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2026 - The Dayton Inter-Alumni Council of the United Negro College Fund Awards a $500.00 Book Scholarship to a Local Student
Alayna Phillips Scholarship Essay
Education is very significant in my family. My pastor, Bishop Truman Martin of Maranatha
Worship Center, teaches that salvation+education = success. From a very young age, my parents taught me to value learning information to help others. During my years in high school, I strived to do the best Icould do. I was involved in all of my classes, even though I was never really good at math, but I never gave up trying. I had great teacher and student relationships, and great relationships with my peers. I joined JROTC, became an advisory leader to help underclassmen navigate through high school, and became a student ambassador to help raise money and advocate for my school. Now that I am going off to
college in a couple of months, I have realized that this is only the beginning of my adult life. At the start of my senior year, I was very indecisive about what I wanted my major to be. I thought about entrepreneurship, human resource management, real estate, supply chain, and interior design. I know that the average student changes their major at least 2–3 times, so things might change, but I definitely want to do Business and I am leaning towards entrepreneurship and to minor in psychology. I look forward to this new path in my life. I will admit, I am slightly nervous because I can't see what will happen next, but I know the Lord will guide my path. I am excited to learn about the campus, meet new people, take classes,
and learn more about myself. I have grown so much over my years in high school, and even developed a new sense of self confidence and ability to trust in God.
I believe I am fit for this scholarship because I want to continue my education past high school and even reach to get my masters degree. I am a part of a family of four, My dad, my mom, me and my little brother. I am not the first person in my family to go to college because my mom went. She often tells me about her stories in college and how much she loved that part of her life. She learned a lot, made lifelong friends, and succeeded. She recently went to get her masters degree. I have a first-hand example of how valuable education can be. But before this, in late 2016, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. She had to undergo six chemo treatments and twenty-five radiation treatments. And to top it all off, my mother had to file for bankruptcy. My parents have made it very clear to me that they are not paying for my college education. It is my job to find scholarships, apply, and keep my GPA up. Getting this scholarship is very beneficial to me because not only will it go towards my education, but it will help show my parents that I am able to get out and get things on my own, also it will help because it will not burden my family with unnecessary debt.
2023 - The Dayton Inter-Alumni Council of the United Negro College Fund Awards a $500.00 Book Scholarship to a Local Student
Zoue Elan Eke's Scholarship Essay
My name is Zoue Elan Eke, and I am a freshman at Fisk University. I have excelled academically and socially throughout my entire school life in the Dayton Public Schools setting, maintaining an A average from my freshman to senior year. I graduated with a 4.26 GPA and in the upper 10% of my graduating class, ranking 7 out of 113. In addition to my academic performance, I was the Vice-President of the Student Council, a member of the National Honors Society, participated in the Stivers Dance and Orchestra Magnets, the Captain of the Varsity Cheerleading team, and a member of the Varsity Track team. I am currently a member of the W.E.B Dubois Honors Program at Fisk University. I am also a member of the Fisk University Cheer team. Lastly, in just my short time at Fisk, I have been able to participate in several community service projects as well as career development opportunities, such as an Industry Expo meeting multiple future employers.
Throughout my life, my family has taught me that education is the key to unlocking new doors. My goal for continuing my education after high school is to gain knowledge and skills to unlock the doors of my future. During my freshman year, my counselor suggested that I take Advanced Placement World History instead of the standard American History class. I was extremely nervous since it was uncommon in my school for a freshman to take an AP course. I would not have known that this class would open the door to my fascination with learning about how our human society works. For the rest of my three years in high school, I made sure to sign up for any social studies class. Taking classes like Psychology, Women’s Studies, Human Geography, and Government continued and continues to spark my curiosity. By junior year, I began to notice my liking for Social Sciences. During the 2020 COVID pandemic, social injustices and events of police brutality experienced by African Americans were brought to the limelight. Social media helped bring attention to these issues. I remember being at home and scrolling through Instagram and seeing videos of African Americans being treated poorly by the police. It seemed there would be a new video every day. I caught myself being frustrated and angry by what I saw. After seeing these videos I began to do extensive research on the interactions between police and African Americans. I realized my opposition to specific workings of our legal system, like the overwhelming incarceration rates in minority communities. I also began to see my obsession with the working of the American legal system and watching documentaries such as the Netflix documentary, 13th. With all of these factors, I knew that becoming a lawyer was the career path for me. I plan to go to school to earn a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and immediately after graduation go to law school. I chose to major in Political Science after researching which major matched me and the career I wanted. Political Science deals with studying politics and power and the workings of certain government levels. I believe that politics has a lot to do with how the legal system is practiced today in America. To change the system, I need first to start understanding the politics involved. Political Science is the major just to do that. My primary goal is to acquire a degree and have any involvement in the community of the school I decided to go to, such as establishing initiatives to mentor young minority girls.
