Shelley C. White Scholarship

2023 Scholarship Recipient

Grace Worsham is a 2023 graduate of Southern High School in Harwood, MD, and is a freshman at Salisbury University. She earned 15 credits in the fall and maintained a 4.0 She joined Alpha Sigma Tau a sorority that focuses on Women's Wellness initiatives. She is an accounting major and loves her college experience!  She was the top recipient of the Shelley C. White Jr. Memorial Scholarship, in the summer of 2023.

2023 Scholarship Recipient

Hello! My name is Justice Nicole Armstrong. I’m a 2023 graduate of Northeast High School in Pasadena, MD. I am a current freshman at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. I am majoring in Elementary education, with a minor in special education. College for me has been a wonderful crazy experience so far! I can’t wait to see where it takes me! This summer I plan on working and taking time to see friends and family whom I miss dearly.

2022 Scholarship Recipient

Arusa Malik graduated from South River High school in May 2022. Currently, she studies Political Science and International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. During high school, she served with Backpacks for Baltimore, Key Club, Bello Machre, and Arlington Echo. Her goal is to continue advocating for her community in college and beyond. She would like to thank the Shelley C. White Jr. Memorial for this scholarship and allow her to embody the traits of the late Mr. White Jr. may he rest in peace.

2020 Scholarship Recipient

My name is Sophia DeMaio. I am a 2020 graduate of South River High School, attending Anne Arundel Community College, majoring in biomedical engineering.

After college, I plan to conduct genetics research to find important information about cancerous cells in the human body. In addition to fulfilling my lifelong goal to serve in the United States Military. During high school, I tutored middle school students in math and science. I found my love of science and engineering through the robotics club. I volunteer at the SPCA animal shelter in Anne Arundel County; while a lifeguard and swim lesson instructor to young kids.

2020 Scholarship Recipient

My name is Bella Ferreira, and I am a student at the Rhode Island School of Design, where I plan on studying fine arts painting. I grew up in Annapolis, Maryland, making art with my dad from a young age. I always went into everything I did from a creative perspective, which I knew I would use to drive my career path. Studying precisely what I have dreamed of doing all my life is incredibly exciting. With my degree from RISD, I will be equipped with the tools to create what I want for myself professionally in the arts. I want to be a creative entrepreneur as an artist who touches many people. My current goal is to be fully present in my creative education and create connections that will surely last me a lifetime. The feeling of painting the perfect brush stroke in a compilation of hundreds of others is an experience that I am so immensely happy to pursue as a career path. I ambitiously seek every aspect of an artist's role in society as a game changer and creative thinker.

2020 Scholarship Recipient

Maria graduated from Annapolis High School Summa Cum Laude, earning an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. She is currently attending the University of Maryland as a Psychology major with a Neuroscience minor. After earning her bachelor’s degree, she plans to pursue a PhD in Neuropsychology. Her interest in the brain and neuroscience stemmed from observing her grandfather’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She is passionate about a career in research and hopes to be part of a team that finds cures and solutions to neurological diseases. Maria loves literature, classical ballet, linguistics, her dog (Buddy), and her cat (Frieda).

2019 Scholarship Recipient

Hi, my name is Makayla Dunlap. I was born in Chicago, Illinois, and relocated to Maryland this year due to my mother’s passing. I am 18 years old and attending St. Mary’s College of Maryland to pursue my bachelor's in Biochemistry/Pre-Med. Afterward, I plan to attend Georgetown for graduate school to obtain my Ph.D. in orthopedics. I love music, dancing, and art in all forms! I enjoy learning new things, and I am beyond excited to further my education in the medical field. I love giving back and helping in any way possible, and what better way than becoming an orthopedic surgeon?

2019 Scholarship Recipient

2019 Scholarship Recipient

I grew up in the small town of South County with my older brother, dad, mom, and me. Shortly after moving to the house that would be a new beginning for our little family, a tragedy happened in my home. When I was three years old, my father died of a heart attack on my living room floor. Growing up in a small town, everyone knows everything, or they know nothing at all. Going to school in South County was great because of our small populated area. As I grew older, I started to wonder and have thoughts about my father's passing, so I started researching his cause of death. I became interested in a program at the Center of Applied Technology South, a vocational and hands-on school, where I was enrolled in the Academy of Health Professions for four years.  My classmates and I learn about the human body through physiology, anatomy, and pathology. Through this intense medical program, I learned exactly what my father had passed away from. I became more interested in not only helping people with the same situation but helping others as well. The joy of helping others gave me the drive and passion to become a nurse.

2018 Scholarship Recipient

Like a flower, I am constantly growing and figuring out my purpose in life. I grew up living in public housing with my mother and siblings. My name is Tyjah Brown, and I have lived in Annapolis’ public housing all my life. I attended Georgetown East Elementary, Annapolis Elementary, Tyler Heights Elementary, and Annapolis Middle School. I graduated from Annapolis High School in 2018 and plan to attend The University of Maryland-Eastern Shore in the fall of 2018.

I have faced many challenges over my 19 years. Hearing gunshots and always seeing police scares me and makes me work extremely hard in school to be able to leave public housing.

 One way to overcome my challenges is to take my education seriously and take advantage of every opportunity I am given. My new goal is to graduate from college with a degree in either social work or education. Then, my next goal will be to find a job or work towards a master’s degree.

As a student, I maintained good grades in elementary, middle, and high school. I made the honor roll for most marking periods and was eventually inducted into the National Honor Society. My top academic awards were winning Third Place - Annapolis Middle School Science Project - The Chemistry of Bread Making, and First Place in Anne Arundel County Schools National History Day. I represented the county in the group display category, and my subject was Fannie Lou Hamer and the Struggle for Voting Rights.

The Boys and Girls Club of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County hired me in 2015. It was a wonderful way to serve my community and give back in more ways than I ever thought I could. One day while at the club, a kid was celebrating her birthday. I brought a balloon to surprise her. This made her smile, and I became her best friend! My job provided me with money and a great feeling of independence. It has also benefited me to help other youths like me with their homework. I struggle a bit with math, so I know how it feels to give up and want to quit. I encourage the kids to keep trying and never abandon their dreams.

Since the 5th grade, I have participated in Seeds 4 Success’ Eastport Girls Club, a tutoring and mentoring program. They encouraged me to get good grades and donate my time to help my community. My favorite community work has been at the Society to Prevent Cruelty to Animals - Anne Arundel County. My Seeds 4 Success mentor and I have enjoyed making all the animals feel loved.

I am excited to be the first person in my family to graduate from college. Thank you, Shelley C. White, Jr, for making my college dreams come true!

2016 Scholarship Recipient

Harold Lloyd, lll, is an alumnus of Lincoln University and Frostburg State University. Harold graduated from Frostburg with a degree in Law and Society with a minor in Political Science and Sociology and a Master's in Human Services from Lincoln. At the age of 20, Harold created his non-profit, Superior Future, with the help of his family and friends, to produce more programs that offer individuals in low-income neighborhoods more opportunities and scholarships.

Harold is the first recipient of the Shelley C. White, Jr. Memorial Scholarship.