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Day of Recognition’ which brought hundreds of elementary school
children to campus.
UNCP becomes the first school to win the award for a second
time. They were first honored in 2014. This is the sixth year of the
award program.
The event, which was
sponsored by Southern In-
teriors & Design, celebrat-
ed the second year of the
Braves Buddies program
which was designed to
encourage and inspire
reading at a young age, as
well as to facilitate mentor-
ship opportunities for Pem-
broke elementary school
students with UNCP’s more
than 400 student-athletes.
More than 120
first-graders attended the
event and all received a
personalized bookmark as
well as a certificate of par-
ticipation in the program
that was presented to them
in a ceremony at halftime
of a men’s basketball game that drew nearly 1,900 fans. The
first-graders were also treated to a behind-the-scenes experience
that included a tour of the facility and the chance to interview in
front of the green screen and cameras of the athletic department’s
studio.
Members of all 16 UNCP varsity teams and administrators
took part in the program. Student-athletes work with Pembroke
Elementary students in small groups, team reading and in one-on-
one situations. During the 2016-17 year, UNCP student-athletes
dedicated nearly 2,000 hours to volunteering their time. More than
450 student-athletes have participated since the program began in
2015.
The SunTrust Foundation Connecting Communities award is de-
signed to recognize efforts undertaken by PBC member institutions
to reach out and be a partner with their local and regional commu-
nities. The award provides a cash prize to be given to the winning
schools’ Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
UNC Pembroke’s Thomas Receives PBC-SunTrust
Foundation Minority Graduate Scholarship
HILTON HEAD, SC – UNC Pembroke wrestler Michael Thomas was
named the 2017 recipient of the PBC-SunTrust Foundation Minority
Graduate Scholarship. The announcement was made on Tuesday
evening at the Peach Belt Conference’s annual awards dinner in
Hilton Head.
A native of Burlington, N.C., Thomas spent his freshman season
at the University of the Cumberlands before transferring to UNC
Pembroke and spending four years as a part of the wrestling team.
Named to the PBC Presidential Honor Roll twice, including as a
Gold Scholar in 2016. A three-time Academic All-American, he was
named to the UNCP Chancellor’s List three times and received the
Nu Omicron Kappa Alpha Psi Scholarship.
Thomas graduated this May with a bachelors of science degree
in biology with a minor in business administration. He begins grad-
uate work this fall at East Carolina University in the dental medicine
program.
“Being a dentist is more than fixing someone’s teeth; it’s an
opportunity to make a significant impact on someone’s life,” said
Thomas in a statement. “One simple act of compassion could be
all this is needed for someone to make a change, and potentially
change their life. Having already received my acceptance to East
Carolina’s School of Dental Medicine, I am one step closer to achiev-
ing this goal.”
On the mat, Thomas was a team captain for the Braves in 2016-
17. A second-team All-ECAC honoree, he advanced to the NCAA
National Championships this season in the 184-pound class and
finished 19-10 overall. He won two fall tournaments and was 7-4
in dual matches this season with four pins.
“Education is a key part of the foundation on which strong com-
2016-17