Kennedy Jackson is a second-year Chemical Engineering major at Tuskegee University committed to academic excellence, community engagement and advancing representation in STEM. With a 3.8 GPA, she is active in the National Society of Black Engineers, the Society of Women Engineers, the Georgia Club and the Gardening Club, where she supports local farms and community initiatives. Kennedy served as a Cellular Engineering Research Intern at Georgia Tech, contributing to molecular cloning techniques aimed at informing future therapeutic development. A 2024 graduate of Benjamin E. Mays High School, she also helped launch the school’s food pantry in partnership with Kroger and the City of Atlanta. As a Black woman pursuing a career in a traditionally male-dominated field, Kennedy is dedicated to mentoring underrepresented peers and continuing her path toward becoming a Chemical Engineer who uplifts her community and breaks barriers in STEM.

Jackson Taylor-Shorter is a Hillgrove High School senior whose passion for animal science drives his goal of becoming a veterinarian and increasing diversity in the field. He plans to major in Animal Science, with North Carolina A&T as his dream school, and has already been accepted into several HBCUs, including Tuskegee University and Florida A&M University. Jackson has gained extensive hands-on experience through mentorships with Black veterinarians, participation in Tuskegee’s Vet Step 1 and 2 programs and research at NCA&T studying infrared thermography on sheep. His global experiences in Japan and Thailand, more than 270 service hours and leadership in community initiatives—including a 200-pound pet supplies drive—demonstrate his commitment to service and animal welfare. Jackson is determined to become a veterinarian who inspires future generations and advances representation within veterinary medicine.

Annamaya Kanu is a dynamic student leader who exemplifies academic excellence, servant leadership and a passion for community uplift. With a 4.2 GPA, she excels in advanced coursework, including AP and dual enrollment classes, while maintaining active leadership roles in her school and community. A dedicated participant in the THRIVE Upward Bound Program, Annamaya has benefited from and contributed to college preparatory programming aimed at first-generation and low-income students. Her leadership journey includes making history as the first African American female Governor of the Georgia District of Key Club International, where she championed youth service and advocacy. Annamaya also serves as Captain of the Dancing Diamonds dance line at Lovejoy High School, Student Government Historian, and DECA Vice President of Marketing. Her community involvement exceeds 200 hours of service, supporting causes such as sickle cell awareness, youth mentorship and school initiatives. Recognized by both the City of Lovejoy and Clayton County for her achievements, Annamaya plans to continue her leadership journey as a marketing major at Tuskegee University.

Janii Corneh is a purpose-driven student and first-generation college attendee with a strong commitment to leadership, entrepreneurship and community empowerment. She graduated from Douglas County High School with a 3.8 weighted GPA while excelling in AP and Dual Enrollment courses. As Vice President of Marketing for DECA and Captain of the Incomparable Tigerettes dance line, Janii also co-founded “Make Ends Meet,” a school-based hair pantry providing free products, tools and education to students in need. Her business interests deepened through her role as President of the National Black MBA Association’s Leaders of Tomorrow Atlanta Chapter, where her team placed in the top three nationally in case competitions three years in a row. Janii will attend Spelman College as an economics major, with plans to join the Future Business Leaders of Spelman and the Bonner Scholars Program. She also intends to expand Make Ends Meet to the Spelman campus. Her dedication to education, service and leadership reflects the values of the Delta Community HBCU Scholarship.

Mekhi Grissom is a resilient and inspiring young leader who has transformed personal challenges into a powerful story of perseverance, academic growth and civic engagement. A graduate of South Atlanta High School, Mekhi overcame early academic struggles to become an honors student and active community advocate. As a member of the National Beta Club and a student ambassador for his school’s College and Career Center, Mekhi focused on helping fellow students navigate academic obstacles. His commitment to service is demonstrated by over 500 hours of volunteer work, including organizing food drives, fundraising events and supporting major community initiatives at venues like Mercedes-Benz Stadium. During a transformative gap year, Mekhi helped raise over $10,000 for a back-to-school event that provided essential supplies and services to local youth. He will attend Morehouse College as a Political Science major on a Pre-Law track, aspiring to become a corporate attorney. Mekhi’s story is one of tenacity and purpose, making him a deserving recipient of the Delta Community HBCU Scholarship.

