Southeastern NEWS

                                                       Southeastern Louisiana University
                                           Public Information Office
                                           SLU 880, Hammond, LA 70402
                                           504/549-2341/fax 504-549-2061
    Date: 10/10/95
      Contact:                           Christina Chapple  126

EDITORS: PHOTO ACCOMPANIES RELEASE -- Please note local interest
SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT, HONOREE HAD MUCH IN COMMON
     HAMMOND -- When Anthony and Kay Vergona established a scholarship at
Southeastern Louisiana University in memory of their son, Anthony, they did not attach many
strings to it.
     The only stipulation that the Harvey, La.,  couple made was that the Anthony Vergona
Memorial Scholarship go to a student who, like their son, was physically challenged. So, the
Vergonas were amazed -- and pleased -- to discover how much Anthony had in common with the
scholarship's first recipient, Shawn Lemieux of Hammond.
     Lemieux admits that mathematics is, well, not her best subject. Anthony, a 1990 graduate
and gifted artist who died in April of a disease called neurofibromatosis, struggled with math
courses too. Lemieux, who is minoring in communication, has a yen to try an unusual career --
she thinks it would be really fun to do cartoon voices. 
     "Anthony was a cartoonist!" Mr. Vergona told her. "That's what he wanted to do since he
was a little kid."
     Lemieux, a junior originally from upstate New York, is a special education major seeking
dual teaching certification in elementary education. Born blind because of congenital cataracts
and glaucoma, she had partial sight restored to her right eye when she was two years old.
     "I'm visually impaired, as you can see by my thick glasses," she says, smiling matter-of-
factly. She does not mind questions about her disability. "I would rather people ask than stare,"
she said.
     Lemieux is secretary of Southeastern's student organization for physically challenged students.
The organization is called "PRIdE," which stands for "People Reaching Individuals for
DisAbilities Education." The small letter "d" in PRIdE and the capital A in DisAbilities are
                                 (MORE)
VERGONA SCHOLARSHIP -- Add One
 deliberate. The organization wants to deemphasize "disable" and emphasize "ability."
     Lemieux admits that she can get tough if she sees someone flagrantly violating handicap
access laws. "If I see someone blocking a ramp, I might put a note on their car, telling them, 'Do
you know that if you park here a handicap student can't get by?' If I see them doing it again, I'll
call the police."
     Lemieux said the news of her selection for the Vergona scholarship reached her at the end
of a difficult summer. "This has been a big self-esteem boost," she said. "These people are
investing in me and I'm going to make them proud."
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