11.01.2022
The Sallie Mae Fund and Thurgood Marshall College Fund Award $250,000 in Scholarships to 25 High School Students
Twenty-five diverse and deserving students from across the country received $10,000 to help pay for their higher education through Sallie Mae’s Bridging the Dream Scholarship for High School Seniors. This year’s recipients excel inside and outside the classroom and are attending a diverse set of institutions – state colleges, ivy league universities, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Many of the recipients are also from underrepresented or historically underserved communities who often need additional support to access higher education.
The Bridging the Dream Scholarship program is part of a $3 million commitment made by The Sallie Mae Fund – in partnership with Thurgood Marshall College Fund – to open doors of higher education for students from all backgrounds.
In addition to The Bridging the Dream Scholarship for High School Seniors, Sallie Mae also offers The Completing the Dream Scholarship, and The Bridging the Dream Scholarship For Graduate Students.
Meet the 25 outstanding students.
2022-2023 Bridging the Dream Scholarship Recipients
Alayah Osullivan
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
College: North Carolina A&T State University
Major/Minor: Biology, Psychology
Fun Fact: First person in her family to graduate high school and attend college
Bridgett Ellis
Hometown: Hamilton, MT
College: University of Montana Western
Major/Minor: Pre-Veterinary
Fun Fact: Won multiple rodeo titles and wants to specialize in equine dentistry
Chilynn Howard
Hometown: Avon, IN
College: Ball State University
Major/Minor: Fashion Merchandising and Business
Fun Fact: Wants to be an entrepreneur and create a platform for the Black community to discuss mental health
Courtney Exantus
Hometown: Clarksville, TN
College: Middle Tennessee State University
Major/Minor: Speech-Language Pathology
Fun Fact: Wants to make a difference in the speech-language pathology field, as only 3% of audiologists and speech-language pathologists are African American
Donnell Milton
Hometown: Katy, TX
College: Prairie View A&M University
Major/Minor: Digital Media Arts
Fun Fact: Wants to pursue a career in design, either in animation or video game development
Ebenezer Antwi
Hometown: Smyrna, DE
College: University of Delaware
Major/Minor: Criminology
Fun Fact: Passionate about raising awareness about the school to prison pipeline, and wants to fight for justice in the courtroom one day
Gracie Harmann
Hometown: Racine, WI
College: University of Wisconsin—Whitewater
Major/Minor: Pre-Veterinary, Biology
Fun Fact: Has wanted to become a vet since she was three
Jahni Glover
Hometown: Conyers, GA
College: North Carolina A&T State University
Major: Pre-Medicine, Biology
Fun Fact: Wants to become a pediatric doctor, and joined the Minority Association for Pre-Medical Students (MAPS)
Jiya Sharma
Hometown: Paramus, NJ
College: Seton Hall University
Major/Minor: Pre-medicine, Biology, Medical Humanities
Fun Fact: Wants to pursue a position in the medical field and help people in third-world countries
Joseph Thedford
Hometown: Florissant, MO
College: Jackson State University
Major/Minor: Civil Engineering
Fun Fact: In the marching band
KamDyn Hardin
Hometown: Citrus Heights, CA
College: Louisiana State University
Major/Minor: Business Management
Fun Fact: Wants to pursue a career in entrepreneurship and sports entertainment marketing
Madison Garrett
Hometown: Lindenhurst, NY
College: Columbia University
Major/Minor: Political Science
Fun Fact: Advocates for Black adolescent mental health and founded her own GenZ magazine
Manyi Ngu
Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
College: University of North Florida
Major/Minor: Graphic Design
Fun Fact: First-generation immigrant from Cameroon
Marisol Deanda
Hometown: Schuyler, NE
College: University of Nebraska—Lincoln
Major/Minor: Nutrition
Fun Fact: Becoming a certified personal trainer
Marisol Mora
Hometown: Burkburnett, TX
College: Midwestern State University
Major/Minor: Nursing
Fun Fact: Wants to become a pediatric nurse practitioner
Morghan Williams
Hometown: Richmond, VA
College: North Carolina A&T State University
Major/Minor: Kinesiology
Fun Fact: Wants to own her own physical therapy practice to help people like her brother, who is autistic.
Tariq Cunningham
Hometown: Fort Washington, MD
College: Bowie State University
Major/Minor: Finance, Accounting, Computer
Fun Fact: Wants to become a CEO of a technology company or bank, and help his community by creating a financial literacy tutoring program and opening a gaming and computer lab
Umulkheir Sharif Ali
Hometown: San Diego, CA
College: University of San Diego
Major/Minor: Psychology, Biomedical Ethics
Fun Fact: From Kenya, and wants to become a physician’s assistant to help underserved communities
Xavier Partee
Hometown: Whitsett, NC
College: North Carolina A&T State University
Major/Minor: Public Relations
Fun Fact: Wants to start a photography business on the side to support himself through college
Zakaria Melton
Hometown: Charlotte, NC
College: North Carolina Central University
Major/Minor: Psychology, African American Studies
Fun Fact: Wants to become a well-renowned therapist with her own practice, focusing on supporting mental health in the African American community
Zion Jackson
Hometown: Verona, PA
College: University of Pittsburgh
Major/Minor: Pre-law, Law and Society, Spanish and Film and Media Studies
Fun Fact: Has several creative hobbies including writing, photography and film that she would like to combine with law to enrich the Black community and cultivate Black minds
Londyn Jefferson
Hometown: Chicago, IL
College: University of Michigan—Ann Arbor
Major/Minor: Engineering, Computer Science
Fun Fact: Part of the Society of Women Engineers, the National Society of Black Engineers and the Black Students Union
Dora De La Cruz-Martinez
Hometown: West Liberty, IA
College: St. Ambrose University
Major/Minor: Pre-Law, Spanish
Khierston Nelson
Hometown: Burlington, NC
College: Savannah State University
Major/Minor: Forensic Biology, Criminology
Daaimah Husein
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
College: Tennessee State University
Major/Minor: Computer Science
