Beating the Drum

In a New York winter, Dr. Bernard Appiah ’10 ’13 sits in his office at Syracuse University. Appiah laughs as he speaks about his public health work an ocean away. His eyes crinkle, and his mouth widens in a smile. “Sometimes when something seems so serious, you want to lighten it a bit to help people enjoy it,” he said. This approach softens the impersonal tone of public messages—an observation he made early in life. His late father was a gong-gong beater in their village in Ghana. The chief gave information to Appiah’s father, who beat the gong, gathered the villagers and relayed the announcement. “As a little kid, I was just following him,” he said. “I didn’t know I would also become a communicator in the future, you know?”

After working as a pharmacist in Ghana, Appiah wanted to move from one-on-one care to a larger impact in public health. At Texas A&M University, he earned degrees in science journalism and public health, building on his foundations. “Texas A&M and Syracuse University both focus on the global community,” he said. “Here at Syracuse University, I apply much of my communication expertise from Texas A&M in addressing health issues in Africa. My training in communication and public health have prepared me well to work in Africa.”

One of Appiah’s projects, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, saw the professor and his team using a radio drama, including phone-ins and discussions, to promote childhood vaccination in Ethiopia. “The result was amazing,” he shared. Parents who listened to the radio drama were more likely to have their children vaccinated on time. Their kids were also less likely to suffer from diseases that could’ve been prevented, or at least reduced in severity, through vaccination.

“If you want to help people positively change a behavior, you have to find a way to make them love the new behavior,” he said. “In Africa, they really like radio and television soap operas. So, instead of just telling people, ‘Go for your shot! Go for your shot!’ we decided to design a radio drama in a series—one episode each week. They listen in and think, ‘What’s going to happen next?’ And through the story, we can help them understand scientific concepts.”

Texas A&M gave Appiah the opportunity to pursue his public health and communications passions. Passing it back, he takes the lessons learned in his unique journey to make the world a little brighter—like the roll of his laughter.

To learn more about naming your own endowed scholarship for public health students, contact Karen Slater ’88.

Lorem Ipsum Dolor

Wyatt Spangler ’23 was selected to receive the Texas Armed Services Scholarship by Texas State Senator Charles Schwertner (R-Senate District 5). The Liberty Hill, Texas, native is the 1st Wing Major Unit Commander in the Corps of Cadets and a member of the Ross Volunteer Company. He is also active in Texas A&M’s Pre-Law Society. Spangler will join the U.S. Air Force after graduation.

Spangler credits his commitment to public service to his father, a police officer, and his participation in his church’s community service projects.

Two older brothers, both Aggies and members of the Corps of Cadets, influenced their younger sibling’s college choice. Spangler initially considered The University of Texas but changed his mind after seeing why his brothers loved Aggieland.

Drawn to challenges, Spangler engages in physical activities that push him and encourage him to grow. He loves going on 4- to 6-mile runs, especially during the heat of the day, and recently took up boxing.

Spangler’s college costs are covered thanks to support from the TASSP, the Patti & Weldon D. Kruger ’53 General Rudder Scholarship, the Jesse Jones Endowed Military Scholarship and the Dudley Evans Baker Scholarship. These funds have prevented Spangler and his family from worrying about student loan debt.

After completing his military service, Spangler wants to spend part of his career assisting unions, which he believes serve as a counterbalance to help protect against employer abuse. He is also considering becoming a public defense attorney.

The vision for TASSP emerged during Dr. Bob Gates’ Texas A&M University presidency and mirrored a plan conceived by Chancellor John Sharp ’72 when he was Texas comptroller.

“I wanted to find a way to significantly reduce the cost of attending Texas A&M for people interested in the Corps of Cadets or being a commissioned officer,” Gates said. “A scholarship program like this would be a big recruiting asset for the Corps while achieving a good thing for the country.”

Gates introduced the idea to Neal Adams ’68, then serving as the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s vice chair. After researching the idea, Adams became a key advocate. “It was Neal’s persistence that made TASSP a reality because the proposal first failed several times to get approval in the Texas Legislature,” Gates said.

Adams’ championing finally paid off, thanks in large part to two other Aggies. When the proposal seemed destined to stall again, then-Representative Dan Gattis ’90 asked House colleagues what they needed to vote the bill out of committee.

Someone replied, “Drop and do 20”—and the former Corps of Cadets member immediately complied in the Texas Capitol committee room. From there, then-Senator Steve Ogden ’87, who is also a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, successfully moved the bill through the Senate. The legislation passed, and TASSP funding began in 2011.

Recipients are nominated by the Texas governor, lieutenant governor, a state senator or a state representative. Since its inception, 3,275 TASSP scholarships worth $25 million have been awarded across the state; of those, Texas A&M students received 2,411 scholarships totaling $18.8 million.

Many Aggie recipients combine TASSP funds with Corps of Cadets scholarships to substantially reduce—and, in some cases, totally defray—college costs. However, if a recipient fails to meet TASSP’s requirements, the scholarship transitions into a loan that requires repayment.

Not surprisingly, most Aggie TASSP recipients honor their military commitment, which upholds its visionaries’ initial intent for the program.

“When you look at Texas and especially Texas A&M and the Corps of Cadets, young people have made a huge difference in serving our country,” Gattis said. “It makes total sense to have a program that rewards and encourages that kind of service.”