Young Alumni Professional Development Grant
Because we want you to participate in training programs and projects that will advance you in your career, the Alumni Advisory Board has established the Young Alumni Professional Development (YAPD) Grant to give you the support you need.
The grant is open to all Lee University alumni who have graduated in the last 10 years, regardless of academic major or professional experience. You must also be currently employed. Applicants may request up to $1,000.
Application materials must be submitted by Friday, April 19, 2024 at 5pm EST. You may submit your application by email to [email protected]. Applicants will receive an email notification on the status of their application once it is complete. The Alumni Advisory Board will make grant decisions in May.
YAPD Recipients
Christian Garrett
Josh Aguilar
Yunyue (Kyle) Ma
Melissa Madell Dishner
Ali Baker Goodman
Danna Tyree
Kellie Guard
Sierra Hasty
Amanda Dermott
Cory Rodgers Collins
McKenzee Gossett
Joshua Lyle
Audrey Brokish
Sammie Kate Eason
Brandyn Kirby
Jessica Ellis
Hannah Gilstrap
Noah Schurman
Jade Goss
Sarah Hill
Celia Grace Denney
Caitlin Lay
Rachel McCurry
Dani Lin Huntern
Alea Greene
Austin Guard
Elizabeth Landry
Emily Honeysett
Herbert Winter
McKayla Brown
Rebekah Courson
Savanna Collie
Tyler Puckett
William McCuistion
Mitchell Capps
Zhannae Cummings
Emmalee Manes
Caitlin Moore
Paige Pittman Lee
Jared Barton
Sarah Minucci
Ruth Freemon
Kaitlin Christopher
Lauren Buckner
Kari Kuhns
Heather Carver
Emma Cregg
Keith Vincent
Anna Douglas
Tiffany Blauert
Zachary Simms
Kalen Johnson
Lauren Neal
Oluwatobiloba (Deborah) Osikoya
Emily Fawcett
Michael Hewgley
Ashley Jones
Amanda Jones
Danielle Buteau
Eddie Christopher
Lauren Todd
Edward Christopher
Kelly Martin
Alexander Urevick
David Tahere
Danielle Cogan
Leah Carroll
Abigail Fletcher
Anna Carmichael
Alexandria Walker Garrett

Eddie Christopher (‘13)
Eddie currently works as a data scientist specializing in people analytics for Discover Financial Services. As a graduate student, he used the grant to attend conferences where he received the opportunity to share his own work and connect with other professionals. He says, “The grant helped me at a pivotal time, early in my career. Having the necessary financial support to attend those conferences made for some wonderful experiences, and frankly, it made my peers that did not go to Lee a little jealous of my cool alma mater.”

Anna Sandberg ('14)
Anna used her award to assist with the startup costs to get her company, SkyNano, up and running. “To the donors who made this grant possible, I would like to thank you immensely. It allowed me to pursue this dream of mine without being bottlenecked by the cost, and felt really sweet to have the support coming from Lee University, a place I have held so dear in my heart since first stepping onto campus.” Anna is still running SkyNano today. Their aim is to produce carbon-based materials from carbon dioxide to provide a profitable solution towards solving global climate change. SkyNano is now funded by the US National Science Foundation and the US Department of Energy.

Deborah Osikoya (‘15)
While at Lee, Deborah participated in a 2014 research summer fellowship with the American Physiological Society at Emory University under the mentorship of Dr. Titilayo Ilori. After graduation, Deborah joined the laboratory of Dr. Stella Goulopoulou at the University of North Texas Health Science Center (HSC) at Fort Worth, TX as a research assistant. In 2016, Deborah was awarded the Lee University Young Alumni Professional Development Grant which partially funded her trip to the Mayo Clinic, where her research was presented at the 12th International Mechanisms of Vasodilatation Symposium. Deborah is currently working on completing her dissertation at the HSC in Dr. Goulopoulou’s lab while she prepares for a career in Clinical Research.