The following Park community members and Park Scholar initiatives have received media attention in recent weeks:

Joy Tongsri, Associate Director for the Park Scholarships program, was featured on the university’s Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity website for her work as a longtime member of the NC State chapter of the National Coalition Building Institute and deep commitment to supporting diversity education initiatives across campus.

On April 1-2 the Park Scholarships program welcomed 150 current scholars, alumni, faculty, family, and friends to NC State’s campus for the first biannual sPark. This symposium was a wonderful way to celebrate the Park Scholarships program’s 20th anniversary, and featured sessions on topics ranging from climate change to food security to human-centered design. Among the many engaging conversations, both formal and informal, that occurred during sPark was a session about “How to Become an Education Advocate.” Presenter Nation Hahn blogged about his experience on this panel.

Learning Lab I is an annual experience designed and implemented by freshman Park Scholars. Students gain insight into leadership through the lens of a challenge currently facing the state of North Carolina. In March the Class of 2019 met with law enforcement officials, academics, and nonprofit organization representatives in and around the state’s Sandhills region to investigate how they are addressing issues related to at-risk youth and the criminal justice system in North Carolina. Specifically, they explored socioeconomic factors that contribute to the stigmatization of at-risk youth, how leaders work to prevent criminal activity in at-risk youth, and how they help rehabilitate those who engage in criminal behavior. Their interactions with GrowingChange’s Noran Sanford and his “Flip the Prison” initiative were highlighted in a Laurinburg, N.C.-based newspaper.

Brandon Buskey ‘02, part of the American Civil Liberties Union Criminal Law Reform Project since 2012, was quoted in a recent news story questioning the constitutionality of delayed trials in Mobile, Ala. Brandon’s work with the ACLU focuses on reforming pretrial justice, expanding the right to counsel, juvenile sentencing, and residency restrictions for former sexual offenders.

Samuel Shain ‘19, who is majoring in business administration and international studies with concentrations in entrepreneurship and global sustainability and development, was one of five students selected for the NC State Poole College of Management’s inaugural Global Corps. The goal of this student organization is to increase international awareness and study abroad participation among the college’s underrepresented students.

Avi Aggarwal ‘16, a chemical engineering major, is part of a team of four students behind BloomUnique, an engineering entrepreneurship class project-turned-startup. As part of BloomUnique’s customizable jewelry design process, the team developed a new form of clasp for connecting necklace components, which they plan to patent.

If you’re walking through NC State’s Talley Student Union, you’re likely to see the smiling face of Lauren Frey ’17 on the building’s electronic billboards. Majoring in environmental sciences and women’s and gender studies, Frey is being featured for her volunteerism with the university’s Women’s Center. She will intern with the center this summer.

Our newest Park Scholars are receiving recognition in their hometown newspapers! Check out Mallory Alman ‘20, a chemical engineering intent from Ashbrook High School in Gastonia, N.C., and Clay Honeycutt ‘20, a biological engineering intent from Midway High School in Newton Grove, N.C.