RAVENS ANNOUNCE 2019 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
The Baltimore Ravens have selected their 2019 class of Ravens Scholars. For the 10th-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 organization 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 nearly 200 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 2019 class of students who will receive scholarships:
2019 Ravens Scholars
Taylor Booker-Godfrey, Poly High School – In the fall of 2019, Booker-Godfrey will attend University of Maryland College Park. With the goal to one day be a pediatrician, Booker-Godfrey flourished in the Johns Hopkins Ingenuity Project, a program that provides rigorous mathematics and science studies for selected students who have demonstrated superior skills in those areas. Her desire to care for children also stems from the role she consistently serves as caregiver to her little sister with special needs. When she wasn't helping at home, Booker-Godfrey was volunteering in the children's ministry at her church, feeding the homeless, donating food and toys to underprivileged youth during the holidays, and distributing school supplies to students in the fall. While at Poly, she was a member of the National Honors Society, participated in a female mentoring group and played on the girls' basketball and tennis teams.
Destiny Brown, Baltimore School for the Arts – Brown will attend New York University with plans to study theatre arts in the fall of 2019. As a talented performer, Brown has starred in various shows such as Aladdin, Hairspray,Peter Pan, So What's New?andWaiting for Lefty. However, some of her greatest successes came from her efforts behind the camera. As a youth producer at Wide Angle Youth Media, she created an internationally award-winning film titled "Save My School," a video focused on a youth-led rally, formed in efforts to prevent educational budget cuts for Baltimore City Schools. She also traveled to South Africa to document the story of the Black Girls Global Exchange. While at Baltimore School for the Arts, Brown was on the Dean's List and a member of the Johns Hopkins CTY Scholars, a rigorous academic program where students complete demanding summer courses and participate in regular college readiness workshops, as well as a mentoring program. When she was not producing films, she worked as an online English teacher helping children from low-income communities in Shanghai, China. Brown also has a heart for philanthropy and would like to start her own nonprofit, "Destiny's Children," which will focus on empowering youth to take risks and create their own legacies. Additionally, she developed and led a volunteer project to raise funds for Haiti disaster relief and was president of the junior board of the Gifts of Love Foundation.
Travell Gardner, Baltimore City College – Gardner will attend Lehigh University in the fall of 2019. Born and raised in the neighborhood of Sandtown-Winchester in Baltimore City, Gardner has persevered through trials and tribulations to graduate with honors. A leader in her school, Gardner served as class treasurer her junior year, class vice president her senior year and played on the City Lady Knights basketball team. She helped plan the school's Junior Ring Day, Ring Dance and Prom. In 2018, the junior class at Baltimore City College suffered great tragedy when two of their classmates unexpectedly passed away within days of each other. Gardner led the efforts to orchestrate memorial services for each of the students. She also volunteered her time coaching and refereeing youth sports, and teaching Bible school at New Song Community Church, where she is an active member in youth ministry.
Aneeka Niyas, Western High School – This fall, Niyas plans to attend Towson University to pursue a career in medicine. In preparation for this career choice, Niyas enrolled in Western High School's Project Lead the Way Biomedical Sciences Pathway. A true advocate for her high school, Niyas volunteered frequently as a Western school tour guide, shadow hostess and library aid. She also worked behind the scenes for school assemblies and productions as part of the stage crew. Niyas volunteered regularly with Youth Works as well as an after-school tutoring program for young students. She was also a member of the school's badminton team, Muslim Student Association, Environmental Club and the National Honors Society.
Flor Santos, Ben Franklin High School – Santos, a first-generation college student, will be found on the campus of Towson University this fall. Ranked first in her class at Benjamin Franklin High School, Santos was a member of the National Honors Society and president of Liberty's Promise, an organization that supports young immigrants in need while encouraging them to be active and conscientious American citizens. A Hispanic immigrant herself, Santos used her understanding of English to help tutor younger students and teach English to adults at her church. While in high school, Santos launched a project with students from the Netherlands to showcase pollution and how it affects our community. She volunteers regularly as a peer mediator and with Building STEPs where she created care packages for the homeless.
