01.23.2023
The Sallie Mae Fund and Thurgood Marshall College Fund Announce $100,000 in Scholarships to 10 Graduate Students
Since 2021, Sallie Mae, through its charitable arm, The Sallie Mae Fund, has partnered with Thurgood Marshall College Fund to award scholarships to help students from all backgrounds access and complete higher education. The Sallie Mae Fund’s Bridging the Dream Scholarship for Graduate Students provides $10,000 to 10 deserving graduate students who plan to use their degree to advocate for social justice and support their communities.
This year’s scholarship recipients are enrolled in Historically Black Colleges and Universities, state colleges, and Ivy league universities and were selected from nearly 500 applicants. They are aspiring doctors, nurses, educators, engineers, and social workers, with diverse and unique backgrounds.
In many cases, these diverse and deserving recipients have shown tremendous resiliency and have overcome a variety of obstacles that too often can put higher education out of reach – whether it be a first-generation student or coming from historically marginalized communities, and in some cases, both.
Congratulations to the 2023 recipients of The Sallie Mae Fund and Thurgood Marshall College Fund Bridging the Dream Scholarship for Graduate Students!
2023 Bridging the Dream Scholarship for Graduate Students Recipients
Shawnda Williams
Hometown: Apopka, FL
College: Florida A&M University
Program: Master of Public Health
Marcela Dos Santos
Hometown: Irvine, CA
College: University of California—Irvine
Program: Doctor of Nursing Practice, FNP
Angela Ji
Hometown: Ellicott City, MD
College: James Madison University
Program: Master of Psychology
Tyreece Santana
Hometown: Bronx, NY
College: Columbia University
Program: Master of Science, Mechanical Engineering
Jacqueline Pauley
Hometown: Rose Hill, VA
College: James Madison University
Program: Master of Education
Tia Briggs
Hometown: Oklahoma City, OK
College: Langston University
Program: Master of Science, Rehabilitation
Denerick Simpson
Hometown: Doerun, GA
College: Savannah State University
Program: Master of Public Administration
Ahmad Elhaija
Hometown: Anaheim, CA
College: UCLA, David Geffen School of Medicine
Program: M.D. Doctor of Medicine
Katherine Esser
Hometown: Toledo, OH
College: College of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Toledo
Program: Doctor of Medicine
Fabiola Limon
Hometown: Santa Maria, CA
College: University of Massachusetts—Global
Program: Master of Social Work
The Bridging the Dream Scholarship Program is part of a three-year, $3 million commitment made by The Sallie Mae Fund to open doors of higher education to students from all backgrounds, including those from underserved or underrepresented communities. To date, more than 600 scholarships worth $2 million have been awarded to help students access and complete their education.
Applications for the Bridging the Dream Scholarship for High School Seniors will open on February 6, 2023.