Boule Honors Top Students with Academic Scholarships

By Hazel -Yates Campbell –  The Gamma Beta Boule marked the 37th Annual High Potential Youth Recognition Awards Program awarding eight of Jacksonville’s highest ranking African-American students from Duval County Public Schools. The students were awarded scholarships for academic excellence. The program was hosted at the University of North Florida’s Andrew Robinson Theater with over 80 Students, Parents, Boule’ Members, UNF and DCPS officials in attendance while hundreds of others attended via a live Zoom simulcast. All students were mailed congratulatory letters and certificates.

The top eight highest ranking 12^th grade students were awarded the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Educational Achievement Scholarship. The students were: Winner, Cameron Thomas, Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, $3,500; 1^st Runner-up, Kennedy Horton, Terry Parker High School, $3,000; 2^nd Runner-up, Senait Medhane, Terry Parker High School, $2,500. The remaining runner-ups all received $2,000. They were Amari Nixon, Mandarin High School; DeeAndrea Carter, Sandalwood High School; Augustus Rodriguez, Andrew Jackson High School; Jhane Sulcer, Atlantic Coast High School and Lache Lewis, Sandalwood High School. Other scholarships awarded were the Dr. Caroline Annette Cody Memorial Scholarship, to Trinity Webster-Bass, Paxon School for Advanced Studies, $2,000 and the Veterans Honors Scholarship, sponsored by Southern King Holdings, LLC, to Fatimata Jalloh, Paxon School for Advanced Studies, $1,000. Another very special award, presented by fraternity member Carlton Jones, Dr. Diana Greene, Superintendent, DCPS and Brandon Mack, DCPS was the Conqueror Award. It was presented to Geoffrey Appiah, Alden Road Exceptional Student Center, $1,000 and Ziyhana Williams, Jean Ribault High School, $1,000 for Conquering life’s greatest challenges.

The program is a joint venture between Gamma Beta Boulé, Duval County Public Schools and the University of North Florida. A grant of $20,000 was received from the generous corporate sponsor, Florida Blue. This year’s scholarship chairman was fraternity member Attorney Reginald Luster.