PRESIDENTIAL CLASSROOM NAMES UH FRESHMAN
2004 HONORS GRADUATE
Campbell Recognized for Volunteer Work with State Sen. Rodney Ellis
During Hip Hop Summit
HOUSTON, Feb. 22, 2005 – Presidential Classroom (PC), a
national civic organization, has named University of Houston freshman
Shar-day Campbell its 2004 Honors Graduate of the Year.
Campbell was selected out of nearly 4,700 students nationwide who
were recognized for their accomplishments during high school.
In 2003, she participated in PC as a senior at John Foster Dulles
High School. Campbell enrolled in the Media and Democracy program,
which was one of eight leadership development experiences offered
by PC.
Within one year of PC graduation, Honors Graduates volunteer 50
hours of government service or political activity. A communications
major at UH, Campbell volunteered for State Sen. Rodney Ellis during
the 2004 Hip Hop Summit, a voter education and mobilization effort
aimed to increase voter participation.
“Shar-day is an energetic, highly intelligent and extremely
talented young woman, so it is certainly no surprise to me that
she has risen to the top of her class,” Ellis said. “She
demonstrated her ability to achieve great results and connect with
others last year when she worked with us on the Hip Hop Summit mobilizing
young voters. I congratulate her and have no doubt whatsoever that
she will be a great success as she moves forward in her career.”
“Our Honors Graduates are a select group of students who
have gone a step further and turned the lessons learned here at
Presidential Classroom into action,” said Jack Buechner, PC
president and CEO.
An essay by Campbell appears in PC’s 2005 Outlook textbook,
which is distributed to incoming program participants.
“Presidential Classroom gave me an opportunity to explore
the relationship between media and democracy,” she said. “For
instance, we talked about the responsibility of journalists in wartime.
The highlight was when my caucus selected me as an anchorperson
for our live broadcast. I was also inspired by U.S. Rep. John Lewis,
one of the Big Six in the Civil Rights Movement, when he talked
about his quest for equality and his relationship with Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr.”
She is the daughter of Tammie Lang-Campbell and Dennis Campbell
and a native of Missouri City.
“I chose to attend the University of Houston because of its
exemplary communications program, and because Houston’s Public
Radio affiliate KUHF and Public Broadcasting affiliate KUHT are
based on campus,” she said. “Its diverse student body
was also a plus for me.”
Campbell hopes to one day host her own talk show on American culture
issues including education, health, economic, media, politics and
education.
PC was founded in 1968 when President John F. Kennedy challenged
young Americans to commit to public service. Participants are high
school juniors and seniors with at least a 3.0 grade point average.
For more information about PC, go to www.presidentialclassroom.org.
About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research
and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers
and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate,
civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university
in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and
service with more than 35,000 students.
For more information about UH visit the universitys Newsroom at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.
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