Four graduate students awarded inaugural Claflin to Clemson Big Cat fellowships

Four Clemson graduate students have been awarded Claflin-to-Clemson Big Cat fellowships, a Graduate School program for students with a Claflin University undergraduate degree who are pursuing a master's or doctoral degree at Clemson University.

Of the four award winners in the program's inaugural year, three are students in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program and one is pursuing a Master of Arts in History.

Patrice Linette Burgess is a Doctor of Nursing Practice student from Orangeburg, South Carolina. Burgess plans to use what she learns in her degree program to provide leadership in bridging the gap in healthcare outcomes in rural areas and in veteran populations. She wants to give back to the environment that molded and shaped her by helping to teach and mentor the next generation of nurses in Orangeburg.

Shantanique Givens Franklin is a Doctor of Nursing Practice student from Walterboro, South Carolina. Givens Franklin wants to use her degree as a platform to encourage other African American women to pursue doctoral degrees, and to help improve and champion patient care. Her goal is to advocate, empower and influence change within the healthcare field every day.

Big Cat Fellowship Recipients: Patrice Linette Burgess, Shantanique Givens Franklin, Deonte Thompson, and Otiana Thompson.

Deonte Thompson is a Doctor of Nursing Practice student from Ladson, South Carolina. Completing his degree will enable Thompson to combine the science and art of nursing, developing strategies for illness prevention, treatment and promotion, and implementing system-wide healthcare reforms. He plans to use research and action to change nursing practice by teaching nurses and mentoring other African American men. Thompson is working with one of South Carolina's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to begin a traditional baccalaureate degree in nursing. Starting this program at an HBCU will help cultivate a diverse nursing workforce to match healthcare needs today.

Otiana Thompson is a Master of Arts in History student from Blythewood, South Carolina. As an eighth-grade social studies teacher, Thompson is committed to learning and growing just like her students. She says teaching has also opened her eyes to the issues plaguing education today and how we must work diligently to improve the conditions within education. She hopes to reimagine a better world through scholarship and activism that will give students the opportunity to live in a society that values them as much as they value it. Her goal is to become a historian, teaching students about important issues we face and the power they have to create change.

"The Claflin to Clemson Big Cat Fellowship enhances graduate education opportunities for Claflin scholars while retaining top talent and increasing advanced degree graduates in South Carolina. Fellowships like Big Cat are important because they provide critical assistance with graduate school tuition and provide support to recipients as they focus on their academics and research. I am proud of Patrice, Shantanique, Deonte and Otiana and am confident they will be successful in reaching their impressive personal and academic goals to create and achieve lasting impact."
JOHN LOPES, Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School, Clemson University

The fellowship amount for any Master of Arts or Master of Science degree program is $5,000 per year and $10,000 for any doctoral degree program. Students awarded the fellowship will continue to receive it annually for up to three years if they maintain full-time enrollment status in the Fall and Spring terms and a cumulative GPA of 3.0, provided they make satisfactory academic progress.

"The Claflin to Clemson Big Cat Fellowship unites the immense innovation, resources, and talent of two historic universities with enduring legacies for uplifting and transforming lives and communities throughout South Carolina and beyond. This partnership expands academic and research opportunities to Claflin graduates who want to pursue master's and doctoral degrees at one of the nation's top public Carnegie Research 1 institutions. The partnership provides Clemson with access to high-achieving scholars from Claflin, a U.S. News and World Report Top 10 Historically Black College/University (HBCU) for 13 consecutive years."
Dr. Verlie Tisdale, Dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Claflin University