Courtney Lawson of Fayette County and her mother on Honors Day.

1995 Rural Health Scholar Courtney Lawson, the top student in Health Care Management in the UA College of Commerce and Business Administration, was recognized for academic excellence on Honors Day at The University of Alabama in April, 2000. Rural Health Scholars (RHS) and Rural Medical Scholars (RMS) were well represented in awards ceremonies across campus. Rural Scholars listed in the 2000 UA Honors Day program included:

Lori Harris, '95 RHS from Dadeville and '99 RHSP counselor, graduated summa cum laude from UA in May. She also received the Cecelia Septima Smith Award as Outstanding Student in Biology and is a Phi Beta Kappa Initiate. While at UA, she was chosen as a Bama Belle and was admitted to top national honoraries, including Omicron Delta Kappa, Mortar Board, Blue Key, Phi Eta Sigma, Golden Key, Phi Kappa Phi, and Alpha Lamba Delta, and was vice president of Alpha Epsilon Delta, the national premed honorary. She starts Surgical Physician Assistant School at UAB in September.

Donna Jean Yerta (RHS '94, Randolph County, and a Phi Kappa Phi inductee) and Jeremy Pepper (1998 Rural Medical Scholar, Limestone County) graduated magna cum laude from UA in 1999. 1998 Rural Medical Scholars Emily Dolbare (RHS '94, Washington County) and Brad Ginevan (Colbert County) graduated cum laude from UA in 1999. Jeremy, Emily, and Brad just completed their first year of medical school. Emily and Brad were also named to Golden Key and Phi Kappa Phi.

Black Scholar Academic Awards for Excellence, presented by the Black Faculty and Staff Association to African-American students with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher at the end of fall semester, 1999, went to 1997 Rural Health Scholars, now UA sophomores, Monyetta Nation (Sumter County) and Shakira Thomas (Conecuh County). Freshman Dondrea Brownlow ('98, Hale) was cited for GPA of 3.5 or higher.

Phi Eta Sigma, a national scholastic honorary for overall grade point average of 3.5 or higher in any semester during the first 45 hours, is the highest honor a freshman can achieve. 1998 RHS Rachel Beardsley (Wilcox ) and Roberto Taarea (Coffee County) were fall '99 initiates.

Five 1997 Rural Health Scholars were named to Alpha Lamba Delta, a national honor society for freshmen: Suzanne Freshwater (Marshall County), who was Vice President, and William Adams (Marion), Jessica Baggett (Baldwin), Amanda Gamble (Cullman), and Brooke Shepard (Dekalb County). Brooke also served as treasurer, Honors Program Sudent Association, and was initiated into Beta Beta Beta for achievement in biological sciences and Gamma Beta Phi.

Gamma Beta Phi national education honorary also extended membership to Jessica Baggett, Suzanne Freshwater, Amanda Gamble, Tatum McArthur (Butler County, '97), Allison McCain (Washington County,'97), Monyetta Nation and Shakira Thomas, and Joseph Walker (Marion County, '97). Allison is also in Kappa Delta Epsilon international education honorary for outstanding students.

Tatum McArthur was a spring 2000 member of Lamba Sigma, a national sophomore honor society.

Several RHS are in the University Honors Program. Among those who qualify for the program are National Merit finalists, Presidential Scholars, Alumni Honors Scholars, and other students who have ACT composite scores of 28 or higher or SAT scores of at least 1240. Students not admitted as entering freshmen are eligible after they complete one semester on campus with a minimum 3.3 grade point average. Rural Health Scholars at UA who participated in the Honors Program last year are Amanda Gamble, Tatum McArthur, Brooke Shepard, Jesse O'Reilly (Elmore,'95), Leonardo Taarea (Coffee,'98), Roberto Taarea, Joseph Walker, & Beau Watkins (Dekalb,'96). Beau was also initiated into Delta Phi Alpha German Honor Society.