National NCNW News

2023 Project Height Scholarship Awardees Announced

WASHINGTON, D.C., MAR. 30, 2023 – – Today, National Council of Negro Women, Inc. (NCNW) announced the 2023 Project Height Scholarship awardees. The scholarship, named after Dr. Dorothy Irene Height, former 40-year NCNW president, is the joint initiative of NCNW, Dorothy Irene Height Education Foundation (DIHEF), and Meta and was established to provide financial support to undergraduate and graduate students with career interests at the intersection of technology and civil rights.

Dorothy I. Height Education Foundation President Alexis Herman said, “The scholars we award today represent an individual investment in their ongoing education, and these scholars also represent a collective investment for increased innovation and a more hopeful future for our world.”

Julie Wenah, Associate General Counsel and Product Lead for Civil Rights at Meta stated, “We are thrilled to partner with the Dorothy I. Height Education Foundation and the National Council of Negro Women to announce the Project Height Scholarship award recipients. Our hope is that our joint commitment to investing in the next generation of leaders committed to the intersection of civil rights and technology will spark the minds that build a more inclusive and equitable society,” 

The awardees are as follows:

• Gissela I Moya – Boston University School of Law (Graduate)
• Simone Josey – North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (Undergraduate)
• Lynton Edwards – Alabama A&M University (Undergraduate)
• Jasmin Hall – Rowan University (Undergraduate)
• Antoinette Newsome – University of Maryland, College Park (Graduate)
• Jennifer Thomas – Arkansas State University (Graduate)
• Ayonnah Tinsley – University of Southern California (Undergraduate)
• Michael Steele – University of Southern California (Undergraduate)
• Nikia Sharp – Seton Hall University (Graduate)
• Victoria Onajobi – University of Southern California (Undergraduate)
• Kemberley Jones – Notre Dame College (Undergraduate)
• Jalaiya Cunningham – University of Miami (Undergraduate)
• Jayla Beidleman – University of Maryland Eastern Shore (Undergraduate)
• Cedric Abney – Jarvis Christian University (Undergraduate)
• Justin Beidleman – Bowie State University (Undergraduate)
• Nyla Johnson – Xavier University of Louisiana (Undergraduate)
• Oluwadamilola – The George Washington University (Graduate)
• Amanda York – Wayne State University (Undergraduate)
• Sandra Ascencio – Columbia Law School (Graduate)
• Kennedy Holloway – Tennessee State University (Undergraduate)
• Nadia Smith – Georgia State University – Atlanta Campus (Graduate)
• Jordan Peasant – The University of Alabama (Undergraduate)
• Thomson Liam – Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law (Graduate)
• Nicole Mbugua – Bowie State University (Undergraduate)
• Elise Butler – University of Central Florida (Undergraduate)
• Lorraine Olutu – Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law (Graduate)
• Amaiya Holman – Towson University (Undergraduate)

NCNW President and CEO Shavon Arline-Bradley commented, “Congratulations to the inaugural class for the Project Height Scholars program. The NCNW team commends the scholars’ for bringing forward thinking that is needed to continue advancing civil rights using technology. We are proud to invest in their continued good work and look forward to witnessing the growth of these future leaders the world needs.”

Upon acceptance, each student will receive $10,000 to assist with further studies at their college and/or university and, in addition, will be invited to participate in Meta sponsored programming designed to further explore technology through a civil rights lens in the areas of data science, product management, and inclusive design and user experience. 

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