2015 Scholarship Recipients

April Bruce

In July of 2010, I graduated from Garrison Secondary School. During the final year of school, I was a member of the school’s Girls Basketball Team, of which I received awards. After graduating from secondary school, I attended the Barbados Community College where I was pursuing a Private Secretary’s Diploma. In December 2012 I was awarded at Speech Day for my performance during our end of school life examinations (CSEC). I am an active member in my church (St. Philip Independent Baptist) where I help by serving drinks every Sunday morning. I am currently looking to pursue an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts.

Brittany Deanna Barnes

I was born on June 4, 1996 in Orangeburg, SC. I am the daughter of Albert and Gloria Barnes. I attended Child Development Learning Center, Back to Basics, and Felton Laboratory School. The years I attend those school I have been on the Honor Roll for making all A’s and B’s. While attending Felton Laboratory School I was a member of the Beta Club. After graduating from 8th grade, I attend Orangeburg Wilkinson High School. I also made all A’s and B’s, allowing me to serve on the Honor Roll for all four years I attended. I was member of Emeralds of Distinction while attending Orangeburg Wilkinson High School. During my senior year, I ranked 47 out of 220 and maintain a GPA of a 3.8. I now attend Claflin University where I am a freshman still maintain all A’s and B’s and have a GPA of a 3.3. In my spare time I do voluntary work at Project Life Positeen under Mrs. Zimmerman-Keitt. When I’m not volunteering, I tutor elementary students from kindergarten to fifth grade in all subjects. I also I am a cashier at Piggly Wiggly. Last but not least I am a member of St. Paul Baptist church where I serve as the Sunday school secretary, Youth Advisor for children church, and work in the nursery.

LaTarvia Brown

I was born Dec.22.1996 in Orangeburg SC to Ms.Marla Brown. I attended Marshall Elementary School, William.J.Clark Middle School where I became an honors student in the 6th grade. I went on to Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School where I continued as an honors student. While in high school I became a proud member of the National Juniors Honors Society, Orangeburg-Wilkinson Cheerleaders, HOSA and LKL. After High School I plan to go on to attend Lander University and major in nursing.

Nigel Bullard

Nigel Bullard was born in Washington DC and raised in Northern Virginia. Over the years he has participated in many sports, football being his favorite. In his senior year he was selected to be a part of his football team’s leadership council and received the award for “Most Outstanding Player for Defense.” He continues to play and try new sports and hopes to play while in college, even if it is just at the intramural level. Nigel has participated in his church’s Senior Youth Ministry and Senior Youth Choir for all four years of high school. He was inducted into the National Honor Society and was a member of the Spanish Honors Society. He has had a great deal of interest in math and science since grade school, and the love for these subjects has prompted his interests to study Biomedical Engineering in college. He has managed to maintain an AB average and was able to achieve a 3.9 accumulative GPA. Nigel is still waiting to decide on what school he will attend in the fall, but his top choices as of now are University of South Carolina, Pennsylvania State University, or University of Pittsburgh.

Jellisa T. Ewan

Jellisa T. Ewan will be a junior during the 2016-2017 academic year with a major in Biotechnology at Claflin University at Claflin University. She is a recipient of the Alice Carson Tisdale Honors Scholarship and obtained an internship position at Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research. Upon graduating from Claflin University she intends to pursue a Ph.D. in Biotechnology or Environmental Science at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Upon completion of her undergraduate degree she would like to begin her career at Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research. She will then use this experience to transfer into the field of water conservation so that she can discover ways to develop and sustain a healthy global environment. Ms. Ewan is the recipient of the Angie Kennedy Educational Foundation Scholarship.

Shaelynn LeAnna Frederick

Shaelynn LeAnna Frederick is currently a senior at Orangeburg Wilkinson High School. She was born May 15, 1997 in Orangeburg, South Carolina. She is the daughter of Terry Frederick and Tawana Howell. Shaelynn has five lovely siblings,Terry Jr, Matthew, Nahkia, Haley, and Sharonda. Her hobbies include traveling, shopping, and spending time with her friends and family and reading.Shaelynn is an A/B honor roll student and has been enrolled in honors classes since her fifth grade year in elementary school. Shaelynn has been involved in various sports since junior high, which include basketball, volleyball, and cheerleading. She continued cheerleading once she got to high school and became a member of the Orangeburg Wilkinson High School Varsity Cheerleading Squad for three years. Shaelynn became very active in her community during her freshman year of high school when she became an active member of the Helen Sheffield Federated Girls Club Inc., a service club for young girls. As a member of the girls club Shaelynn serves as the club’s corresponding secretary.She has participated in Orangeburg’s annual “Make a Difference Day” and “Taste of Orangeburg”. She has volunteered at elderly homes, youth camps, relay for life, and also at soup kitchens for the homeless. Shaelynn has received suchawards as the “Bruin Claw Award” for outstanding citizenship in her school and she was crowned “Miss Senior for the 2014-2015 school term. Shaelynn’s interest in the health field was sparked her freshman year of high school and from then on she took the initiative to enroll in health science classes at the Technology Center. Shaelynn later earned a Certificate of Completion in Health Science.Shaelynn aspires to become a Doctor of Pharmacy and is currently enrolled in a Pharmacy-Technician class which allows her to intern at the Regional Medical Center in Orangeburg, South Carolina and gain hands-on experience. Her goals after high school are to attend the University of South Carolina Aiken or Winthrop University and major in Pre-Pharmacy and later transfer to a pharmacy school and receive her Doctor of Pharmacy Degree. Achieving a quality education and becoming a productive member of society who is able to give back to her community is very important to Shaelynn, which is why she believes she must take advantage of all the educational opportunities she is afforded. Shaelynn has always been determined and confident in abilities and believes that one must face many challenges and overcome many obstacles in order to be successful in life. One of the quotes she lives by is, “Defeat may test you; it need not stop you. If at first you don’t succeed, try another way. For every obstacle there is a solution. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. The greatest mistake is giving up.”

