Brenau University junior Staricka (Star) Cummings from Riverdale, Ga., won a prestigious Georgia Woman of the Year scholarship from the Georgia Commission on Women.
Cummings, a conflict resolution and legal studies major, was one of five undergraduates from colleges and universities in Georgia to receive the $1,000 unrestricted grants. The Georgia Woman of the Year Committee, Inc., Georgia Commission on Women and the Georgia Women’s Institute presented the scholarships last month at a ceremony that honored Atlanta television news anchor Brenda Woods of WXIA-TV as the 17th Georgian accorded the honor since the program began in 1996.
Others include former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and SPANX founder Sara Blakely.
Dr. Ken Frank, the chair of Brenau’s humanities department and head of the nationally recognized conflict resolution and legal studies program at Brenau, nominated Cummings for the award.
“She has a broad range of interests and a record of numerous contributions to campus organizations and activities,” said Frank. She is an officer in the Student Government Association at Brenau University, active in the Mock Trial Association’s competitions and an officer in the Brenau Association of Legal Scholars and Mediators.
Cummings is a graduate of North Clayton Comprehensive High School. She plans to go to law school after Brenau.
“Her passion for justice and strong ethical core make her just the kind of individual that should be in the field of law and conflict resolution. She has excellent oral presentation skills and is a compassionate listener,” said Frank. “Star has all the tools to succeed as a student and a professional in the field of her choice.”
The Georgia Woman of the Year Committee, Inc., in cooperation with the Georgia Commission on Women and the Georgia Women’s Institute, established the scholarship awards program for women enrolled in Georgia colleges and universities. The organization has distributed approximately $85,000 since the program began in 1998.
Nominations for the scholarships may be made by a faculty member in any college, university or technical college in Georgia.
(Photo: Brenau University junior Staricka Cummings, left, and Brenda Woods of WXIA-TV in Atlanta pose for a photo together. The Georgia Commission on Women and the Georgia Women’s Institute awarded Cummings a prestigious scholarship during the same event where they honored Wood in August.)
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