Copeland Diversity and Inclusion Fellowship
Thanks to a generous gift from COB alumni Mark (pictured above) & Tracy Copeland, the two-year Copeland Diversity and Inclusion Fellowship will give you opportunities to add to your leadership knowledge and understanding of different world views.
– Participating in diversity and inclusion-related activities* for four semesters — 15 hours each for the first two semesters and 10 hours each for the last two semesters.
*All activities are subject to the approval of the College’s Diversity and Inclusion Program Coordinator.
– Writing and submitting of a short, reflection paper at the end of each semester that details your key takeaways from activities and events
– Sharing of experiences and tagging the College of Business on the appropriate social media platforms
– Building, scheduling and creating a project that is focused on diversity and inclusion
What you will receive:
– $500 scholarship per semester (during the 2-year fellowship)
– Language on your transcript that designates you as a Copeland Diversity and Inclusion Fellow
– Special graduation cords issued at graduation
– An edge when it comes to being hired and promoted. According to Glassdoor, employers are taking a serious look at investing in diversity and inclusion efforts
– A greater understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion and the positive impact it has on organizations
– Interaction with individuals who have diverse cultures, ethnicities and lifestyles
– Exposure to different worldviews and different ways of thinking that will better prepare you to be a forward-thinking business leader
– Critical thinking exercises that will allow you to address and take on meaningful and well-recognized challenges on our campus and in our wider society
– Expanded creativity and problem-solving that will help you improve your employer’s reputation and engage with fellow employees
Stand out and learn more about what makes all of us unique, different and great.
Application period for the Copeland Diversity and Inclusion Fellowship is March 2 – April 5 each year.
Questions? Please email Dr. Amy McMillan, Copeland Director of Diversity and Inclusion, at mcmillana@ecu.edu for more information.
Andrea Knight, from Tarboro, North Carolina is a sophomore at East Carolina University majoring in Business Management and Political Science. Having a strong admiration for bipartisanship, she believes that the best decisions are made from collaborative efforts. In addition to being a part of the Copeland Fellowship, she is also an Honors College student, a recipient of the Business Scholar Award, and a member of the Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity. Andrea is a third-generation college student and a second-generation business student. With her father holding a degree in Business Administration, the value of a business degree was always ingrained in her. She aspires to work on Capitol Hill as a voice to help rectify political polarization.
Kadyn Pleasants is one of the new Copeland Fellows. She is a sophomore at ECU, studying Business Management with a minor in Fashion Merchandising. After graduation, she plans to open her own business. Kadyn was born and raised in Charlotte, NC but has always seen Greenville, NC is home too. Kadyn is active in her sorority on campus, Alpha Omicron Pi. She currently serves as the Apparel Chair. She loves to travel. Her favorite place she has been is Punta Cana because of the clear water and water adventures offered. Through the Copeland Fellowship, she hopes to gain leadership knowledge and a better understanding of different world views that will assist her with her future career. Kadyn’s dream job would be as an interior designer. She plans to get her real estate license in the near future to be able to do both selling and designing. Kadyn is looking forward to a great year of education, friendships, and new opportunities.
Rodney Bonilla Gonzalez is from Apex, North Carolina, and is a Junior studying Operations of Supply Chain Management and Business Marketing. He was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico with his first language being Spanish. He is a member of the ECU Newman Catholic Campus Ministry and recently has been involved in the Knights of Columbus to better eastern North Carolina communities. He is passionate to help the less fortunate and aspires to have a career helping victims of natural disasters and doing medical logistics. Rodney is motivated to do so after seeing the effects of the many different natural disasters that have affected the United States and Puerto Rico. Rodney will strive to aid in the recovery process to bring back normal to the people who have lost the most.
