This weekend while Talladega College celebrated 145 years of academic excellence during their Annual Founders’ Week activities, another celebration took place in Atlanta, Georgia for Alabama’s first private liberal arts historically black college.
Sophomore, Alexis Tardy, from Indianapolis, Indiana won the Ford Black College Quiz Bowl Competition. Alexis is a 2011 graduate of North Central High School in Indianapolis. Twelve HBCUs participated in the black history competition sponsored by the Ford Corporation. Stillman College, Southern University of New Orleans, Hampton University, Spelman College, Coppin State University, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Central State University, Paine College, Claflin University, Bethune-Cookman University, Rust College and Talladega College battled for the coveted first place spot in each contest.
Miss Tardy participated in a competition round with Central State University and Paine College. The competition was no easy task as Alexis and others were pitted against Honda All-Star challenge captains from various campuses. Alexis won first place and was awarded a $5,000 scholarship. Each school was represented by a student and coach from their campus. Miss Tardy’s coach was Dr. Sim C. Pettway, Talladega College’s Director of Continuing Education and Honda All-Star Challenge advisor. Dr. Pettway remarks, “I am so proud of Miss Tardy for winning the Ford Black College Quiz Bowl. Miss Tardy’s willingness to practice, even temperament, high self-esteem, and competitive spirit brought home the victory for Talladega College.”
Alexis is excited about her victory. She says, “I am very honored and blessed to have represented Talladega College in the Ford Black College Quiz Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia. The quiz bowl was not only fun and exciting, it was also a learning experience that I feel has opened doors for the school and myself. I hope this will be a starting point to other experiences that will help further my education, as well as preparation for my career.”
The Ford Black College Quiz Bowl is set to air between January and March of next year. The series will consist of four (4) half-hour quiz shows with three schools competing in each segment. The airing schedule will be announced by Central City Productions. For more information on the show, go to www.ccptv.com.