Matthew Dormus is a very accomplished junior at Oakwood University majoring in public policy, and he was named a 2024 White House Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Scholar. In this role, he works with the U.S. government agency the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and meets with senior officials from the U.S. government. Equally impressive are his video programming activities. He is the creator and host of “Meet the Scholars,” a 15-episode video series that spotlights 60 White House HBCU Scholars, he also co-founded and co-hosted Good Morning OU, Oakwood’s student-run online video program, and, as the current Mister Oakwood University (also known as the campus king), Matthew created and hosted “Crown Talk”, a video series where he interviewed 33 campus kings and queens from 26 HBCUs about their HBCU experience. He was inducted into the 2024 Carson Scholars Fund Hall of Fame by former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Dr. Ben Carson, after Matthew had been recognized as a Carson Scholar on seven consecutive occasions. Matthew is from Hampton, Georgia, and he graduated from Georgia Cumberland Academy in 2022. His Oakwood University mental health initiative, The Story Room (TSR), is a cozy room on campus where students can retreat to read more than 50+ anonymous stories of students and alumni who have fought through mental health struggles. Matthew hopes through TSR, students will learn that they are not alone, and there is hope for managing their situation.

Caden Jenkins has made very significant contributions to his community while excelling as a scholar. He is a high school senior at The New School Atlanta; he will graduate in May 2025 while currently earning an almost perfect 3.98 grade point average in his classes. His future academic plan is to major in architecture at one of the multiple historically Black colleges and universities he has been accepted to. His community service efforts are equally impressive, extensive and varied. He participates in numerous service projects through his school and with the DeKalb County Youth Commission and the Atlanta Chapter of Jack and Jill. Additionally, he has volunteered dozens of hours to help other students prepare for the Scholastic Aptitude Test, one of the major entrance examinations required for admittance to many colleges and universities. His primary volunteer service is through “A Giving Hand,” an initiative he started in 2021. For A Giving Hand Caden collects food and clothing donations from family and community members, and he shops for food and bottled water to donate using his money and financial contributions from family. He regularly provides food to the Community Closet & Little Free Pantry at Eastside Church in Atlanta, and he has donated to a number of other charitable and non-profit organizations such as Free99Fridge, Covenant House Georgia, My Sister’s House, The Drake Closet and Branan Towers. As part of his constant mission to address food insecurity in the community, Caden has volunteered more than 50 hours with the Atlanta Community Food Bank and Urban Recipe.

Jordan Caldwell is a senior from Marietta, Georgia majoring in art with a concentration in advertising design at Clark Atlanta University, and she has a long list of very impressive on and off-campus accomplishments. She was a 2023 Walt Disney UNCF Corporate Scholar and interned at the Disney Animation studios in California and then with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Academy Gold Rising program. She’s also a 2024 PUMA^® Scholar and a staff writer, photographer and the first female cartoonist for the Clark Atlanta student newspaper. Jordan’s academic achievements include being a Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society member ranked in the top 10% of students with a 3.8 grade point average, out of a total of 4.0 points. She’s a Resident Assistant in a dormitory and a peer mentor for fellow students. Jordan also writes letters to incoming first-year students for Admitted Students Day. She has served on the Residence Life Advisory Board as the Co-Community Outreach Chair, creating and facilitating community programs like the Little Brother, Little Sister mentoring initiative and Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society^®. Other community support activities for Jordan include volunteering with the Bagel Rescue hunger relief program since 2022. Additionally, she has helped assemble 200 Halloween bags for children in the local area, planted trees and participated in several campus cleanups. Jordan plans to become an illustrator and the first female black animated film director.

Amir Rowser graduated from South Atlanta School in 2024 and, although this will be his first year in college at Fort Valley Sate University, he is entering as a junior due to previous credits from dual enrollment with Atlanta Technical College. Academically, he excelled in high school, ranking third his class with a top 4.1 grade point average. His extracurricular activities have included membership in Future Business Leaders of America, Health Occupations Students of America and National Beta Club. His community support work is extensive; he has served co-chair of a non-profit organization called the Dukes Foundation that empowers at-risk young men. Additionally, Amir has been an ongoing supporter of breast cancer awareness, and he has raised and donated more than $4000 to this important cause in the past three years; he also participated in gala fundraisers to generate more financial contributions to overcome breast cancer. Overall, while in school, he dedicated more than 200 hours to different types of community service. While excelling academically and in serving the community, Amir has also worked part time at Sam's Club^® to help fund his activities.

