Our Scholars

I am currently enrolled at The University of North Texas. This Fall I will be entering my fifth and final year with a major in Radio/TV/Film and a minor in Spanish. I am legally blind due to a brain tumor on my optic nerve; therefore, I have no peripheral vision, and far away or small objects are difficult to see. Although my chosen degree relies heavily on vision, my aim has always been to show myself and others that you do not necessarily have to have perfect eyesight to follow your dreams. I will be graduating next May and will finally have my bachelor’s degree in film production. I cannot express how excited and happy I am to receive my degree at last! None of this would have been possible without the love and kindness of everyone at the Alice Givens Jones Foundation and their wonderful sponsors. They’ve helped me from the very beginning, and been with me throughout these long years. From the bottom of my heart, thank you and God bless!

I love Jesus, I believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Having said that , I think nothing is by accident, it is all part of the Master’s Plan. I would like to stop the vicious cycle of addiction, by working with children teaching them skills that will detour them from getting caught up in some type of addiction. The tools I hope to employ will definitely consist of Spiritual, Physical, and Mental techniques that will be foundation blocks for life. I am pursuing the Developmental Family Study Degree, to prepare to go into communities, churches, schools, non profit organizations to teach a better way. I hope that we can also work on building great relationship skills, that we can emphasize that we respect even when we do not agree. Wisdom, comes with age, and I definitely have age on my side. I think that addiction is the elephant in the room that everyone overlooks. It is crucial, to our community, city, state, nation, and world that we begin to be the solution. Yes, I am legally blind…, perhaps now I see.

I plan to become a university professor of information policy to educate others in the use of Information and Communication Technologies to thrive in this burgeoning digital-based global economy. Passionate about the interplay between humanity and technology, I am pursuing a Ph.D. in information sciences at UNT to enhance my scholarly and professional goal of becoming a change agent through sharing knowledge to improve lives. Additionally, I plan to help people with disabilities to adopt technologies to enhance their independence and productivity.

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My dissertation research into the adoption of Open Source Software as an ICT strategy by Uganda to bridge the digital divide and transform itself into an information society, aims to benefit Uganda and global communities. After completing my undergraduate education in Uganda, I embarked on a teaching and journalism career before abruptly losing my eyesight to glaucoma in 2000. My graduate education and assistantships have significantly enhanced my immersion in the fields of communication and information to which I have contributed six publications and several presentations.

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I am a volunteer UNT-International Ambassador, educating diverse communities about global cultures, and mentoring and tutoring fellow students on the values of education. I received the outstanding international graduate student award at UNT, won ACB, Incight, and UNT scholarships, and an outstanding thesis award.

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A task-oriented individual, I inspire others to transform themselves into rounded professionals to network and positively impact communities. While I am a team player, I don’t support working with individuals who don’t manage their time strategically.

My name is Cindy Finefrock. I am now a junior at Texas Woman’s University pursuing a bachelor of general studies degree with concentrations in music, sociology, and women’s studies. Currently, my cumulative GPA is 3.761. At school, I participate in the classical guitar ensemble and the choral ensemble. Singing has been a hobby of mine for as long as I can remember. For four and a half years, I have been playing the acoustic guitar and for just over a year, I have been playing the classical guitar. In addition, I enjoy participating in the running club at school called Follow Me. Other passions of mine include spirituality, writing, and reading.

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Admittedly, I do not yet have a career plan as I am still exploring who I am. What I do know is that I desire to create music that will bring inspiration to the world. I desire to help people emotionally, mentally, spiritually, physically, and in any way I can. Through the disciplines of sociology and women’s studies, I aim to gain a better understanding of our world. Being an observer with free thought and new perspectives is something I enjoy. I desire to advocate for equality and encourage diversity. Though I am only one person and though I have a visual impairment, I know that in being myself, in my differentness, I will make a difference. My dream is to share my insight with the world and show others that they too are capable of calling forth their own insight.