SCHOLARSHIP
Congratulations to the 2024 JACA Scholarship Recipients
Joshua Wallace II
Joshua Wallace II graduated from East Mecklenburg High School where he was a well-rounded student as proven by his academic accomplishments, volunteer work with the Barbados – Carolinas Organization and North Carolina Outward Bound Students (NCOBS) assisting students to move through a sequence of engaging experiences like backpacking that promoted skill mastery. Joshua is passionate about medicine and will attend Wake Forest University this Fall.
His ultimate goal is to gain a Doctorate in medicine.
Ciara Anderson
Ciara Anderson is a recent graduate of Northwest School of the Arts where she maintained a solid GPA. She was a part of the inaugural Black Student Union at her school. Ciara took up sewing at the age of 8. It turned into a hobby, which turned into a high school focus, and now will be a full-time career. She will pursue a major in apparel design (homage to both grandmothers who were seamstresses) and a minor in entrepreneurship. Ciara would like to create a small business, modeling some of the Caribbean businesses.
She will attend UNC Greensboro in the fall.
Amelia Cardenas
Amelia Cardenas is a graduate of East Mecklenburg High School where she maintained a solid GPA. She started band in middle school and continued throughout her high school career. Amelia has acquired discipline, judgment, and skills from participating in the band that transcends into other aspects of her life. Amelia will continue to utilize these qualities during her tenure at UNC Greensboro starting in the fall.
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Nevaeh Brown
Nevaeh Brown is now a graduate of Mallard Creek High School and is to be highly commended and congratulated for all that she has accomplished during her High School Career in addition to receiving her High School Diploma. While in High School, she simultaneously completed all of the requirements for an Associate Degree in Science last month, May 2024. Navaeh also holds Certification in First Aid, CPR, Automated External Defibrillator, and Life Guard. She was also awarded Third Place in Clinical Nursing at the Health Occupations Students of America Regional Conference for the North Carolina Competition.
Navaeh’s early childhood years were spent in Jamaica. She credits the school system there coupled with her parents who as she stated, “ remained an integral part of my academic journey, reminding me of their unwavering support through timeless Jamaican sayings like “If yuh wah good, yuh nose haffi run” – a proverb that emphasizes the importance of hard work as a prerequisite for success.”
Navaeh will attend North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University where she has been granted admission into Nursing from Fall 2024.
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Ahmad Maurice Fitts
Ahmad Maurice Fitts is a graduate of East Mecklenburg High School. During his High School Career Ahmad has demonstrated leadership through his involvement with the Senior Board lending his artistic talents to projects they worked on. He also represented his High School as a member of the JV Football Team.
Ahmad’s English Teacher had this to say, “Ahmad has also demonstrated his talents and leadership qualities outside of the classroom. He was selected to serve on the Senior Board where he helps to create a positive school environment for his peers. He also is a member of the film club where he gets to share his creativity with others. In addition, he has a part-time job at a restaurant where he developed interpersonal skills. These activities show Ahmad’s time management skills and his ability to positively interact with those around him.”
Upon graduating college, Ahmad plans to help the community through activism. He has been accepted to attend Appalachian State University in Fall 2024.
Asher Fermin
Asher Fermin is a recent graduate of Hopewell High School where he maintained a solid GPA. He has been involved in athletics throughout his high school career. He started football earlier in life but decided to quit due to constant fears. He went into track and then COVID hit. Asher decided to focus on academics during this interval but returned to football for a brief period. He revisited football during his senior year, actually completing his entire varsity season, a personal accomplishment for him.
Asher will attend Wingate University in the fall of 2024.
Jalyn Gates
Jalyn Gates recently graduated from West Cabarrus High School where she achieved a stellar GPA. She has been an active participant in the Park Church Outreach Program. Additionally, she was also involved in the Delta Gems food drive; represented her school in track and field, a member of the National Honor Society and the National Beta Club. Through her participation in the Outreach Program, Jalyn observed a significant need in the African American community in the area of dentistry. She observed a lack of access to dental care in the black community and that very few African Americans are entering the field of dentistry, leading also to a lack of role models. This not only results in a need for better dental care for a large subset of the African American population but also a need for more dental care providers of color. Jalen will attend NC A&T State University in the fall on her pursuit to become an orthodontist. She will then use this opportunity to provide free and affordable dental care as well as provide mentoring or guidance to African American students in high school to pursue careers in dentistry.
One of Jalyn’s references states that Jalyn’s intuitive nature, problem-solving skills, and open-minded approach to learning, set her apart as a student who is always seeking alter+natives to issues both in the classroom and in life in general. Another reference states that she has a deep commitment to social justice and community involvement through her proactive leadership in various initiatives.
Rihanna Grant
Rihanna Grant is a graduate of Hopewell High School. She has contributed to her community within the past year through her volunteer work. Her contributions have been, 1. Creating content for messages to young cancer patients; 2. crafting cards for nursing home residents to spearhead a bit of joy, combat loneliness, and help to promote positive well-being for the residents.
