Lakeram Seriram is the recipient of the 2016 Dunwoody College of Technology Leon Rankin Award. Seriram is about to earn his associate’s degree in the Toyota Technician Training & Education Network.
The Leon Rankin Award is given to a Dunwoody Youth Career Awareness Program (YCAP) student who shows academic excellence by maintaining a GPA of 2.5 or higher, has a 100% attendance record at all YCAP events and acts as a mentor to their fellow students both in YCAP and in the classroom.
The award is named in honor of Leon Adam Rankin, Jr. After moving to Minnesota in 1958, Rankin attended Dunwoody College, earning an Electrician Journeyman License. He became a Master Electrician and contractor in 1968. He was a respected citizen, civil rights activist, businessman, teacher, family and marriage counselor, and one of two African-American Master Electricians in Minnesota. Rankin and President Emeritus Warren Phillips co-created YCAP in 1988 to provide enhanced career opportunities for under-represented youth by empowering them to graduate from high school and obtain a degree from Dunwoody.
Chosen for his dedication to both his classmates and his schoolwork, Seriram has been a model YCAP student throughout his time at Dunwoody.
“Lakeram is very mature, respectful, honest, sincere and hardworking,” Automotive Principal Instructor Dave DuVal said. “He’s always willing to help his fellow classmates if they need it. Students like Lakeram are why I continue to teach.”
Lakeram Seriram is a 2014 graduate of Fridley High School. After graduating from Dunwoody, he plans to work for a Lexus Dealership in Wayzata.