College of Charleston Athletics Scholarships Named in Honor of Trailblazing Alumnus Otto German

College of Charleston Athletics Scholarships Named in Honor of Trailblazing Alumnus Otto German

On the bookshelf behind his desk in his third-floor office in TD Arena, Otto German ’73 has two framed photos on a shelf. Perhaps a man’s life can’t be summed up in a couple of photos, but these two come pretty close.

The first is a portrait of German and his late wife and partner of 51 years, Albertha, who passed away at the end of December 2017. He still remembers the exact day they met: June 20, 1966.

“We had a pretty unique relationship,” he says, looking at her image. “It was never all about her, it was never all about me. It was about a union and a promise that we made to each other.”

The other photo is a group shot from 2008 of the 40th anniversary celebration of the integration of the College of Charleston. German is pictured with other trailblazers like Eddie Ganaway ’71, the College’s first black graduate; Carrie Nesbitt Gibbs ’72, the first black female graduate; Fred Daniels, the former men’s basketball coach and admissions director; Lucille Simmons Whipper, the first black administrator; Marvin Dulaney, a former history professor and Avery Research Center executive director; Remus Harper ‘72, the first black scholarship athlete; and former presidents Ted Stern and P. George Benson, among others.

“I was honored to be a part of something new to the College,” he says. “But here we are 10 years later [from anniversary photo] and there’s still work to do when we look at diversity across the board in all areas of the College.”

German, who became the second black scholarship athlete after Harper for the 1970-71 season during his sophomore year at the College, knows the importance scholarships can play in a young athlete’s life. So, he couldn’t be more grateful that the Alumni Association Board of Directors during its meeting on June 15, 2018, voted to rename the association’s two athletic scholarships the Otto B. German ’73 Endowed Alumni Scholarships in Athletics.

“I’m humbled and honored that my fellow alums think that much of me,” says German, 67, who also serves as the president of the College’s Black Alumni Council. “That is better than being in the Athletics Hall of Fame.”

After graduating in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in education, German went to work at the College in financial aid, student activities and admissions before moving over to the athletics department, where he has been for 26 years, rising to the post of associate director of athletics/NCAA compliance.

Read the full article on The Chronicle.

This article was originally published in The College Today.

U.S. Department of Education Announces New Website to Assist State Education Policy Makers Access ESSA Resources

U.S. Department of Education Announces New Website to Assist State Education Policy Makers Access ESSA Resources

The U.S. Department of Education is pleased to announce the launch of the Comprehensive Center Network (CC Network) website. The CC Network website brings together a compilation of more than 700 resources developed by 23 Comprehensive Centers and over 200 projects currently underway in states across the country and makes searching by state or topic easier.

Through a single website, the CC Network portal, anyone interested in learning more of the broad range of education initiatives funded by the U. S. Department of Education, through the Department’s comprehensive centers, may examine the hundreds of efforts underway, or completed, through the nation’s network of centers.  Visit the site today at www.CompCenterNetwork.org and follow CCN on Twitter for important website updates.

Pittsburgh Public Schools, JuJu Smith-Shuster celebrate new program that provides free glasses for students

Pittsburgh Public Schools, JuJu Smith-Shuster celebrate new program that provides free glasses for students

Students at Pittsburgh King K-8 got a reminder from a local celebrity that wearing glasses can be cool.

Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster said he wore glasses as a kid, and that they helped him in school, while playing sports and while playing video games.

“I think it’s very, very cool,” he said.

King students gathered in the gymnasium Friday morning to celebrate the launch of a new program that will provide free eye exams and glasses to Pittsburgh students who need them. Twenty-one King students got the first pairs through the partnership between Pittsburgh Public Schools and Vision to Learn, a Los Angeles-based non-profit that aims to provide vision care to low-income children across the country.

Mr. Smith-Schuster helped make sure the new glasses fit, and posed for a photo with each student.

“Everything’s closer now,” said 11-year-old Dion McCoy, who selected a new pair of black and blue frames.

Vision to Learn was founded in 2012 and now serves low-income communities in 256 cities in 13 states. Pittsburgh Public is the first district the organization has partnered with in Pennsylvania, and eventually its leaders plan to take their services to schools in the surrounding districts and counties.