Sydney Catron will be a freshman in the fall of 2024 at Atlanta’s Spelman College, where she has already demonstrated academic excellence. She was accepted into the Ethel Waddell Githii Honors Program at Spelman, where she will major in biology/pre-med with a minor in Spanish. During the summer of 2024 she is studying abroad. Her career ambition is to become an obstetrician/gynecologist, with the goal of bringing healthcare to women who may not receive the medical attention and care they need. Sydney has been a gifted scholar her entire school career, including being a member of the National Honor Society and the National Spanish Honor Society. She also received the Outstanding Academic Achievement award from the National African American Recognition Program. She has maintained a 4.1 grade point average while taking multiple Advanced Placement^® classes such as biology, physics, and American literature. Outside of school she has interned with the Kennesaw Gynecology practice while being highly active in her community. Sydney has contributed 40 hours of community service volunteering at food banks at local churches while using her Spanish-speaking skills; she has also worked with the non-profit Mission 1:27 to tutor middle school kids and teach them to read.

Alexis Sims is a second-year scholar at Spelman College and plans on using her Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and political science to pursue her passions of civil rights law, nonprofit service and community building. Alexis’ collegiate academic achievements include being honored as a Dean's List scholar for two years and earning membership into the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society. In April 2023, Alexis established the Spelman College Mock Trial Association; she is also an Associate for the Spelman College Social Justice Program and a member of the Morehouse Spelman Pre-Law Society. Alexis volunteers as a reading guide for the SpelREADS Literacy Program, and contributed more than fifty hours of tutoring in her first year of college. As a reading guide, Alexis assists in increasing the literacy rate of elementary and middle school students in the Atlanta Public School System. After graduation, Alexis plans to attend Law School. She is from Stockbridge, Georgia and graduated from Eagle’s Landing High School in 2022.

Kandon Fears is a sophomore at Florida A&M University (FAMU) in the School of Journalism and Graphic Communication and plans on becoming a political journalist. Currently he is a staff writer for the student newspaper, serves as a host for FAMU TV-20 Venom Affair Show, and he is a field reporter for FAMU’s TV-20 Word Around Campus show. Kandon’s volunteer service activities include participating in voter registration drives and FAMU Day at the Georgia state capitol. He also became a proud member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and became active in The Sankofa Kinship of Big Brothers Little Brothers Mentoring Program, Inc., during his sophomore year. Kandon is from Lithonia, Georgia and graduated from Arabia Mountain High School in 2022.

Isaiah Cox is a rising junior studying pharmacy at Florida A&M University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, Florida. He is already licensed in the state of Georgia as a pharmacy technician, and his significant academic achievements include membership of the Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Sigma Theta National Honor Societies. Since his freshman year at FAMU he has maintained a 3.5 grade point average. To supplement his academic studies with additional experience, in 2022, Isaiah completed the program at the Bluford Healthcare Leadership Institute, and he will be interning at Northwest Medical Center Houghton in Tucson, Arizona, during the summer of 2023. His many extracurricular activities include holding leadership positions both with Progressive Black Men, Inc., a community service organization, and with the FAMU chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Over the last year he also completed more than 300 hours of community service as a chemistry and math tutor, elementary school mentor, and community service worker with a local homeless shelter. Isaiah is from Stone Mountain, Georgia.

Sydney Redmond will be a 2023 freshman at the North Carolina A&T Honors College where she will major in health sciences. Her career ambition is to become a dentist providing dental services to underserved communities. This year she was a Healthcare Pathway student ranked in the top 10% of her graduating class at Heritage High School with a 3.93 GPA. Her academic honors and activities include membership in the National Honor Society and Family, Career and Community Leaders of America; she was also a writer and reporter for her high school’s yearbook. In addition to her school involvement, Sydney has worked at Publix^® for two years. Her extracurricular activities include serving on the Make-A-Wish^® GA Youth Leadership Council, where she helps plan and lead fundraising activities to raise money for granting wishes to critically ill children. Since middle school, Sydney has logged between 50-75 community service hours volunteering for Med Share, participating in park cleanups, supporting the State of Georgia’s Adopt-A-Highway program, contributing to letter-writing campaigns for nursing home residents, and helping build Habitat for Humanity^® homes. Sydney is also a member of INROADS^®, which has programs to advance diverse youth in corporate America.