NWSCC Upward Bound 17-year-old to earn college degree before high school diploma
According to Northwest Shoals Community College, Mary Elizabeth Fisher will graduate with an Associate in Science degree days before she walks at her graduation from Phil Campbell High School.
Fisher is the Valedictorian of her high school class, is a first-generation college student and has excelled while participating in Dual Enrollment and the Upward Bound Phil Campbell Project.
Sherry Campbell, the project Manager of Upward Bound, said Fisher's story is a great example of how determination and access to education opportunities can change lives.
'We are so proud of her achievements and can't wait to see all that she accomplishes in the future,' Campbell said.
'She has earned numerous accolades, including the American Chemical Society Award, and is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society at NWSCC. As Vice President of her senior class, she has been involved in multiple organizations such as Future Business Leaders of America, National Honor Society and the Grass and Roots Project—a program she founded to provide companionship to elderly residents in assisted living homes,' NWSCC said.
Fisher is also a multi-sport athlete, playing Varsity volleyball, basketball and golf. She also earned the highest GPA award for her athletic participation.
'Her service efforts have been recognized at the state level, securing 2nd Place in the FBLA State Competition for her Service Project. She has dedicated time to various volunteer organizations, including Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) and Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) as well as numerous community outreach programs.'
NWSCC
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Yahoo
Hands Across Decatur extends hours due to heat
DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) — With the heat that's coming this week, Hands Across Decatur will be open with extended hours this week for those who need shelter. HAD, located on 1027 5th Avenue SE in Decatur, will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, July 21. Tuesday through Thursday, they'll be open an hour later, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The shelter is normally closed Friday through Sunday, but HAD says they'll play it by ear, depending on the weather. Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to noon. Those wanting to donate to HAD can do so through the following options: Paypal: donate@ Cashapp: $haddecatur Venmo: @Had2Be Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword


Chicago Tribune
19-07-2025
- Chicago Tribune
IUN professor receives USDA fellowship to help agriculture opportunities
One year ago, Jenny Fisher wasn't aware of the U.S. Department of Agriculture fellowship for university faculty nationwide. Now, the Indiana University Northwest professor is one of eight educators nationwide participating in the science program. 'More and more people are finding out about it and applying,' said Fisher, associate professor of biology. 'I am very surprised and thankful that they chose me, which I'm still kind of amazed they did.' The USDA selected Fisher as one of the 2025 E. Kika De La Garza science fellows. The E. Kika De La Garza program is part of the department's Hispanic-Serving Institutions National Program, according to its website. Fisher first learned about the program last fall, after a former USDA employee and regional contact told her about it. She applied in March and learned she was awarded the fellowship in May, Fisher said. With changes in federal government funding, Fisher didn't know if the program would continue. 'When everything was kind of being shut down by the government for a while was when I had applied,' she said. 'They paused it, and then we thought it would be canceled for sure, but they reinstated it, which is awesome.' Since initial worries, government funding changes haven't affected Fisher's fellowship, she said. The program partners with Hispanic-Serving Institutions nationwide to support the agricultural workforce through professional development, workforce development and exposure to opportunities for faculty, staff and students. 'To develop agricultural leaders in both the public and private sectors, HSIs must take positive steps to engage and create partnerships to build capacity,' Lisa Ramirez, director of USDA's Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement, said in a statement. IUN has been a Hispanic-Serving Institution since 2020, according to Post-Tribune archives, which means at least 25% of the school's full-time equivalent undergraduate enrollment is Hispanic. IUN is the most diverse of the Indiana University campuses, and about 30% of its students are Hispanic or Latino, according to the university. Through the designation, the university can receive more grant funding and opportunities. The E. Kika De La Garza program has three fellowships: education, high school education, and science. The program is named after former U.S. Rep. Eligio 'Kika' de La Garza of Texas. Through the fellowship, Fisher traveled to Washington, D.C. and Columbus to meet with USDA officials and collaborate in the department's Agricultural Research Service in the Soil Drainage Laboratories. Fisher has also met the other educators in the program, which she said has been helpful as she plans for the upcoming school year. 'We sort of all became fast friends and have been communicating about things as we've left for our homes or other places,' Fisher said. 'Building those relationships was an unexpected benefit of this experience.' With the fellowship, Fisher hopes to show students what career and internship opportunities are available through USDA. She also wants students to have more of an appreciation for agriculture. Through her work, she hopes students learn there is more to agriculture than farming. 'In my first year seminar, I teach them about agriculture and have them think about how it touches their life, how much we take for granted, how complex the process really is and how it's connected to almost every aspect of their lives. There are so many facets of it to consider.'


