DéOnna was raised in Lorain, OH, and is currently residing in Columbus, OH for school. She attended The Ohio State University as an undergraduate student in the College of Social Work. She graduated in May 2021 with her bachelor’s and will be attending The Ohio State University in June of 2021 for graduate school in the College of Social Work. She was recently accepted to their ASAP MSW program and could not be any more excited to continue her journey in higher education!
In her own words:
I am extremely excited and happy about winning this scholarship! Continuing my education and funding it are some of the most important things in my life. I feel beyond appreciative of this opportunity. Thank you!
Aminah was raised in the Pacific Northwest. Her hobbies include: tennis, hiking, traveling, finding hole-in-the-wall food places and spending time with loved ones. In 2017, she graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Science in Human Physiology and minors in Biology and Chemistry. Her involvement with the Vietnamese Student Association, Asian and Pacific American Student Union, Minority Association for Pre-medicine Students, Food for Lane County, Ramadan Tent Project and Muscular Dystrophy Association helped shape her identity and hone her leadership skills. During her gap years, she worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant, Therapy Aide, and Physical Therapy Aide. Her passion for helping people has led her to pursue a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy at A.T. Still University. She hopes to help those, young and old, progress to the best of their abilities, despite their circumstances.
In her own words:
My initial reaction was shock and disbelief that I had won the Educating our Youth Scholarship. I had written the essay based solely off of my personal experiences and observations, which had helped reignite a passion I had for educating the youth. For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to work with children because I believe that they are our future. Educating the youth on morale, ethics, and skills at a young age is essential. I never thought that this passion of mine would help me financially with my pursuit to a higher education. I am ecstatic and humbled by being awarded the Educating our Youth scholarship, and as I wrote in my essay, hope that one day education will become more of a right, rather than a privilege.
Read about her below:
Biography
Gabriella Sergi is starting her first year of law school in the fall. She is from the Bay Area and plans on practicing criminal defense law in California.
Gabriella holds a B.A. from the University of San Francisco in Sociology with a concentration in Criminology, Law and Society, with minors in Child & Youth Studies and Legal Studies.
Post-graduation, she educated hundreds of at-risk and system-involved juvenile justice youth about their rights, the consequences of crime, and life skills with Fresh Lifelines for Youth
(FLY). Also, she served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and currently works at the Prison Law Office, a public-interest law firm, where she monitor conditions of confinement in
California prisons and jails.
Her Reaction
I am incredibly honored and excited to receive the Educating Our Youth Scholarship. I plan on using this scholarship to submit my seat deposit in April when I get to select my future school!