School nurses will continue to give each Pittsburgh student annual vision screenings, and the students who fail will be referred to the Vision to Learn mobile clinic, which will move from school to school. There the students will receive an eye exam, and if they need glasses, they get to choose a pair they like and receive them for free…

Read full article here

MSR celebrates graduates and parents with 23rd annual scholarship dinner (photos)

MSR celebrates graduates and parents with 23rd annual scholarship dinner (photos)

Minnesota Spokesman Recorder logo

By 

The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder (MSR) and its nonprofit namesake the Spokesman-Recorder 501(c)(3) hosted the 23rd annual Graduation Celebration Thursday, May 24 at the Metropolitan Ballroom in Golden Valley. More than 200 community members, graduating students and their parents attended the free scholarship dinner and ceremony awards. Ten students were presented with Cecil E. Newman Scholarships at the event themed “Education and Graduation: It’s a family affair.”

Each year, the MSR invites graduating African and African American high school students in Minnesota to participate in a 500-word essay contest for the scholarship named after the late MSR founder and publisher. A volunteer essay committee selects the winners.

This year’s 2018 Cecil E. Newman $1000 Scholarship winners are Zarina Sementelli, Majeste Phillip, Jay Viar Johnson, Jasmine Jackson, Charlotte DeVaughn, Verbena Dempster, Jerrell Daniel and Maryam Abullahi. Two additional graduating students, Miracle Campton and Amed Faud, each received a $500 Cecil E. & Launa Newman scholarship.

After the event, scholarship recipient Zarina Sementelli said, “It feels empowering and liberating to receive this honor because of who I am and everything I had to overcome.”

Comedian and radio personality Shed G, who has become a mainstay for the graduation celebration, emceed the event and kept the audience entertained and laughing throughout the evening like a “Ringmaster of Fun.”

Travis Lee/MSR News

When asked what it meant for him to get the call to emcee the MSR event again, he said, “What I love about all of this is [that] you see students from different nationalities and the Minnesota Spokesman-Recordergiving them an opportunity to receive scholarship money. The other thing I love is when the guest speakers say something that I can take home as an adult. It makes being here each time extra special.”

The Graduation Celebration featured a variety of offerings, including a career, resource and education expo in the afternoon followed by the gala dinner, live entertainment, and giveaways in the evening.

Keynote speaker Dr. Tonya Jackman Hampton, Ph.D. spoke on the importance of individual branding and knowing where you come from. Dr. Jackman Hampton advised that one should find one’s executive style and then own it. She encouraged the students not to buy into the lie that using proper communication skills is a form of “sounding or talking White.”

Jackman Hampton also referenced her brand as an example, revealing that she, too, benefited from the influence of the late Cecil E. Newman as one of his granddaughters and embraced the Graduation Celebration’s “It’s a Family Affair” theme with pride.

Performers included “Step with Soul” step team, which opened the entertainment with a fiery, synchronized, crowd-pleasing and foot-stomping routine; and a creatively choreographed performance by dance troupe Shape Shift. Singer Kennedy Hurst also graced the stage with her rendition of Mariah Carey’s Hero.

[/media-credit] Step With Soul dance troupe were one of the evenings many highlights

Tracey Williams-Dillard, MSR CEO & publisher, closed the evening with heartfelt words. “Being in a room with all of the graduates and their families to recognize their achievements and accomplishments truly demonstrates that “Education and Graduation” is a family affair,” said Williams-Dillard.

Over the years, the MSR has recruited marquee-name entertainers as keynote speakers such as LL Cool J, Tavis Smiley, Kimberly Elise, Hill Harper and Nick Cannon, just to name a few, who have helped put the annual Celebration on the local and national map. In recent years, however, MSR has recruited from local talent to address the scholarship winners and their families. The main event sponsor for the Graduation Celebration was the Medtronic Foundation.

African or African American high school students graduating in 2019 are encouraged to apply for next year’s MSR Graduation Celebration in the spring at www.graduation-celebration.com or call the MSR at 612-827-4021.

Below, find our Graduation Celebration insert, including Cecil E. Newman scholarship essays and remarks from Mayor Jacob Frey, Senator Amy Klobuchar, and others. Go here to see this year’s entries for the 2018 Community Yearbook. Scroll down to the more photos from Travis Lee.

Nicki Minaj Continues Student of the Game Scholarship Program for Fans

Nicki Minaj Continues Student of the Game Scholarship Program for Fans

WRITTEN BY: CHELSEA LENORA WHITE

Nicki Minaj might have pushed back her album release date, but the Queens rapper is making sure her fans are straight when it comes to school. The Pinkprint hitmaker continues her initiative to pay off her fans’ college tuition fees, student loads and books, which she originally launched with her Student of the Game scholarship program last year.

On May 24, Nicki tweeted a set of instructions for fans on how to become eligible for the program, which includes using the charity’s hashtag, requesting the particular amount of money and then waiting for a direct message from her.

