5 Pitt Honors students were honored at the annual NAAAHP conference

Last month, several students from the University of Pittsburgh’s David C. Frederick Honors College were honored for their research achievements by the National Association of American American Honors Programs (NAAAHP). Its annual conference, held this year at Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas, celebrates Black honors students’ academic excellence.

Mercy Akanmu, a sophomore majoring in neuroscience and history and philosophy of science, was awarded the NAAAHP’s Dr. Freddye T. Davy Humanitarian and Service Award, given annually to a student that demonstrates academic excellence while being active in their honors program and overall university community. She was nominated by Frederick Honors College Dean Nicola Foote. Akanmu also earned first- and second-place honors for her oral paper presentation in psychology and poster presentation in STEM, respectively.

Also in poster presentations, Alivia Pierce, a senior majoring in Africana studies and art history, placed first in the arts.

Frederick Honors College students also represented Ghana in a Model African Union, where they discussed and negotiated policies and collaborated on solutions for the most pressing issues the continent faces. Sophomores Kareema Dean, a public health and economics major; Teyleisa Robinson, a computational biology major; and Micah-Allen Shorter, a nursing major, were awarded Best Delegation. Dean and Robinson were also honored for Best Committee Leadership.