The Sallie Mae Fund and Thurgood Marshall College Fund Award $250,000 in Scholarships to 25 High School Students

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