AU Student Receives Distinguished National Award

 2/7/13 ASHLAND, Ohio – Wooster resident Angela Ellis, who is a physical education major at Ashland University, is the recipient of an American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AAHPERD) National Award and will receive the Ruth Abernathy Presidential Scholarship worth $1,250.

Ellis, who is a 1995 graduate of Triway High School, is one of only three undergraduate students in the country receiving this award. She will be honored at the AAHPERD National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., on April 25.

“This is the highest, most prestigious award that an undergraduate student majoring in physical education can receive,” Ellis said. “Receiving this scholarship is the greatest honor I have received in my academic career thus far, and it truly is an honor for me to be able to receive this distinguished national award as an undergraduate student from Ashland University.”

Ellis also recently won the 2013 Midwest District AAHPERD Outstanding Student Award and as this recipient, she was encouraged to apply for the National AAHPERD Ruth Abernathy Presidential Scholarship.

Ellis said she also was encouraged to apply for the scholarship by the Ohio branch (OAHPERD) and the Midwest District (AAHPERD).

“I have taken my studies in physical education here at Ashland University very seriously,” she said. “I also have made a special effort to become very involved in my professional organizations at the state, district and national levels.”

Ashland University, ranked in the top 200 colleges and universities in U.S. News and World Report’s National Universities category for 2013, is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.