PROVIDENCE – In its second iteration, seven Rhode Island high school seniors have been awarded Roger Williams scholarships by the Rhode Island Foundation before they head to college in the fall, per a statement by the nonprofit group Wednesday.
Funded by the Carter Roger Williams Initiative, launched last year by philanthropists Letitia and the late John Carter, these scholarships are four-year, renewable grants totaling $300,000 in aid.
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“Roger Williams had the opportunity to further his education because of those around him. Thanks to the vision of the Carter family, we are able to encourage students and their parents to think big about what’s possible for their future,” said Jessica David, the foundation’s executive vice president of strategy and community investments, who leads the project.
Chosen from 149 applicants, the scholarship recipients were selected based on academic achievement, financial need, appreciation for Roger Williams’ values and community service record. They are Taiwo Demola, Latifat Odetunde and Dorbor Tarley who attend Providence’s Classical High School; Coura Fall of Mount St. Charles Academy in Woonsocket; Sherenté Harris who attends Paul W. Crowley East Bay Met School in Newport; Taliq Tillman who attend Providence’s Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Training Center; and Pichkatna “Hannah” Ung of the William B. Cooley Health and Science Technology Academy at the Juanita Sanchez Educational Complex in Providence.
Co-founder of Diversity Talks, Demola participated in the Providence Student Union, Classical High School Theater Company and interned at the Center of Slavery and Justice at Brown University. A Providence resident, she plans to attend Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass.
A model United Nations, debate team, model legislature and creative club member, Fall, a Woonsocket resident, plans to attend American University in Washington, D.C.
A former Tomaquag Museum and Narragansett Language Preservation and Revitalization Program intern, Harris received a Rhode Island Civic Leadership Award and participated in the White House Tribal Youth Gathering. A Charlestown resident and member of the Narragansett tribe, she was accepted to the Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design dual degree program.
Also a recipient of the Rhode Island Civic Leadership Award, Odetunde, a Providence resident, plans to attend Boston College.
Tarley, a Providence resident, received the Harriet Tubman Award from the Providence branch of the NAACP and a Gold Award from the College Crusade of Rhode Island. As of Friday, Tarley was undecided about where she would attend college.
Co-founder of Diversity Talks, Tillman participated in the Highlander Institute Culturally Responsive Design Team and interned with the Trinity Repertory Company. An East Providence resident, he plans to attend Dartmouth College.
Ung, a member of the wrestling team who participated in Beat the Streets, is a member of the National Honor Society and interned with the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. A Cranston resident, she plans to attend the University of Rhode Island.
Coverage of the first award of the foundation’s Roger Williams Scholarships can be read here.
Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, gowdey-backus@pbn.com.
