William O. Lockridge Community Foundation Presents 20 Scholarships

Local Youth Reflect on Significance of Funds for Academic Goals

By Austin R. Cooper, Jr. WI Contributing Writer

About 75 parents, friends, school administrators, community leaders and politicians joined 20 local high school students as they received scholarships at the William O. Lockridge Community Foundation (WOLCF) at its annual Scholarship Awards Ceremony, held at Martha’s Table at the Common, on Saturday, July 8.

Over 12consecutive years, the WOLCF has awarded scholarships totaling $305,000 to 123 high school students from Wards 7 and 8. Founded in the spring of 2011 by his widow, Wanda, and family, the WOLCF is named after the late William O. Lockridge and exists not only in his memory, but as a community vehicle to keep his legacy alive—particularly his mission to close the education gap for youngsters in the community.

Among those offering congratulations to the graduates, as well as wise words of encouragement were Ward 8 D.C. Councilmember Trayon S. White, Sr. (D), D.C. Publics Schools Chancellor Dr. Lewis Ferebee, At-Large D.C. State Board of Education Member Jacque Patterson (D), and WOLCF Founder and Chairwoman Wanda D. Lockridge.

The guest speaker was Shelia Bunn, chief of staff to Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent Gray.

Each of the scholarship recipients

5 The WOLCF presented an additional $1,000 Travel Scholarship to Myles Bell in recognition that he will be traveling the farthest for college, the University of California at Berkeley. (Courtesy photo/Give Back Photography) Photo 2: The WOLCF congratulates the Class of 2023 Scholarship Recipients. (Courtesy photo/Give Back Photography) went through a rigorous application and interview process that included submitting a written essay and answering questions from committee members via Zoom.

The Lockridge Scholars will depart home next month and begin matriculating in colleges and universities across the United States, including, but not limited, to Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and California.

The Lockridge Scholars Speak

WOLCF 2023 scholarship recipient Myles Bell, who is headed to University of California, Berkley, said that receiving the “Spread Your Wings,” scholarship is key to his academic pursuits.

“Receiving the ‘Spread Your Wings’ Scholarship is of paramount importance as it provides a transformative opportunity that allows me to pursue my dreams and reach new heights. This scholarship not only alleviates the financial burden of education, but also empowers recipients to overcome barriers and seize opportunities that might otherwise be out of their reach, "said Myles. “The ‘Spread Your Wings’ scholarship serves as a catalyst for personal growth and academic excellence, and it's my privilege to use this scholarship to further benefit my family and community. “

As she preps to head to Greensboro, North Carolina to attend Bennett College, Kaziah Heath said the schol- arship will allow her to “have more support and opportunities to fulfill [her] dreams.”

“I will do my best to continue to be worthy of your trust and expectations for my academic career. I will use this money and support to ‘spread my wings’ and succeed in my future endeavors. I will be working hard to study education and creative writing,” said the rising college freshman. “I will be able to focus on my assignments because I won't be distracted by money costs. Thank you for this opportunity and scholarship because this has made me happy and feel that I have an even bigger support team, who will help me accomplish my goals.”

Aya Shaw said he will fulfill a lifelong dream when he attends Morehouse this year.

It has been my dream to attend Morehouse College since I was in middle school, as I believe it is the perfect environment for me to grow and develop as a young man, personally and educationally.”

The rising Morehouse man will make history in his family when attending Morehouse this year.

“As the first male on the maternal side of my family to attend college, this scholarship assists with ensuring that I have the opportunity to attend college and relieve my family of some of the financial burden,” Aya said. “This scholarship will also allow me to focus on my studies and fully experience college life without the worry of how my tuition will be paid. WI