Pacer Alumni Selected for CORE 4 Awards

Aiken, SC (02/08/2021) — During a virtual town hall meeting last week, the Alumni Association of the University of South Carolina Aiken (UofSC Aiken) announced the 2021 CORE 4 award honorees.

Winners are usually announced at UofSC Aiken's Homecoming Alumni Reception, but this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, the announcement was made during a virtual town hall.

This year's honorees were selected from more than 20,000 members of the UofSC Aiken alumni community.

The 2021 CORE 4 winners are:

Steve Miano, Class of '05, who graduated with a political science degree, currently serves as director of investigations and law enforcement development in Ghana, Africa. His accomplishments include 12-years of service as a law enforcement officer and detective. He was also awarded the Medal of Honor, the J. Strom Thurmond Award of Excellence, and the Jake Kuredjian Memorial Award.

His nomination letter stated that "Steve has shown tremendous heart, ingenuity, and cross-cultural leadership to pioneer this work in West Africa. He has led his team as a servant leader, and his coaching style has empowered his Ghanaian staff to become increasingly autonomous."

Dawn Bryant, Class of '07, who graduated with a degree in elementary education, is currently a J.D. Lever Elementary teacher. Her accomplishments include authoring several books, being awarded the Geography Teacher Award for Best Article, receiving the Teacher of the Year award, and being nominated for several other leadership awards.

Ms. Bryant's nomination letter spoke of her character amongst other attributes. It stated, "Dawn is a life-long learner. A tireless collector, if you will, of the instructional strategies that ultimately benefit her students. She is driven in her pursuit of these strategies. Such drive is borne out of innate curiosity to be more, to learn more, and to do more for herself and her students."

Ken Weaver, Class of '71 graduated with a degree in biology. He began his educational journey here at UofSC Aiken and received his associate's degree in 1971 during the Banksia years. His nomination letter says that "Dr. Kenneth Weaver has always represented the best qualities that the university instills in its students. Intellectual curiosity, scholarship, determination, and a desire to live a life of cheerful service in all his endeavors are just a few of the superlatives that characterize him."

Dr. Weaver has received multiple honors and awards, including serving as the Dean of the Teachers College at Emporia State University and establishing the Robert and Janet Weaver Scholarship at UofSC Aiken.

Captain Isaiah Hines, Class of '16, graduated with a psychology degree. Hines served in United States Air Force (U.S.A.F.) for over four years and is currently an officer. His accomplishments include his involvement in the U.S.A.F.'s first Diversity and Inclusion Summit and other initiatives, which have helped bridge gaps within the United States Air Force.

Isaiah's letter referenced his strong leadership skills. His letter states, "He is dependable, charismatic, detail-oriented, motivational, and willing to take and give directions. His leadership and ability to make a positive change in people's lives has been displayed in many ways."

Each October 1 to January 1, the Alumni Board accepts nominations of distinguished alumni who embrace the university's core values of character, citizenship, curiosity, and collegiality are nominated and chosen for the CORE 4 awards. The CORE 4 awards are in their second year.

Individuals who have obtained an associate's, bachelor's, or master's degree from UofSC Aiken are eligible for the award. Alumni who have completed a substantial amount of coursework but did not graduate are also eligible for nomination. Self-nominations are not permitted, and current Alumni Board members are ineligible for this award.

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