Ariel Barlow, Earnest Swan, (not pictured: DeMontre Purvis), Kristin Simms, Jorell Watkins
Five deserving students have been awarded by the 2011 Richmond African-American Scholarship Fund, for their exceptional work inside of the classroom.
THE STRONG ACADEMIC RECORDS AND PASSIONATE LEADERSHIP SHOWED BY THE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS THESE PAST EIGHT YEARS SHOWS THAT OUR REGION IS EFFECTIVELY GROWING SOME OF THE BEST TALENT OF OUR TIME.
Recognizing academic excellence in the African American community has been the mission of the RAASF since 2003, when the Fund was founded by Genworth Financial’s African American Forum. The RAASF is focused on promoting higher education in the African American community and facilitating collaborative community and corporate partnership.
Each recipient will receive a $2000 scholarship. This year’s award recipients are:
Ariel Barlow: Graduated from Armstrong High school as class valedictorian and National Honor Society inductee. While in high school she enrolled in numerous honors and advanced placement classes and took part in the dual enrollment program at J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College. She plans to major in engineering in college.
DeMontre Purvis: When DeMontre Purvis starts at Virginia Tech this fall, he will be the first in his immediate family to have gone to college. He is a graduate of Richmond Community High School and was active in a number of organizations while there, including National Technical Honor Society, Amnesty International, and Future Business Leaders of America.
Kristin Simms: Graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School with a 4.79 GPA, the top student in her graduating class. Her numerous academic honors include being named as Capital One’s Future Leader for Young Women, winning the United States Achievement Academy Award for Excellence and volunteering in the community and receiving the Interfaith Council of Greater Richmond’s 44th Annual Brotherhood-Sisterhood Youth Award for caring.
Ernest Swan: Earned a place on the Franklin Military Institute’s honor roll for four consecutive years. By graduation, Cadet Swan had risen to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Swan says he wants to become a mathematics teacher so that he can be an inspiration to students.
Jorell Watkins: A first-generation college student. The Open High School graduate volunteered for more than 70 hours at the Chesterfield/Colonial Heights Department of Social Services helping social workers while organizing the Tools for Schools program, which provided impoverished children with school supplies. Watkins plans to attend college in the fall.
Since it’s inception, RAASF has awarded more than $90,000 in scholarships to 45 Richmond Public School graduates attending accredited universities throughout the U.S. Scholarship applicants have been both valedictorians and salutatorians of their respective graduating classes, maintaining GPA’s above 3.8. They have attended such colleges as Carnegie Mellon, Howard University, Spelman University, and the University of Virginia.
“I am inspired by these young people,” said RAASF Board Chairman Ted Warlick. “The strong academic records and passionate leadership showed by the scholarship recipients these past eight years shows that our region is effectively growing some of the best talent of our time.”
In addition to the ongoing mission of RAASF to award and mentor Richmond’s exceptional African-American students attending accredited universities, RAASF’s long term strategy is working towards the funding of a $500,000 endowment. It hopes to do that by establishing partnerships with corporations and individuals in the greater Richmond metropolitan area.
For more information regarding the Richmond African American Scholarship Fund, visit www.RAASF.org or email contactus@raasf.com To make a donation online, logon to www.raasf.org and click on “Donations”.
