Message from the NACEE / TRiO President/Director
I welcome all graduates of the North Alabama Center for Educational Excellence’s TRiO programs. I would like to introduce you to NACEE TRiO Alumni Page dedicated to serving you, our TRiO graduates. We, the staff of Upward Bound, Upward Bound Math/Science, Educational Talent Search, Educational Opportunity Center, and Veterans Upward Bound, are proud of your many accomplishments and graduating from the college of your choice.
I encourage you to take some time to look at the Council of Opportunity in Education and the National TRiO’s web page (www.coenet.us). Information about this page can be found on our website.
Here at NACEE, we are committed to ensuring that as an alumnus of one of our programs, you will always feel you can contact us to request information or to offer suggestions.
Our website is equipped with a list of current graduates, an alumni contact form, opportunities to support TRiO, as well as a volunteer and speaker’s bureau form. Our hope is that you will become engaged as fellow student graduates of NACEE TRiO programs. You are highly encouraged to become an advocate for Equal Opportunity Education; not just for NACEE, but across the nation.
The TRiO programs at NACEE are thankful to have a solid relationship with our TRiO students and we will make every effort to maintain these special relationships after college graduation. Our goal is to provide education access to the NACEE TRiO students. Your support will be very much appreciated and we hope the future of our students will be successful. If you would like to make a donation to support the programs, please visit our new web page.
For more information on how you can donate to the TRiO programs, please contact me, NACEE’s TRiO President/Director at 256.372.4600.
Thank you,
Earnest L. Davis, Ed.D
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Discover the remarkable stories of our NACEE alumni, who have embarked on diverse and inspiring paths after their time with us. Our Alumni Spotlight shines a light on individuals who have significantly impacted their respective fields, embodying the spirit of excellence and resilience instilled during their NACEE experience.
Vincent A. Brazelton, Jr.
We are so proud of former UB M/S Student Vincent Brazelton.
Vincent Brazelton will help feed the world! By the year 2050 it is estimated that we will need to meet the nutritional needs of more than nine billion people. Coupled with scarcity of arable land, limited freshwater resources, urban expansion, and overall climate change, meeting the growing demand for quality food, fiber, and energy presents an exciting challenge.
Collard Greens & Cutting-Edge Science?
Yes, Please! Who loves collard greens for dinner? 🥘 Did you know these beloved greens trace their roots back to the African continent, arriving in the Americas via the Transatlantic Slave Trade?
In East St. Louis, Illinois, a young scientist is on a mission to preserve the legacy - and the flavor - of this centuries-old staple. Meet Vincent (Antonio) Brazelton Jr., a Plant and Microbial Biosciences Ph.D. candidate at Washington University in St. Louis, who’s researching heirloom collard varieties - some with hues ranging from yellow-green to deep purple-veined leaves. Through his work with the Heirloom Collard Project, Antonio is: 🔬 Using genetic and microbial research to improve crop resilience and taste.
💻 Leveraging data analytics to enhance seed breeding for corn, soybeans, and leafy greens.
🌍 Preserving family-passed heirloom seeds for future generations—and maybe even your dinner table!
Antonio’s journey echoes the path of the legendary George Washington Carver - with a B.S. in Plant & Soil Science from Tuskegee University and an M.S. in Genetics from Iowa State, where Dr. Carver himself studied. You can find Antonio advancing his research at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, pushing the boundaries of food science and agricultural innovation.
Kendra Royston
We are so proud of former UB student and Ms. Upward Bound, Kendra Royston, on all of her hard work and accomplishments. Check out her story below: