Morgan State University Newsroom Morgan State University
Bears represent! Students from Morgan State University’s (MSU’s) Clara I. Adams Honors College earned top honors in two of the three competitions held during the 28th Annual Conference of the National Association of African American Honors Programs (NAAAHP). A total of 15 MSU students and four MSU staff members attended the event, which emphasized student interaction and featured three intense, fast-paced contests among the member institutions in attendance: an Oratorical Competition, a Quiz Bowl and a Debate. The three-day conference took place last fall, which brought together a highly competitive field representing more than 20 colleges and universities in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Chloe Colbert, a senior English major at MSU, earned first place in the Oratorical Competition with her inspiring oration entitled, “Holy Acrimony.” Colbert and her teammates on Morgan’s Oratorical Team — junior Computer Science major Jada Grant, junior Civil Engineering major Kennard Johnston and junior Multi-Platform Production major Natalie Thomas — were coached by Debora Jones-Thomas, office manager and administrative assistant for the Clara I. Adams Honors College.
After a tough qualifying round, Morgan’s Quiz Bowl team hit its stride and bested its opponents by comfortable margins, before soundly defeating Morehouse in the Championship Round with a score of 450-305. Coached by Division of Student Affairs staff member and veteran Honda Campus All-Star Challenge trainer Dennis Nicholson, the winning Morgan Quiz Bowl team consisted of junior History major Nicholas Anderson, sophomore Nursing major Kenedi Canteen, junior Computer Science major Steven Fuller and junior Physics major Breon Prestbury.
Morgan’s Debate team battled its way through spirited qualifying rounds, narrowly missing the Championship Round after a closely scored semifinal match. The team members — senior Industrial Engineering major Tahj Coleman, sophomore Finance major Purnell Hill, sophomore Social Work major India Kutcherman, senior Industrial Engineering major Jovan Luna, senior Accounting major Elizabeth Olusola and junior Electrical Engineering major Rebecca Olusola — were coached by Clara I. Adams Honors College Student Coordinator Marc Boles.
“The NAAAHP Annual Conference is always one of the signature events on the (Clara I. Adams) Honors College calendar,” said Darryl L. Peterkin, Ph.D., director of the college. “Our students have an opportunity to travel to interesting cities and interact with a diverse and talented group of honors students from the nation’s HBCUs.
“The Oratorical, Quiz Bowl and Debate competitions are always spirited,” he added. “Our Honors students began studying and preparing for them as soon as they returned to campus last August. I could not be prouder of how they represented Morgan in New Orleans.”
Congratulations to our talented field of Morgan scholars for a solid performance and showing your Bear pride on the national stage.
