Dr. Ray Watts Presents Scholarship Award to Asia Sullivan

Asia Sullivan and Ray WattsAsia Sullivan receives her scholarship award from President Ray Watts Dr. Ray L. Watts, President of UAB, presented the 2014 Scholarship Award to Asia Jasmine Lee Sullivan, this year's recipient, at our annual Scholarship Reception.

Asia participates in UAB’s Honors Program and Global Scholars Program and is working on her bachelor’s degree in Public Health. Asia grew up in a small town in southern Alabama, where she was afraid to “come out” as a lesbian. Things have changed dramatically for Asia since coming to UAB. At UAB she found a community and with that she found her voice, becoming a visible and active advocate for equality.

At UAB, she has:

• served as an Executive Board Member of the Gay Straight Student Alliance (GSSA) at UAB;
• organized an on-campus “No H8” photo shoot in which proceeds benefitted the No H8 campaign;
• served on the AIDS Alabama Youth Leadership Council;
• currently volunteers at UAB’s 1917 Clinic;
• served as an active member of the Alabama Alliance for Healthy Youth, where she advocated for HB 496, a bill that would change the requirement for sex education teachers in Alabama to teach students that being gay is a criminal offense.

Perhaps most impressively, Asia served as Goin’ Green Orientation Leader Coordinator at UAB. In this capacity she prepared and presented a professional development information session at the Southern Regional Orientation Workshop (SROW) entitled “Diversity at Orientation: Creating an LGBTQ Inclusive Environment” to over 50 collegiate orientation leaders from across the southeastern United States.

The Alliance for LGBTQ Equality at UAB is pleased to award our scholarship to such an outstanding young woman.