Terrell Smith

I was born at George Washington Hospital Center in Washington DC on August 4th, 1994. I was raised later on in Maryland in Oxon Hill to be exact in the neighborhood of Glass manor. I have been living there for mostly my whole life 13 years really. I live with my mother and younger brother in Oxon Hill, MD. My father is in the picture as well now living back with me but still some difficulties going on but everything is alright. I’m 20 years old now and attending Morgan State University while majoring Elementary Education. I am the middle child out of 5 brothers from Dontae, Alonzo, Jamal, Me, and Tavon which is the youngest of us. Unfortunately, the 2 oldest (Alonzo and Dontae) passed away so now it’s 3 of us and 1 older sister. I attend Forest Heights elementary school, then to Oxon Hill middle school, and on to Oxon Hill high school. Now this is where one of my significant influences comes in. When I went to Oxon Hill high, it was an experience that I never want go through again. I repeated the ninth grade over because of my actions and how I became a follower in school skipping class trying to fit in with the kids from my neighborhood and middle school. At first, I didn’t want to go to Oxon Hill in the beginning because I knew something like this was going to happen with either failing or not moving forward and I jinx myself. From there, I attend Friendly High School where I could start over and show people who the real “Terrell Smith” is. I was on honor roll from mostly my sophomore on to my senior year doing real good. I played football for the Friendly Patriots varsity football team where I became the gazette player of the week my senior year first game coming back from a concussion injury. I also became the 2013 Homecoming King for my school as well. I can say now I am an official graduate from Friendly High School with a 3.35 GPA ending the year. Before I came to Morgan State, I attend a school called “Virginia University of Lynchburg” or VUL for short. The school was alright but wasn’t benefitting me for my major or my college experience but mostly my education. I had to make a mature decision for myself and I chose Morgan State as the school for me to transfer and further my education in Elementary Education and become a teacher and work with children with disabilities physically and learning wise. I discovered in elementary school that I had a learning disability and was given extra help from my special educate teacher. I thought I was just getting special treatment because I was a bright student or something like that but I got the help need though for me to proceed to the next level of grade. After finding out what disability I had in school at a older age, I decide that it should be a great thing for me to learn more about the educational system and give back to the same students who had a different time in class even when they are trying their hardest to make everything correct.

Tiffanie N. Robinson

Tiffanie N. Robinson, I was born in Orangeburg South, on June 16, 1997. I am the daughter of David I. Robinson and Ruby J. Shuler. I am 17 years old. I have three sisters and two brothers that are all younger than me. I am a current student at Orangeburg Wilkinson High School. I am an AB Honor Roll student. My GPA is a 3.3 and my favorite subjects are English and Math. I am a senior this year, and I will be graduating on June 6, 2015. After High School, I will be attending Piedmont Technical College, where I will be pursing my career in Mortuary Science. As of now I am a member of the organizations HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) and EOD (Emeralds of Distinction). I attend Church on every Sunday participating in Sunday school and after and church events daily. After doing two semester at Piedmont Tech I want to transfer to Gupton Jones in Ohio to finish off Mortuary School so I can use my Mortician license all over the United States.

Trenaysia Pearson

“I am the rose that grew from concrete.” Despite every rock and pothole in the road, I have managed to overcome them. I take my experiences and use it to push me towards my dreams. As the great Maya Angelou once said, “We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated.” This has become my mantra. I lost my father to a car accident December 27, 1998. I was only one year old. I was young, so I didn’t comprehend what had happened. I vaguely remember him. All I had left was my mother. The day she died tore me apart. My mother was my biggest inspiration. When I thought I could not, she told me I could. She always told me to aim for the starts. She went into the hospital August 2011. The morning of August 9th, I received a phone call that my mother’s heart had stopped and there was nothing else the doctors could do. My mother was gone and I did not understand. Some people think that when tragedy strikes they are marked with bad luck or misfortune: but the tragedy in my life has and will impel me to greatness. My circumstances may have been a reason to give up, but before I was born, I was marked for greatness. I didn’t look at my parents’ death as a tragedy: I viewed it as the spur to my destiny, and like a phoenix, out of the ashes, I rise.