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Vikki L. Pryor, SBLI USA President and CEO, Honors Student in Memory of her Grandmother
Pryor Receives Minority Bar Association's Education Award
BUFFALO, NY -- September 7, 2007-- The sixth annual Marie Nesbitt Promise Prize was awarded to Pamela Schaller, a second year law student at the University at Buffalo Law School at the Minority Bar Association of Western New York's 25th Annual Awards and Scholarship Dinner. Vikki L. Pryor, creator of the Promise Prize, received the Education Award from the Minority Bar Association.
The $5,000 Promise Prize is bestowed annually upon a first-year UB Law student of African-American descent who has demonstrated exceptional academic achievement and professional promise. Pryor created the award in 2002 in memory of her grandmother, Marie Nesbitt, a great granddaughter of slaves whose formal education stopped at the third grade. Nesbitt was a woman of strong opinions and deeply held principles who inspired everyone with whom she came in contact. In keeping with Marie Nesbitt's influence, the award is intended to foster a legacy of giving in support of young people working to achieve their dreams.
Schaller's decision to attend law school developed from her experience working as an orthopedic nurse after graduating third in her class in the nursing program at the University at Buffalo. Schaller's patients often had questions and concerns that Schaller was unable to address because they fell outside the spectrum of nursing. Schaller said, "I wanted to be effective in more than a clinical health capacity."
Now ranked in the top 15 percent of her class at the UB Law School, Schaller is able to help people in a variety of ways. She is active in the UB Lawyers Guild, which focuses on legal services for the poor in western New York. Schaller hopes to continue this service by one day opening her own private practice and taking on community service work in the process. Despite a full course load and raising three children, ages 8, 9 and 10, Schaller remains committed to her clinical health background by working at a local hospital on weekends. Like Pryor, Schaller has always realized the value and power of those who have offered support throughout her journey. "This award has solidified my desire to succeed not only for myself and for my family, but also for what it will enable me to do for others along the way," said Schaller.
According to Pryor, Schaller's hope to give back will one day be a reality for all Promise Prize recipients. "My vision is that in the future there will be a 'Promise Prize Network' whose members will actively support each other and expand the funding of the award," says Pryor.
Pryor is an alumna of UB Law School. Her commitment to education has been recognized throughout the years, and has now been formally acknowledged by the MBA with the Education Award on its 25th Anniversary. This award was given to Pryor for her demonstrated support to the MBA and its mission, and for her commitment to the education of minority students entering the legal profession. "I can't think of anyone who better embodies the idea of this award than Vikki Pryor," said Sakina Riddell, president of the MBA of Western New York. "She is instrumental to our organization."
Today, Pryor serves as the President and CEO of SBLI USA Mutual Life Insurance Company, Inc., with locations in Newark, NJ, New York, NY, Buffalo, NY, Bayoman, Puerto Rico, and Chicago, IL. Pryor has led a diverse workforce of over 200 employees since 1999 in an effort to provide affordable and accessible life insurance to people in middle income brackets. SBLI USA serves families and individuals nationwide.
More about SBLI USA/S.USA
SBLI USA markets a wide range of life insurance products to value-conscious consumers and diverse markets. The Company is dedicated to building lifelong relationships with customers and empowering them with the education and tools they need to take control of their financial destinies.
SBLI USA and its subsidiaries are licensed in 49 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. With more than $16.7 billion of insurance in force, $1.5 billion in assets, $124 million in surplus capital, 200 associates and nearly 380,000 policyholders, the company is committed to offering affordable, flexible and easy-to-access products through a variety of integrated channels, including direct mail, telemarketing, a bilingual Web site, licensed agents, and new Customer Centers, as it expands nationally.
SBLI USA Mutual Life Insurance Company, Inc. is the parent company to SBLI USA Holdings, Inc., which owns subsidiary companies S.USA Life Insurance Company, Inc., and SBLI USA Diversified Services Company, Inc.
More about the University at Buffalo Law School
Since its founding in 1887, UB Law School has established an excellent reputation and is widely regarded as a leader in legal education. Its curriculum provides both a strong theoretical foundation and the practical tools graduates need to succeed in a competitive marketplace, with a special emphasis on interdisciplinary studies, public service, and opportunities for hands-on clinical education. Each student has the opportunity to craft a custom-made curriculum, beyond the selected concentrations, drawing from numerous offerings to build a personalized sequence of courses and experiences. The school has a very low student-faculty ratio. Currently, more than 75 percent of its upper division courses are comprised of fewer than 40 students. Many of the 50 faculty members are nationally prominent and hold advanced degrees in the social sciences and other disciplines, in addition to their law degrees. Their scholarship is published widely, and they bring a wealth of practice and policy experience to UB Law.
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