RAVENS ANNOUNCE 2018 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
The Baltimore Ravens have selected their 2018 class of Ravens Scholars. For the ninth-consecutive year, five outstanding area high school seniors will be awarded a $5,000 renewable scholarship ($20,000 over four years to each scholar) to support their respective college educations. Each scholar was selected after displaying remarkable academic achievement, extra-curricular participation and community service.
Funded by the Ravens Foundation, Inc., the scholarship program enables local youth to continue their education on the collegiate level. The team has a long-standing history of service to local communities, and this fund helps support those who exhibit the same commitment. Applications were accepted from students who attend public schools in Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Carroll County, areas where the Ravens operate training facilities, maintain offices and hold youth football camps.
The Ravens organization once again continued its partnership with CollegeBound Foundation, an independent, nonprofit program designed to work exclusively with local students, helping high schoolers achieve a post-secondary education. After receiving a record-breaking 240 applications, the scholarship committee selected 10 finalists to be interviewed at the Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills. Ravens assistant director of pro personnel Chad Alexander and director of public relations Patrick Gleason joined members of CollegeBound to conduct the interviews.
Below is the 2018 class of students who will receive scholarships:
2018 Ravens Scholars
Victoria Able, City Neighbors High School – Able will attend McDaniel College in the fall of 2018 with aspirations of becoming a special education teacher. An advocate for others, Able served as the president of Best Buddies and led initiatives supporting buddies like "Spread the Word, End the Word." During her junior year, Able participated in Kennedy Krieger's Project HEAL, which provides comprehensive advocacy and legal services to children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. As a representative of her fellow peers, Able also sat on the advisory board for Education Re-Imagined, a national organization that works to build a movement of student-centered education. While in school, Able led open mic nights where she wrote and read aloud her own poetry. Additionally, she worked each year as a counselor at the City Neighbors summer camp.
Adonijah Bourne, Owings Mills High School – Bourne will attend the University of Maryland College Park in the fall of 2018. A standout student-athlete, Bourne served as captain of the varsity lacrosse team, and he also participated on the school's wrestling, football and cross country teams. Since his sophomore year of high school, Bourne has been enthusiastically involved with the nonprofit Next One Up. The program engages 'high-risk' middle and high school students confronting significant barriers to achievement by providing long-term mentoring and coaching in the classroom and on the field. Once a peer in the program, Bourne now serves as a mentor to younger students and plans to continue that service throughout college. In addition to sports, Bourne is an Honor Roll student, a member of the National English Honor Society and National Art Honor Society.
Kyra Davis, Baltimore City College – In the fall of 2018, Davis will attend Goucher College to pursue a degree in political science. In her junior year, Davis joined Strong Women of Today and Tomorrow (S.W.T.T.), a women's empowerment after-school program. As the secretary of S.W.T.T., Davis participated in service projects both within school and in her community, conducted seminars and led events promoting breast cancer awareness and women's heart health month awareness. To gain more leadership skills, Davis enrolled in the Saturday Leadership Program offered through the Baltimore Urban Debate League. Passionate about arts, Davis worked on the Baltimore Youth Arts Council and completed a Bloomberg Summer Arts internship. Davis was also a member of the National Honor Society all four years of high school.
Ashley Pena, Digital Harbor High School – Pena plans to attend University of Maryland College Park in the fall of 2018 to study business administration. Ranked sixth in her class, Pena was on the principal's list (averaging a GPA of 4.0 or higher) all four years of high school. In addition to being a talented scholar, Pena was also president of the National Honor Society, manager of the school's soccer team and member of the Math Club. Pena also has a true passion for sustaining the environment. She was a part of the Green Team Club and focused her community service efforts on collecting recyclables, cleaning local neighborhoods and preserving the Chesapeake Bay. Additionally, Pena volunteered on anti-bullying campaigns, mailed holiday cards to military members overseas, served Thanksgiving dinner to those in need and collected pet supplies for BARCS Animal Shelter.
Clarity Willoughby, Carver Vocational-Technical High School – This fall, Willoughby will be found on the campus of McDaniel College. As co-caption of the Carver debate club, Willoughby won city and state championships, and had the opportunity to debate at the national level. Willoughby is skillful with her hands and therefore thrived in her role as president of the Girls Carpentry and Laser Club. In this role, she taught fellow students how to use the school's manufacturing machines and developed opportunities for them to sell pieces they had created as fundraising opportunities. In addition, Willoughby was awarded several honors including National Honor Society, Principal's Honor Roll, Senator Barbara A. Mikulski's Achievement Award and Congressman Elijah E. Cummings Congressional Commendation.