“Ok just send one tweet w/ hashtag #StudentOfTheGame saying how much $ you need & what it’s for,” she writes. “All $ will b paid directly towards the tuition, books, etc. I’ll fave ur tweet & DM you if you’ve been chosen, for more info. Not every faved tweet will get a DM.”

One of the fans was worried that they missed their opportunity to apply for the scholarship, but Nicki assured them that they could wait up to three days for a confirmation message from her.

Last year, Nicki helped a few fans out with their college payments, which inspired her to launch her new charity in order to help ease their financial burdens.

Yesterday, the New York native revealed that she would be pushing her anticipated Queen album from June 15 to August 10. While there’s no word on any tracklist or what the album cover will be, Minaj did say that there would be some surprises coming our way next month.

Scholarship Awards Recognizes 11 Students

Scholarship Awards Recognizes 11 Students

By Jennifer L. Warren

NEWBURGH – Eddie Ramirez often offers his friends a special kind of “economic” advice.

“I always tell my friends, don’t invest in the Stock Market,” related Ramirez. “Invest in the Latino community.”

Ramirez, the CEO of R & M Promotions as well as the Director of the Latino High School Scholarship Fund, has been diligently following his own people tip for much of his life- particularly with area youth-for over 20 years with the creation of the Hudson Valley Latino High School Scholarship Awards program. Together, with his wife Norma, the two have relentlessly sought out gracious sponsors so that these higher education monies, along with other forms of recognition, can be secured for well-deserving, often overlooked youth. Their efforts have now resulted in yet another milestone: 140 recipients have received these scholarships. A record-setting 11, who were honored at Newburgh’s Ramada Inn Thursday night, made that number official. And the selection was not an easy process: another record-setting number, 65 candidates applied. Each carried with him/her an impressive resume of academic, athletic, and community accolades as well as creative, well-written essays and stellar teacher references. That pool of candidates, along with the special ethnic flair of the scholarship, were just a couple of the reasons Newburgh Free Academy senior, Taino Caballero, was thrilled to have been chosen.

Pine Bush High School seniors Eduardo Jaime, John DeGeorge and Sean Bergos, were recognized at Thursday’s 20th Annual Hudson Valley Latino High School Scholarship Awards.

“When I found out I was one of the winners, I was super excited; it was the first scholarship I actually got out of several I applied for,” recalled Caballero, who is headed to the University of Albany in the fall to pursue a major in Digital Forensics. “This one is special to me because it’s for my ethnicity of Puerto Rican and Dominican; I’m going into the STEM field, which is related to the sciences (and technology), a place where the Latin female presence is not really visible, so I want to inspire more Latin women to join that field.”

The evening’s guest speaker, Jacqueline Hernandez, Town of Woodbury Councilwoman and Deputy Supervisor of Woodbury, knows all about taking uncharted paths and inspiring just the way Caballero aspires to some day. Attending a predominantly white, upper class student body at Colgate University, Hernandez spoke about the discriminatory challenges that gave her a “tough skin,” helping mold her into the persistent, hard-working, “never-take-no-for-an-answer,” woman she is today. Relating her initial career path in the sciences, she spoke of the “meant to be” twists and turns that steered her toward being a businesswoman as well as politician, two paths she had no formal training in, but possessed something much deeper.

“A lot of times you have your sites set on one path, but the journey changes; every part of my journey led me to a bigger picture,” Hernandez asserted. What I thought was a dead end, actually started a new season.” Urging soon-to-be graduates to take chances, be creative, and most of all: follow their passion, she added, “You need determination and a plan, and you then need to put wings to it, execute and make it come alive.” Hernandez said. “You can achieve and overcome, as long as you put your mind to it.”

Four Newburgh Free Academy high school seniors were honored at Thursday’s 20th annual Hudson Valley Latino High School Scholarship Awards. In total, 11 high school seniors were recognized for their academic, community, athletic and other outstanding feats.

At least one of this year’s recipients appears to already be living the life Hernandez alluded to. Kayla Deleon, has been hard at work this past year with the McLymore Foundation, an organization promoting non-violence in Newburgh. The Newburgh Free Academy senior has been assisting with the group’s mission of getting kids off the streets while using art as a form of expression rather than violence. “Being Latina really shapes your mind and how people see you,” said Deleon, who will attend SUNY Cortland with a major in elementary education in the fall. “So, I want to break the mold, and not be another statistic; rather I intend to come back to Newburgh, the place and community that raised me and made me who I am, and teach here some day.”

The post Scholarship Awards Recognizes 11 Students appeared first on Hudson Valley Press Newspaper.