New York Post
04-07-2025
- New York Post
Nanny state, for real: Feds won't even trust parents with a baby pillow
Imagine a new parent, soothing her baby at home, grateful for a moment of peace while her infant reclines in a cozy, contoured lounger beside her: It's soft and portable, designed specifically for a baby's supervised awake time — a helping hand amid the chaos of early parenthood. Now imagine the federal government declaring this item to be too dangerous to exist. That's exactly what happened with the Podster, a baby lounger made by Leachco, a small family-owned business in Oklahoma. Advertisement Designed to cradle infants while they're awake and with an adult, the Podster is not a sleeper, not a car seat, not a crib. It's a contoured cushion, a glorified baby pillow, meant to keep infants comfortably propped up while under a parent's watchful eye. Since its release in 2009 Leachco has sold over 180,000 Podsters. When used as intended, it has a perfect safety record. Advertisement But after three infant deaths linked to serious misuse of the lounger were reported, the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission labeled the Podster a 'substantial product hazard' and demanded a full recall. In one case, the infant was left unsupervised in a crib with the Podster for over an hour. In another, it was used in an adult bed, surrounded by pillows and bedding. In every case, the lounger was not being used according to its clear safety instructions. Advertisement There was no suggestion the Podster failed or malfunctioned. But the CPSC argued it was 'reasonably foreseeable' that some parents might ignore the warnings — making the product itself defective. That reasoning reveals a deeper problem. The CPSC was created in 1972 to protect Americans from dangerous products — items with clear, physical risks, like a too-small toy that poses a choking hazard or a battery-operated mobile that could overheat and catch fire. Advertisement It sets safety standards and can recall or even ban items it deems inherently hazardous. But the agency has drifted into overreach, defining 'risk' in increasingly abstract and paternalistic ways. Picture applying the Podster standard more broadly. Should we ban grapes because they're a choking hazard? Should we make backyard pools illegal because children can drown, or outlaw cars because some people don't wear seat belts? Obviously not — but that's the logic at play when the CPSC targets products like the Podster or the Fisher-Price Rock 'n Play, a once-popular baby sleeper. The CPSC linked over 30 infant deaths to that product — all in situations where babies weren't restrained or were placed in unsafe sleep environments, despite manufacturer warnings. These are devastating tragedies, but they're not necessarily evidence of a defective product. They're examples of what happens when products are misused. Advertisement Instead of educating parents about safe practices, the CPSC has leaned on the idea that any possible misuse is enough to justify a recall. That sets an impossible standard, and one that disproportionately hurts small businesses. Complying with federal safety regulations comes at a high cost. Big companies might absorb it. But small firms like Leachco, run by a husband-and-wife team, often can't. Advertisement Even a 10% increase in regulation can shrink the number of firms and reduce small-business employment, analysts have found. And when smaller players are pushed out, competition suffers — leaving us fewer options, higher prices and less innovation. Regulatory overreach has another cost, too: the products that are never created. 'Trying to preemptively plan for every hypothetical worst-case scenario means that many best-case scenarios will never come about,' says policy analyst Adam Thierer. Advertisement In the quest to prevent all harm, we paralyze progress. And for what? The CPSC's own data shows that most injuries linked to nursery products don't stem from defects. They happen when caregivers misuse them. High chairs, for example, consistently top the injury charts. But kids get hurt because they're climbing, wiggling or not strapped in properly, not because the chairs themselves are dangerous. Worse, eliminating products like the Podster doesn't eliminate risk — it just shifts it. Advertisement Parents still need somewhere to put the baby. Banning safe loungers leads caregivers to improvise with regular pillows or folded blankets, introducing new hazards in the name of safety. A zero-risk world doesn't exist. The Podster is the poster child for bureaucratic overreach: A well-intentioned agency attacking a safe, helpful product because someone misused it. Congress should step in. Lawmakers can direct the CPSC to define what counts as a 'product defect,' and can require the agency to distinguish between genuine hazards and issues of misuse. Clear, objective standards will protect consumers without punishing responsible parents or businesses. Parents deserve safe products, but they also deserve the freedom to make their own choices — without a nanny-state government treating them like they can't be trusted with a baby pillow. Bethany Mandel writes and podcasts at The Mom Wars and is a homeschooling mother of six in greater Washington, DC.