- Posted in All University
- Category: Campus News
Students participating in the Parade of Hats competition included (from left) Corian Campbell, Rakeyla Little, Ariana Williams, Cyonna Henry, Facunda Bennett, Chelsea Reshard, Lakiah Meade and Krystahl Gordon.
In what has become one of the most anticipated events of the year, 200 guests donned their most elegant summer attire to attend the fifth annual Chairlady’s Garden Party in late August to benefit student success initiatives.
“I am eternally grateful to our board of trustees, staff, administrators, alumni and friends for doing their part in supporting student success,” said Lincoln’s Board of Trustee Chairlady Theresa R. Braswell.
Braswell invited supporters of the University to the academic quad nestled between Grim and Wright halls for an afternoon of music, food and special events performed by students. Students attended for free thanks to sponsorships provided by the Division of Student Success.
Guests were greeted with an invocation from student Brandon Stanard and later dazzled with a performance by Lincoln’s renowned Jazz Band as they enjoyed their meals.
Chairlady Theresa R. Braswell (standing) with students from the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. (from left) Anija Nelson, Lakiah meade, Brittany Phyall, Raeven Maddox, Kiara Leath, Facunda Bennett, Chelsea Reshard and Briana Russell.
Unlike previous years, this year’s Garden Party was cosponsored by the Division of Student Success. The change in sponsorship is in response to the University's new strategic plan, which focuses on student success through reinvestment in the University’s roots as a liberal arts institution.
The event had two signature contests: the Parade of Hats and the Bow Tie Competition. The three winners of the Parade of Hats competition—which featured more than 20 participants in hats, gloves, pearls and embellished dresses—were guests Tracy Ann Brown and Jacqueline Beach Faulcon, and Kinoia Fredericksen, a senior mass communications and political science major from Kingshill, Saint Croix, Virgin Islands.
The three Bow Tie Competition winners were chosen amongst a competitive field of gentlemen dressed in seersucker linen suits and cool-breeze shirts: Van Brown ’79; Trevor Vaughan, a junior computer science major from Brooklyn, New York; and Jabir McKnight, a senior political science major from Philadelphia.
In addition to Chairlady Braswell, several participants graciously agreed to serve as judges: Ben Arnold ’77, Trustee Robert Allen, Trustee Sandra Simmons, student Kiara Leath, and Dawn Fleurizard ’89. Eric Maholmes and Christine Grove represented the Oxford Chamber of Commerce.
President Brenda A. Allen and Dr. Lenetta Lee, vice president of student success, joined the chairlady in presenting the awards to the students. Guests also had the opportunity to take in the sights through self-guided walking tours of Lincoln’s historic campus.