PRESS ROOM: Ford Awards “Tech Sassy Girlz” $20,000 in STEAM Scholarships

PRESS ROOM: Ford Awards “Tech Sassy Girlz” $20,000 in STEAM Scholarships

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Affirming its commitment to education in minority communities and careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM), the Ford Motor Company recently presented $20,000 in scholarships to four deserving young girls at the “Tea & Bytes” annual fundraising event benefiting Tech Sassy Girlz, an Orlando-based nonprofit that provides minority girls, grades 6–12, with exposure and access to STEAM fields through college preparation, career readiness, mentoring and hands-on learning experiences.

Jenisse Rios of Colonial High School; Naia Butler of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University; Jianna Best of Cypress Creek High School; and Samela Pynas of Oak Ridge High School each received $5,000.

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 203,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.

Media Contact
Randy Jones
Phone: 313.615.2468
Email: randy.jones@uwgdet.com

Final Week for HBCU Students to Apply for NNPA DTU Journalism Fellowship

Final Week for HBCU Students to Apply for NNPA DTU Journalism Fellowship

The deadline for HBCU students to submit an application for the 2018 Discover The Unexpected Journalism Fellowship, or DTU, is April 30.

The DTU Journalism Fellowship includes:

  • 8-week multi-city journalism fellowship working with National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) newspapers in Atlanta, New York City, Washington D.C. and Norfolk.
  • $10,000 scholarship and a $5,000 stipend for living expenses provided by Chevrolet
    access to an all-new 2018 Chevrolet Equinox for a road trip of a lifetime!

This is the first year DTU is open to all HBCUs. DTU was launched at Howard University in 2016. Last year, the program expanded to include Clark Atlanta University,  Morehouse  College  and Spellman College.

The DTU Fellowship is looking for HBCU studentswho are multi-media savvy and have a passion for storytelling.

DTU Fellows will be assigned to write stories that spotlight positive and powerful people and events. The Fellows will be responsible for all aspects of storytelling: writing, videography, photography, research, on-camera reporting and social media posting.

The Fellows will be placed in two 3-person teams. Over the course of the internship, each team’s road trip will take them to two different cities where they will spend four-week intervals working alongside experienced staff at NNPA member newspapers.

The participating NNPA newspapers are: The Washington Informer, The Atlanta Voice, The New Journal & Guide in Norfolk, and The New York Amsterdam News.

Any student who is at least 18 years of age, attending an HBCU in their sophomore, junior or senior year and majoring in journalism or mass communication is encouraged to apply.

Students are required to submit:

  • Resume with GPA
  • Video submission
  • Technology/social media profile
  • Writing sample

The completed applications and video submissions will be screened and evaluated to select six DTU Fellows based on application scores.

Students can apply for DTU 2018 through April 30th on the program’s website, www.nnpa.org/dtu

CONTACT:
Sonya Lewis
Sonya.Lewis@carolhwilliams.com
708.439.0326 (mobile)

NNPA Journalism Fellowship Open to all HBCUs

NNPA Journalism Fellowship Open to all HBCUs

By Freddie Allen, Editor-In-Chief, NNPA Newswire

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), in partnership with Chevrolet, recently announced that the 2018 Discover The Unexpected (DTU) Journalism Fellowship will now accept applications from communications and journalism students attending any one of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) across the country.

In 2016, the DTU Journalism Fellowship launched at Howard University. The following year, the program expanded to include Morehouse College, Spelman College and Clark Atlanta University. Now communications and journalism students at more than 100 HBCUs can apply.

“This year’s program also provides an opportunity for the aspiring, young journalists to look beyond the newsroom for story ideas,” said Michelle Alexander, the diversity marketing manager for Chevrolet. “They will have an opportunity to travel across several states in the all-new 2018 Chevrolet Equinox to discover inspiring stories along the way.”

Hip-hop legend MC Lyte will also return as the program’s ambassador.

For the third year in a row, The Washington Informer and The Atlanta Voice will participate in the program; the New York Amsterdam News in New York City and The New Journal & Guide in Norfolk, Va. will also host DTU journalism fellows.

“DTU fellows will be assigned to write stories that spotlight positive and powerful people and events,” according to a media advisory about the program. “The fellows will be responsible for all aspects of storytelling: writing, videography, photography, research, on-camera reporting and social media posting.”

This year, “the fellows will be placed in two, three-person teams,” the media advisory explained. “Over the course of the internship, each team’s road trip will take them to two different cities where they will spend four-week intervals working alongside experienced staffers at NNPA member newspapers.”