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My future career goals include becoming a criminal defense lawyer, working in civil rights, and opening up a law firm. As stated above, I acquired my career aspirations by taking many social science classes throughout my years in high school and learning about the legal system's shortcomings in cases involving minorities. By becoming a defense attorney, I can prevent the imprisonment of people who are already at an unfair advantage. Once I have years of experience and an incredible career, I plan to open a law firm. This law firm will provide full legal assistance and representation for low-income families and individuals. I want to employ both civil and criminal attorneys who will provide full legal service no matter the case. I also want to make it a non-profit where our clients do not have to pay whatsoever. I envision it being a non-profit because, in some instances, the major determining factor in sentencing is the effectiveness of legal representation. My future goal is to provide legal services to everyone, no matter their economic condition. I also want to continue being involved in the community by creating a Mentorship Program I described in the earlier paragraph. I would mentor young minority girls, teaching them important lessons to take with them in their lives. I believe my future career goals will be attainable with my passion and determination to help people who look just like me.
My community service involves working in my Church, reading the Announcements and the Scriptures every fourth Sunday, and volunteering with the Flower Outreach Ministry. My work experiences include working in the Freedom School at Grace United Methodist Church. Last summer, I worked on the top floor of the downtown Commission’s Administrative Office, where I filed documents and worked on Proclamations for the Commission Meetings.
I am seeking this scholarship because of the countless opportunities I can unlock with it if rewarded. I can continue to focus on my studies instead of contemplating the endless costs these studies come with. I believe I should be considered for this prestigious scholarship award because my accomplishments in school, the church, and the community, and working towards my plans make me a great candidate. If I am awarded this scholarship, I will honor and fulfill my duties as a trustworthy student to attend college and achieve my highest abilities to make my family, community, and the Dayton Inter Alumni Council/United Negro College Fund committee proud.
2022 - The Dayton Inter-Alumni Council of the United Negro College Fund Awards a $500.00 Book Scholarship to a Local Student
Terri Anna's Scholarship Essay
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The Dayton Inter-Alumni Council of the United Negro College Fund is proud to announce that a student to receive the $500.00 Book Scholarship has been selected. Terri’ Anna Lewis is a recent 2020 graduate of Northmont Senior High School with a 3.854. She is an Honor Roll student and has been selected as a scholarship recipient to receive the Dayton Inter-Alumni Council of the United Negro College Fund (DIAC/UNCF) $500.00 Book Scholarship. Terri’ Anna will attend Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio in the Fall majoring in Medical Laboratory Sciences and then will go onto Medical School and become a Pediatrician. In her letter that she had to write in part to obtain this scholarship, Terri’ Anna wrote that the odds were against her, but her passion to study and care for children has helped to shape her goal and determination. She stated that receiving the $500.00 Book Scholarship will help to reduce the financial burden on her family and will help in furthering her college career.
Terri’ Anna’s Counselor wrote that she has carried an impressive academic load of classes throughout her high school career. She has excelled and devoted much of her academic career to Science and Math and even became a scholar athlete. It was also noted that her work reflected a strong work ethic and attention to details. Terri’ Anna’s grades and outstanding attendance denoted her
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commitment to excellence. In addition to her academics, Terri’ Anna has demonstrated at this young age as being a seasoned expert in cross country and track. She was a member of the school’s orchestra and enjoys playing the violin.
Terri’ is a well-rounded student that gives of herself in community service and volunteers her free time in a local nursing home and for different events at church. Terri’ Anna was involved in “Life is a Circle Mentoring/Tutoring” where she helped tutor at the Middle School, Student Engagement, Peer Tutoring, Peer Mediation, Peer Facilitation, Bagging for Tips, Trash Pick-up and Meal Packaging food for hungry families overseas at the Christian Life Center in Vandalia. Her work experience includes a part-time job during high school as a Sandwich Artist at a local Subway.
Terri’ Anna wrote in her essay that through her High School years that she never lost sight of her “goals” and of who she was. Her closing quote of Maya Angelo reads, “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”
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