Mississippi State senior Nakimuli O. "Kim" Davis of Canton is the university's first recipient of the Hilton Hotels Corp. Information Technology Award.
The honor is presented by the department of computer science and engineering.
"It is an honor to be chosen as the recipient of the Hilton Hotels award," said Davis. "I am blessed to be recognized for the academic achievements that I have made, and to be a part of the partnership between the computer science and engineering department and Hilton Hotels."
Davis, a Dean's Scholar and the daughter of Nancy Davis, recently received the award from corporation officials in a campus ceremony. Her name and those of future winners will be placed on a plaque displayed in Butler Hall, which houses the CSE department.
"This new award is a part of annual funding that Hilton is providing to the department to aid in the development of the future information technology leaders," said Julia Hodges, head of the department, which is a part of the Bagley College of Engineering.
"It includes a one-year scholarship for a student who is in good standing academically and who displays leadership qualities," she added. "It also includes funds to provide student services within the department and to initiate the establishment of a Hilton Hotels Corp. endowment."
Lashell Vaughn, vice president of franchised systems for Hilton, and Delia Molinski, the corporation's director of the information technology business process, presented the award.