Alexa Imani Spencer, a journalism student at Howard University participated in the program last summer, working at The Washington Informer.

“Working for a historically Black publication helped me to understand the full worth of our institutions, as Black people,” Spencer said. “[The fellowship] helped me to understand that there has always been a voice throughout history that has advocated for us and there will always be somewhere, where we can advocate for ourselves, so long as we continue the legacies of these publications.”

Spencer continued: “The Black Press is an institution that the next generation of young, Black journalists has to preserve.”

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. the president and CEO of the NNPA, said that the third year of the DTU Journalism Fellowship represents significant progress in the NNPA’s ability to tap into the rising genius of African American millennials, exposing them to the power of the pen.

“Journalism has experienced renewed interest in the Black community,” Dr. Chavis said. “There has always been a need to not only report the news of Black America to the world at large, but also to be an advocate for the empowerment of African and African American communities across the United States and around the world.”

Dr. Chavis said that the partnership between the NNPA and Chevrolet is setting a standard for the rest of corporate America.

“This is not about philanthropy, this is more about engaging the African American community through the contributions of Chevrolet to the NNPA,” Dr. Chavis said. “It really strengthens one of the fundamental institutions in the Black community, which is the Black Press.”

Spencer said that the 2018 DTU fellows will not only experience personal growth, but that they will also gain a family by completing the program. Spencer also said that the Black Press represents another avenue, where HBCU students can help the Black community thrive.

Dr. Chavis agreed.

“There are tremendous opportunities [in the Black Press] for HBCU journalism and communications students to not only to make their mark in the profession, but to also provide an invaluable service in the Black community,” Dr. Chavis said.

The deadline to submit applications is April 30. Learn more about the NNPA’s Discover The Unexpected Journalism Fellowship at www.nnpa.org/dtu.

Scholarships for Education

Scholarships for Education

On Saturday, May 12, 2018, the Pasadena Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. is sponsoring its 30th Annual Fashionetta Salute to Mothers and Scholarship Luncheon & Fashion Show at the Glendale Hilton from 10 AM – 3 PM. This annual fundraising event will award 10 Scholarships and 5 Book Awards to college bound students from the Pasadena/ Altadena/ San Gabriel Valley area.

The Pasadena Chapter of AKA recently hosted a State of Black Pasadena Community Meeting that highlighted the importance of education in lifelong success. While the importance of an education only continues to be more important, the ability to attain this education is becoming harder. According to the College Board’s “Trends in College Pricing 2017” report, the cost of public school tuition has increased by 213% ($3190 in 1987-1988 to $9970 in 2017-2018). Per the same source, the cost of tuition at a private nonprofit was $15,160 in the 1987-1988 school year, but is now $34,740 in the 2017-2018 school year for an increase of 129%.

At the same time tuition has been increasing, the cost of room and board continues to increase along with the cost of books where a student could easily spend $400 on a single text book. The increase in the cost of textbooks has lead savvy students to take advantage of the opportunity to rent their books and/or leverage a $2500 IRS textbook tax credit.

In order to help college bound students handle these rising costs, the Pasadena Chapter of AKA has awarded scholarships to college bound students since it was chartered in 1960. They are proud to highlight that through the years they have awarded over $250,000 in Scholarships and Book Awards. Students have used these monies to help offset costs so they can attain a much needed education that puts them on the road to lifelong success.

Scholarships will be awarded in the areas of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math), Social Justice/ Economic Development, Special Needs, Most Improved GPA and Young African American Male. Each of the awardees is impressive and come from schools in the San Gabriel Valley. If you want your heart to be fi lled with joy as you hear the amazing stories of our young adults, come out to the 30th Annual Fashionetta Scholarship and Salute to Mothers Luncheon.

You can become a Scholarship Patron and directly increase the amount of the awards that will be given to the 2018 recipients by donating $250 or more. We will give you special recognition at the event, in our Souvenir Journal and on our website. You can make your donation at ‘thepaif. org’. Please call 626.475.7710 with any questions on becoming a Scholarship Patron.

If you cannot join us at Fashionetta, but want to make a difference that is less than becoming a Scholarship Patron, you can go to ‘thepaif.org’ to make a tax deductible donation. Designate it for Scholarship and the monies will make a direct difference in the amount awarded to this year’s scholarship winners.

During Fashionetta, we will also honor the Mother of the Year, have unique vendors available for shopping, enjoy a beautiful luncheon and a Fashion Show. If you want to attend Fashionetta and support our youth, you can go to ‘thepaif.org’ to purchase a ticket. Your support is needed and appreciated. Let’s make a difference together.