Life Gets Better and Distinguished Scholars Receive Laptops

Christmas came a little early for some freshmen at Florida A&M University (FAMU). FAMU President James H. Ammons presented laptops to more than 40 scholars as part of the FAMU Presidential Scholarship Program, which includes the Life Gets Better Scholarship and the Distinguished Scholar Award.

The sound of boxes ripping out and the chatter of excitement filled the room as FAMU scholars opened their brand new HP Probook 4310s.

The HP Probooks are equipped with a 4.0 GB RAM, a 250 GB hard drive, DVD player and web camera.

Some of the scholars stated that the laptops were something they really needed.

“I need one [laptop] because I have been borrowing my parents’ laptop,” said Loren McLendon, a biology pre-med major from Jacksonville, Fla. “I’m really grateful and excited to receive a laptop. It’s nice to know that my hard work has paid off.”

McLendon is a Life Gets Better Scholar.

David Johnson, another Life Gets Better Scholar from Atlanta, Georgia, agreed with McLendon.

“I am really happy to get a laptop,” said Johnson, who is also a biology pre-med major. “My old desktop had stopped working a couple of weeks ago.”

Johnson further stated that he chose FAMU because of the biology department.

“FAMU has a good biology department,” said Johnson. “I feel the department [biology] will prepare me for medical school. I’m looking forward to all of the opportunities and internships.”

This group of scholars is from Florida, Missouri, Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Alabama, Maryland, and Tennessee. One scholar, Tyler Fryberger, is from the state of Washington. When asked how did he hear about FAMU, Fryberger, who is a Life Gets Better Scholar, stated he heard about the University through ROTC.

“I received a ROTC scholarship as well,” said Fryberger, who is a chemical engineering major. “I had an opportunity to attend the University of Washington, but I decided to come to FAMU because of the Life Gets Better scholarship package. I made the right decision because I feel I can learn more here than I could in Washington.”

Another scholar, Michael Jefferson from Indianapolis, Ind., stated he broke the family tradition by attending FAMU.

“I’m the first to break my family’s tradition by not attending Jackson State University,” said Jefferson, who plans to be a Presidential Ambassador. “In March of this year, I visited FAMU. I walked the campus and studied the history. I knew this [FAMU] is where I wanted to be. I love FAMU.”


PHOTO CAPTION: President James H. Ammons (center); Vice President for Student Affairs Roland Gaines (first on left); and Dedra O’Neal, coordinator for university scholarship programs (second from right) take a photo with the Life Gets Better and Distinguished Scholars.