Caitlin Kysar is a sophomore from Morganton, North Carolina pursuing a BS in Hospitality Management concentrated in Special Events along with a minor in Business Administration. Caitlin has a desire to help the disabled community to show the potential of how leadership can be possible for those like her. Caitlin is currently a member of Student Government Association representing the College of Business, a first year Copeland fellow, NAMI member, and peer success coach at the Pirate Academic Success Center. She is currently working on disability forward legislation to pass in SGA and a community service project aiming toward donating Lego sets to hospitalized children at the children’s hospital in Greenville.
Lauren Humann is a sophomore EC Scholar in the College of Business and is pursuing a degree in Entrepreneurship. She is passionate about using human-centered design to help people create memories that will last a lifetime. She has already been able to start making this difference as the character integrity chair for A Moment of Magic, an organization dedicated to creating magical moments for medically vulnerable kids. She is also the alumni relations coordinator for the Honors College Student Council. These extracurriculars have stimulated her curiosity and desire to increase her knowledge about diversity and inclusion. She is excited to use this new knowledge to help everyone around her.
Tiphany Watson, a marketing major at East Carolina University. Tiphany is a junior from Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. Growing up she always had a passion for school. Her favorite subject has always been mathematics because numbers are mesmerizing to her. Tiphany loves to come up with her own solutions which allows her to help her fellow peers when asked. A few of Tiphany’s hobbies includes listening to music, cooking and reading. She loves to find new recipes online or in cookbooks. Sometimes she likes to try these new things to step out of her comfort zone just a little. Her all-time favorite hobby is reading books. The Copeland Fellowship offers her experience with other cultures. She believes this will help tremendously with a future career in marketing. It has always been a dream of hers to travel. The fellowship will provide valuable insights for traveling, experiencing other cultures, and having a successful career in marketing.
Jonathan Coleman is a dedicated student athlete at East Carolina University majoring in Management Information Systems. He has a burning desire to help uplift the underserved community. He is a member of the football team, the Black Student Athlete Organization, Beta Gamma Sigma Honors Society, Copeland fellow, and serves as vice-president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. Jonathan is motivated to create a non-profit organization that teaches information systems to less privileged teens and young adults.
Aurora Shafer is a junior from Orlando, Florida pursuing a BS in Entrepreneurship with a minor in Disability Studies. Aurora’s professional goal is to work with businesses to make employment accessible to all Neurodivergent people by transforming hiring practices, redesigning work environments, and educating employers. She is an EC Scholar, a member of the Honors College, and belongs to the Phi Kappa Phi honor society. Aurora is a founding member and the current President of ECU’s Autistic Students Alliance as well as a member of ECU’s Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization. She is an eNC Innovates Fellow, a fellowship offered by ECU’s Honors College Innovation Design Lab in partnership with the U.S. Economic Development Administration, as well as a Copeland Diversity and Inclusion Fellow, a fellowship offered by ECU’s College of Business.
Grant Smith is a Junior in theHonors College from Wake Forest, NC double majoring in entrepreneurship and business marketing. He has always had an interest in being an entrepreneur because starting small businesses can make a good difference in the world. He recently won the 4th ECU Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge for a medical business start-up, along with $25,000 in prizes. Grant’s business interest began 5 years ago when he launched a landscaping business as a sophomore in high school. He is still pursuing his second start-up and hopes the product will take a large step forward by the end of 2021. He aspires to become a serial entrepreneur.
Evelyn Gonzalez is a current junior at East Carolina University, majoring in Accounting. She believes being active in the community is essential to increasing her knowledge and understanding of others. Evelyn is currently part of the Honors College, Beta Alpha Psi, Beta Gamma Sigma, Amexcan, and Rotaract Club. Evelyn has previously interned at the North Carolina Business Committee of Education at the Governor’s Office and RISE29. Currently, she interns at SAS, a Software Analytics Company in Cary, NC, as an Accounting Year-round Intern. Where she helps manage their general ledger accounts. She hopes to one day become a CPA and continue working in tech. As a CPA, she hopes to inspire other minorities to follow this career path and be a mentor for someone one day.