Some of Rihanna’s academic achievements have been: Selected for the National Spanish Honor Society - 2023, The National Technical Honor Society - 2023, and the National Honor Society in both 2023 & 2024.
Rihanna’s Science Teacher had this to say, “ She’s not only an academic competitor with her peers, but she’s also one with herself. She likes to assist her peers in being excited about not only learning the content but also retaining the information for future use.”
Rihanna has described herself as “ I am a dedicated and driven student with a clear ambition to pursue a career in dentistry.” She has earned admission to Western Carolina University in Fall 2024. Her ultimate goal following her study in College is to pursue and establish a dental practice back home in Jamaica.
Shamar Lindo
Shamar Lindo graduated from Hough High School where he completed a rigorous curriculum that consisted of AP and Honors coursework. This was in addition to the extracurricular activities he participated in with organizations such as the Young Black Leadership Alliance, Ambassador Program, and Future Business Leaders of America. Shamar describes himself as a student who’s diligent, creative, and passionate about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
He will begin the next phase of his education at UNC Charlotte this Fall and plans to major in biochemistry. His goal is to become an anesthesiologist.
Mikiah Marshall
Mikiah Marshall graduated from East Mecklenburg High School where she gained knowledge and skills via the International Baccalaureate Program. Mikiah loves to help people and has made it a point to obtain the credentials to support the skills and ability to do so. She learned and maintained proficiency in first responder skills such as First Aid and CPR to be able to offer individuals in distress support. The next step in Mikiah’s educational goal is to achieve her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing.
Xamora Reed
Xamora Reed is a recent graduate of Cabarrus-Kannapolis Early College where she maintained a solid GPA. Xamora has taken rigorous academic honors and AP courses and would like to continue this trajectory in college. Xamora will attend NC A&T State University in the fall, majoring in economics to learn how to properly analyze urban communities. She will minor in media production to learn about the different processes involved in the entertainment industry. She will harness the arts to bring about positive change.
Xamora would like to tackle disparities in school funding as one of her undertakings.
Gwen Straker
Gwen Straker is a recent graduate of West Forsyth High School with a stellar GPA. She was actively involved in numerous school-related activities such as peer mediation, all-county orchestra, key club, Crosby scholars, national art society, poetry performance, honor society, team moderator, peer mentor, and panelist rooted in race. Gwen explored different careers until she entered an AP Environmental class in her junior year of high school. During one of the lessons, the teacher spoke about GMOs and specifically, Golden Rice (rice infused with vitamin A) which is used in treating people with vitamin A deficiency. It was at that time that she realized her community of Winston Salem was 7th on the national list of communities dealing with food deserts. This has led her to pursue a career in Environmental/ Food Science at UNC Chapel Hill.
She will apply the study of GMOs to assist in solving the problems of food insecurities. In her research, she realized that many low-income communities with people of color are the most affected. Gwen states that due to global warming, changes are needed in agriculture. New solutions should be explored to ensure the population has easy access to proper nutrition. GMOs (genetically modified organisms), she believes are the solutions. Her AP English teacher states that Gwen has a razor-sharp mind and an ability to process concepts far beyond her grade level. The guidance counselor concurred, stating that Gwen is like an unpopped bag of popcorn, ready to explode with new ideas at any moment. He further stated that she uses her gifts and talents for the greater good. She visits assisted living facilities and nursing homes. Gwen is selfless in using her intellect to advance the welfare of her community.
Empress Voliton
Empress Voliton is a graduate of Harding University High School. During her High School Career in addition to her academic studies and accomplishments, she participated in extracurricular activities such as Student Body Vice President, the Zeta Phi Beta Amicette Club. Participating in the activities of the club resulted in her contributing to various community events. Her contributions included but weren’t limited to sorting clothes at the Matthews Help Center, Wrapping gifts at Our Lady of Consolation Church, and serving teen moms at Young Life Christian Camp.
In addition to all of her community work Empress has training in CPR and First Aid. This was an asset since she was a YMCA Camp Counselor summer of 2023. One of her counselors at school described her as, “Beyond her impressive skills and abilities, Empress is an exceptional leader and collaborator. She has a natural talent for inspiring and motivating those around her fostering a positive and productive work environment. Her effective communication skills and empathetic nature make her an invaluable asset to any university.”
Working at the YMCA last summer allowed Empress to interact with young campers. There were some campers who appeared to not have support at home. This was observed through their behaviors. Empress talked with the campers individually and tried to make them as comfortable as she could while they were under her care. This experience has inspired her to want to advocate for young children.
Empress plans to study criminal justice as her undergraduate major. She says, “I want to be able to counsel the kids and also be the voice to talk about injustice and disadvantages to local politicians.” She will attend Southern University and A & M College for the 2024 Fall semester. Empress ultimately wants to obtain her Law degree.