University of Tennessee at Chattanooga sophomore Delali Gadzekpo has been selected as a 2021 Frederick Douglass Global Fellow, an honor awarding her a full scholarship to represent UT in a summer study abroad program focused on leadership, intercultural communication and social justice.
Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs will co-sponsor the 2021 Frederick Douglass Global Fellows in Dublin to honor the 175th anniversary of the meeting between 27-year-old abolitionist Frederick Douglass and the Irish reformer Daniel O’Connell in the city in 1845.
The Council for International Educational Exchange announced the 2021 cohort of Frederick Douglass Global Fellows in an online St. Patrick’s Day roundtable during which U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheál Martin and Nettie Washington Douglass, the great-great-granddaughter of Frederick Douglass, congratulated the Fellows.
Gadzekpo is one of 14 student leaders selected for the award.
A music education major, Gadzekpo was selected because of her academic excellence, communication skills and commitment to social justice, UTC says in a news release.
Highlights of Gadzekpo’s community service include working to decolonize high school and college syllabi and educating her community on Black culture through events and campaigns such as the “Dear White People, Let’s Talk About Black Culture” event and the “U See ME?” campaign.
“I want to displace myself from what I perceive to be true and dare to challenge a new perspective amongst brilliant minds,” says Gadzekpo in her application video. “For that is what Frederick Douglass displayed throughout his life, and it is exactly what I plan to do through mine, be it through music or civic engagement, in front of many or just a few.”
The CIEE launched the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship in 2017 to expand access to international education to underrepresented students.
First Horizon names Ringgold center manager
First Horizon Bank recently named Teya Richardson the manager of its Ringgold location.
As banking center manager, Richardson manages all aspects of the customer experience, as well as the operations of the center. She also oversees employee development, audit compliance and works to grow and retain client relationships.
Richardson is enrolled at Middle Tennessee State University, where she’s pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration.