistant superintendent, Union County Public Schools Monrique Holt: officer, Monroe Police Department Gary Huntley: member, Marshville Town Council Angelia James; member, Monroe City Council Antonio Jefferson, assistant VP for diversity, Wingate University Maxie Johnson: principal, Wingate Elementary School Yorda Kidane: CEO, Digital Tax Advisory John Kirkpatrick IV: member, Union County Board of Education Thomas LeGrand Jr. : commissioner, Town of Wingate Mary Lindsay-Barber: president, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Monaca Marshall: member, Marshville Town Council ‘ Tikola McCree: Realtor, Keller Williams Realty Franco McGee: former member, Monroe City Council Marcus McIntyre: member, Indian Trail Town Council Ericka McKnight: owner, ELM School of Real Estate Brenda McMillon: mayor pro tem, Waxhaw Board of Commissioners Vicki Merritt: principal, Central Academy of Technology and Arts Melita Mitchell: officer, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Kimberly Morrison-Hansley: officer, Union County NAACP Gwendolyn Perkins: medical director, Community Health Services of Union County Adrien Porter: principal, Union County Early College Althea Richardson-Tucker: attorney, Richardson Tucker Law Firm David Smith: financial advisory, Edward Jones Johnny Sowell: football coach/administrator, Monroe High School Ernestine Stanton: member, Marshville Town Council ‘ Tahira Stalberte: assistant superintendent, Union County Public Schools Joan Laverne White: district manager, Aramark
ABOVE: The Rev. John Kirkpatrick IV (photo courtesy of UCPS). Right: Ulunda Baker
hen it came to COVID-19, I thought I was bulletproof. While I am double vaccinated, I knew I could still get the virus. I took all the necessary precautions. I wore my mask. At the gas station, I used glove’s when I pumped gas. Yet I wasn’t afraid to shake hands when I met people. I’d often joked that when I greeted someone, my right hand came up as if I was in a gun fight in the wild, wild West. Would the other person shake my hand, fist bump me, elbow bump me, wave me away, or grab me and hug me? While other people got the virus, I seemed to skirt it. I began to boast. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get the virus. I told my wife the CDC needed to extract my blood and make a vaccine with it and spread it over the planet to end this global pandemic. I forgot the scripture verse that says, “Pride comes before the fall.” Let me take you back when I was eighteen. At the time, I was a very good canoeist. I could navigate an aluminum canoe down whitewater rapids on the Delaware River. That is, until the day I wrapped it around a rock. Yes, “Pride comes before the fall. The day after Christmas, I came down with COVID. My wife and I had plans to go away. The next day I was scheduled to speak at a retreat for our Café staff. I was looking forward to it. Dec. 27, I had four rapid tests. The fourth one I waited in line four hours just to prove the other three were wrong. They weren’t. I wasn’t going anywhere. Gratefully, I did not have to go to the hospital. I developed a bad cough and at times felt like I got beat up. I was home the week after Christmas recovering from COVID. I tried going to work but the team sent me home. I was no longer contagious, but I didn’t feel well. Here’s the problem. I had a dentist appointment on Jan. 10. I was not contagious. The dentist’s office welcomed me into the office. But I still had a cough. The dental hygienist was going to work inside my mouth. I needed to be calm while she was scraping my teeth. I told her I would close my eyes. Back in May 2020, I had an intense prayer time in the pasta aisle at the grocery store. Could this be another of those deeply spiritual moments? Some people feel more comfortable praying on their knees. When I get on my knees, I fall asleep. Praying behind the wheel of a car works best for me. see FAITH, Page 4A
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