Fourth of July Parade
Perkins was well-represented in the Park Cities 4th of July Parade. Richard Anastasi, Michaela Calahan, Fernando Berwig Silva and Tongula Steddum participated in the university’s float, along with other SMU students and staff. The event was organized through Development and External Affairs via Community Engagement. Tracy Anne Allred, Assistant Dean of Student Life, helped recruit participants as part of a University-wide initiative to coordinate community engagement activities and programs.
Doctoral Fellowship
Shandon Klein has been named a 2022 Doctoral Fellowship recipient by the Louisville Institute. The program offers two-year fellowships of $3,000 a year to doctoral students considering theological education as their vocation. In addition, the cohort of ten Doctoral Fellows meets three times during the fellowship. Klein received an M.Div. in 2022 and is currently a D. Min. student.
Women’s Gathering
Div. student Eunbyul “Stella” Cho participated in the 2022 United Women in Faith (United Methodist Women Assembly) in Florida through the Scranton Women’s Leadership Center, which supported her attendance at various leadership opportunities while in her home country of South Korea. At the Florida gathering, she was able to see Rev. Dr. Hea Sun Kim, the Director of Scranton Women’s Leadership Center in Seoul and the first Korean female ordained in United Methodist Church. “She is not only my mentor, but also the mentor for lots of future female leaders all over the world,” Cho said. She also expressed her gratitude to Perkins staff and the Perkins Students Association for its support for the trip. “I am grateful for special moments that I will cherish forever and glad to share this experience with Perkins community,” she said in a Facebook post.
Methodist Foundation Scholarship
Perkins student Annie M. J. McGregor Meek was one of 52 students to receive scholarships from the Methodist Foundation for Arkansas. Meek is a member of Trinity United Methodist Church in Little Rock. The Foundation gave $52,000 in scholarships to 52 students receiving 2022 Dollars for Scholars awards to begin or continue their education at United Methodist colleges, universities, and seminaries. For each recipient, the student’s local church gave $1,000 and the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation matched that contribution. The Methodist Foundation for Arkansas gave $1,000, along with the student’s selected college contributing $1,000 for a significant $4,000 scholarship award to each student. Three SMU students were also among those receiving the scholarship.
Stephanie Bohan
Perkins student Stephanie Bohan was recently featured in a story in the Oak Cliff Advocate, “Fierce Females: Four Women Who Keep Oak Cliff Roaring.” Bohan, who lives in Oak Cliff with her husband, Michael, was named CEO of Dallas-based adoption nonprofit Hope Cottage in May. Read the story here.