Scholarship Recipients 2016-2017
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Deja Stith
Science Park High School Class of 2016, Joanne Brannon “Hope” Scholarship recipient My name is Deja Stith, and I am currently a senior at Science Park High School in Newark, New Jersey. In the fall, I will be attending Rutgers University-Newark, working towards a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. I was only eight years old when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Although I was young, I still understood the impact it had on my family. Seeing her in pain then has been the driving force behind my strides to put an end to breast cancer today. I am a part of my school’s National Honor Society, secretary in fact, and one of the goals of our chapter is service. One of our yearly events is Relay For Life. Leading up to the occasion, we do our event called ‘Push For Pink’, a month long sell of breast cancer items like wristbands and pins, donating the proceeds to America Cancer Society. This year, we even decided to hold a two month long coin drive within our school in which the coins collected will be donated to our team, -C, for the Relay For Life event held in June in Newark, NJ. Our team, – C, is dedicated to subtracting cancer from society. At these events, I make strides to make sure that all woman will be able to take another step and if they do have breast cancer, I make sure they will not have to suffer the burden of paying. I do it all in the name of my mother, my superwoman. |
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Sierra Noel Holmes
Montclair High School Class of 2016, Diane Jane Wood “Faith” Scholarship My full name is Sierra Noel Holmes and I am 18 years old. I was born on December 31, 1997 in Livingston New Jersey in St. Barnabas Hospital but was raised in Montclair. I attended Edgemont Montessori for Kindergarten through fifth grade, Mount Hebron School for sixth through eighth grade, and I currently go to Montclair High School as a senior. My freshman year in Montclair High, I joined extracurricular activities to find my interest throughout school. I joined the Cheerleading team, Stage Production, and Breast Cancer Awareness Club. Sophomore year, I joined a small learning community called The Center for Social Justice (CSJ) and continued with it throughout my junior year and as a senior. Being part of a small learning community has taught me the importance of community service. My junior year, I focused hard on keeping my grades up. I took more of an interest in History and decided to take AP History to challenge myself. I received a B as my final grade and raised my GPA from 2.88 to 3.075. I am currently part of CSJ, the President of the Breast Cancer Awareness Club, and the Vice President of Students against Destructive Decisions (SADD). I attended a national conference for SADD this past summer and shared the ideas I learned in its workshops with my group members in school. For Breast Cancer Awareness Club, my club members and I participate in sporting events and sell pink items to raise money, more importantly, spread awareness. I joined this club because I know people close to me who suffered from some type of cancer, breast cancer being the most common cancer. What breast cancer awareness means to me is educating those who are uneducated on the realities of breast cancer. The harms this disease does to the body and if this disease is common within one’s family, they should frequently get their breast examined. Also, it means to celebrate the survival and strength of breast cancer survivors. For people who fought and survived this life threatening disease, influenced my strive and passion to get people involved and aware in and outside of my school. I hope for the leader after me will have the same passion to get individuals involved and spread awareness. This fall, I will be attending Montclair State University. My mother, Kim White, was first generation college and I will be second generation college. I am currently interning at Talbot’s to get the experience of what it is like in a retail store. I aspire to be a fashion Buyer, and I plan on maj |
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Thomas Iovine
Montclair High School Class of 2016, Lenora Adams-Alston “Courage” Scholarship My name is Thomas Iovine, and I am a senior at Montclair High School. In the fall, I will be attending Bucknell University and intend to major in business. Throughout my high school career I played football, basketball, and lacrosse. I also was a member of the Italian club, co-president of the hospitality club, and a state finalist in DECA. Outside of school, I volunteered at my local animal shelter by organizing food and supply drives and interned at a local landscaping company. In December of my sophomore year, my grandmother (Noni) was diagnosed with HER2- positive breast cancer at the age of 80. This specific type of cancer is very aggressive. Noni underwent both chemo-therapy and radiation and is currently in remission. I learned that breast cancer affects the whole family and that treatment can have many difficult side effects. Most importantly, I saw that support is a huge factor for anyone dealing with this disease. I’m aware now what a breast cancer diagnosis really means and how critical access to treatment and a strong support network are for anyone who is battling cancer. |
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Umayma Abdul-Qadir
Cicely Tyson Performing and Fine Arts High School Class of 2016, Jaydah McEachin Memorial Scholarship Umayma Abdul-Qadir is a Senior at Cicely Tyson High School. At Cicely Tyson School, she is a member of the Female Mentoring Program and is a cheerleader. She also volunteers her time at school fundraisers and annual walks for Breast Cancer. Breast Cancer has affected her family and as a result, has given her the motivation to help educate others and bring awareness by continuing to participate in annual walks and sharing stories. Umayma has been accepted to attend the Rowan University Freshman Class this Fall as a Biochemistry major. |