By LJ Evans

...continued from page 1

R.G. Bouchum (he always said it stood for "Real Good") grew up on a sharecropper's farm in Texas as one of nine children. His father made sure all the girls got college educations because he didn't want them to be dependent, but he figured the boys could always find work. R.G. made it to the fifth grade before he had to quit school to work in the fields. He learned the alphabet but couldn't quite string it all together to actually read. After he married Onnie V. Miles in 1943, she handled any business that required the ability to read and write.

R.G. and Onnie understood the value of education, and they were determined that their children would have a better life. For many years they worked long hours at extra jobs to make it possible for their daughters, Bobbie J. and Dorothy, to go to college. R.G. was always eager to tell anyone who would listen about his daughters, especially Dorothy, who became an associate professor at UAF teaching computer applications.

It was to honor her parents' high regard for education that Dorothy and her husband, Lloyd, decided in 1997 to establish the R.G. and Onnie V. Bouchum Multicultural Scholarship at UAF. The scholarship was first awarded in 2000.

Last year's scholarship went to Unika Nelson, a junior communication major.

UAF Summer Sessions director Michelle Bartlett said the Bouchum scholarship is a reflection of her good friend Dorothy's relationship with both of her parents.

"From her parents she got the values of hard work and a good education," Bartlett said. "This scholarship is a wonderful way that she has honored her parents. It's not only about what they gave her but also what she's done with it."
 

"I love understanding how people interact with each other in different situations. There's no right or wrong approach," says Unika L. Nelson, a communication major and the 2007 recipient of the R.G. and Onnie V. Bouchum Multicultural Scholarship. She was planning to major in music, but switched because she loved her first-semester communication class so much.

Originally from Detroit, Mich., Nelson has lived all over because her dad is in the Coast Guard. She graduated from Kodiak High School in 2004 and attended her first semester at Kodiak College, then transferred to UAF in spring 2005. She is thinking about pursuing a career as a college admissions diversity director.

"I think that's really important. There are so many different types of people, not even just talking about race, but culture, ethnicity. Not everyone learns the same, communicates the same, thinks the same. It's so important that people are aware of that."

Continued: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Submit comments