GSU Women Win: Three Grambling State Women and an Alumnus Win Black Engineer of the Year Awards
Three women students and one alumnus of Grambling State University took home top honors at this year’s Black Engineer of the Year Awards in Washington, DC. Arlanda Nunsett, Faith Pittman, and Niana Celestine were rewarded for their excellence in community service, student leadership, and academic achievement.
About BEYA
Each year, the Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) STEM Conference connects professionals with students for three days of education, networking, and career advancement. Students from universities across the United States also compete during the conference for nation-wide award competitions as well as prestigious internships, competitive career openings and research opportunities.
Grambling State’s Award-Winning Student Engineers
Arlanda Nunsett, Winner of the BEYA Community Service Award
Arlanda Nunsett, Senior Electronics Engineering Technology major, currently holds a 3.41 GPA and was recognized by BEYA this year for achievement in Community Service. Arlanda was recognized for her volunteerism as an academic coach for college and K-12 students. Nunsett also serves on campus with the National Society for Black Engineers (NSBE), the Center for Mathematical Achievement in Science and Technology (CMAST), the STEM Learning Community and the World-Famed Tiger Marching Band.
In addition to her award, Nunsett also received an onsite internship offer from Northrop Grumman; one of America’s leading global security companies.
Faith Pittman, Winner of the BEYA Student Leadership Award
Faith Pittman, a Junior Chemistry major with a 3.31 GPA, was recognized by BEYA for her work on-campus as a student leader. On campus, Faith serves as a student leader for the Department of Chemistry, the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Chemist and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE), Chemistry Club, and the Center for Mathematical Achievement in Science and Technology (CMAST). This year, her work has included STEM outreaches for K-12 students, raising $1,000 and more than 420 pounds of food donations for the Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana.
Faith is also Miss Black and Gold and has recently secured and internship with global pharmaceutical leader, Eli Lilly.
Niana Celestine Winner of the BEYA Academic Award
Niana Celestine, a Senior Computer Science and Marketing major, has a 3.92 GPA which helped her win BEYA’s nationwide honor in Academics. In addition to her academic honors, Niana has been acknowledged as a star intern by technology provider, Century Link, and led winning teams at the 2018 Bayou Classic BizTech Challenge (1st place), HBCU Battle of the Brains – (3rd Place) and CenturyLink Disrupt (2nd Place).
Alumnus, Dominique Wilson Winner of the BEYA Modern Day Technology Leader Award
2016 Engineering Technology graduate and former award-winner for BEYA’s student leadership honor, was named the 2019 a Modern-Day Technology Leader of the year. Today, Wilson works as a Level 2 Software Engineer at Huntington Ingalls Industry, America’s largest military shipbuilding company and government services provider. Wilson job offer from Huntington in 2016 at the BEYA conference.
“These awards reflect the continuous hard work of the students, and staff in our CMAST (Center for Mathematical Achievement in Science and Technology) program,” said President Rick Gallot. “We are grateful to our CMAST project director Mrs. Corisma Robinson Akins and the entire team for how they continue to innovate.”
Grambling State University congratulates the award winners for making history.
Do you know of an award-winning students or alumni?
Email your winning stories to mediarelations@gram.edu.