1st Place Winner
My name is Michael Cleveland, a 2017 honor graduate of Booker T. Washington High School in Atlanta, Ga. I am a devoted child of God. I attend Walker Tabernacle Baptist Church where I serve God as a Junior Deacon and by being an active member in the music and educational ministries of my church. During my high school experience, I was heavily involved in the Early College program where I attended Atlanta Metropolitan State College and graduated with college credit, as well as The National Beta Club, The Tri-M Music Honor Society, The Marching 100 Band, and Yearbook. Since childhood, watching my mother work as a paramedic I have had the desire to one-day work in the medical field. I devoted 146 hours to volunteering in the E.R. at Grady Health Systems the summer of 2016 which inspired me to want to become an E.R. Physician. I chose to attend Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans where I will major Biology Pre-Med with a Chemistry minor. After I obtain my bachelor’s I will either attend Morehouse School of Medicine or Meharry Medical College for medical school. . I am extremely grateful for this opportunity which will help contribute to my success. Thank you.
1st Place Winner
My name is Michael Cleveland, a 2017 honor graduate of Booker T. Washington High School in Atlanta, Ga. I am a devoted child of God. I attend Walker Tabernacle Baptist Church where I serve God as a Junior Deacon and by being an active member in the music and educational ministries of my church. During my high school experience, I was heavily involved in the Early College program where I attended Atlanta Metropolitan State College and graduated with college credit, as well as The National Beta Club, The Tri-M Music Honor Society, The Marching 100 Band, and Yearbook. Since childhood, watching my mother work as a paramedic I have had the desire to one-day work in the medical field. I devoted 146 hours to volunteering in the E.R. at Grady Health Systems the summer of 2016 which inspired me to want to become an E.R. Physician. I chose to attend Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans where I will major Biology Pre-Med with a Chemistry minor. After I obtain my bachelor’s I will either attend Morehouse School of Medicine or Meharry Medical College for medical school. . I am extremely grateful for this opportunity which will help contribute to my success. Thank you.
2nd Place Winner
My name is Eboni Diamond Washington, a native of the South Bronx, New York currently living in Chiang Mai, Thailand where I own a vegan soul food pop up shop called Vegan Traphouse. Our sole mission is to promote veganism while raising awareness about Black American culture through food and education. I hold my Bachelors of Arts in Radio-TV-Film from the illustrious Howard University and am now currently enrolled at the University of New England obtaining my Master of Social of Work. While attending Howard, I volunteered with an organization called Lady Me where we mentored and tutored “at-risk” high school females. Since being in Thailand, I was given the opportunity to lead several English camps for Thai students focused on health and environmental conservation. This fall, I will begin my internship with Burmese refugees here in Thailand. My ultimate goal is to become an international social worker and work specifically with oppressed indigenous populations around the world. I believe in the saying "no one is free while others are still oppressed" and cultural competency plays a vital role in positive human interaction. With the help of the Rahman Alim Strum Scholarship, I will be able to continue my venture in helping individuals in various communities achieve better mental, physical, and emotional health. I will be forever grateful for this award.
Congratulations to our 2015 Rahman Alim Strum Scholarship Winners!!!
1st Place Winner
1st Place Winner
Valencia Johnson of Decatur, Georgia a sophomore at Georgia State University, where she is majoring in biology. Valencia is a 2013 graduate of Towers High School in Decatur, Georgia. Valencia was class valedictorian and graduated with a 4.065 grade point average. While in highschool, Valencia was a member of the Anime Club, the BETA Club and the Health Occupation Students of America(HOSA) Club. At Georgia State, Valencia is a member of the Anime Club, and this year was inducted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, in the top 10% of her class. In the summer of 2014, she participated in a Diverse Health Scholars’ Forum in Washington, DC. She was chosen as one of the top one hundred future healthcare leaders from across the country to participate in a forum to discuss the future of healthcare in America. After completing her degree, Valencia would like to serve in a humanitarian capacity, by working as a criminologist. She would like to utilize her analytical and problem solving skills to help victims and family members of victims of violent crimes by solving these crimes and giving them a sense of closure. In her spare time, Valencia enjoys reading, spending time with her family and friends and volunteering in her community.
2nd Place Winner
I was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. In high school, I was very active in plays, in National Honor Society and in church youth groups. After graduating in 2012, I completed my freshmen year of college at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, Nebraska. I then moved back to Omaha, where I completed some courses at Metro Community College before deciding that I wanted to teach and transferring to the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
I transferred to UNO in Fall 2014. I am pursuing a degree in Secondary Education with my endorsement in 7-12 grade Language Arts and will graduate in Spring 2017. In addition to actively pursuing my schoolwork, I work as a peer advisor in UNO's College of Education. As a peer advisor, I meet with prospective or current UNO students who are considering majors in education and help new UNO students register for classes. I am also involved in Kappa Delta Pi and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), two professional education organizations. I am active in working with youth in my church and my community through teaching Sunday school, helping lead youth mission trips, and volunteering at a faith-based youth center The Hope Center for Kids.
As a future teacher, I look forward to challenging students in the classroom and building relationships with them. I love watching my students grow. I am thankful for my experience in the Educator Prep Program at UNO and my volunteer opportunities, as they are helping my to grow into the effective and relational teacher that I hope to be. I am thankful to the Rahman Alim Strum Scholarship, Inc. for awarding me this scholarship to help me continue to pursue my studies and co-curricular work at UNO.
My parents are Karen and Keith Severin. I have one older sister, Amanda, and a future brother-in-law, Jacob.
3rd Place Winner
Daiquille I. Street was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. Growing up in the rough community of Brownsville, Brooklyn meant that at a young age Daiquille had to decide whether he was going to fall victim to the culture of drugs and violence that surrounded him or rise above it. He chose to rise above it! Daiquille is a recent graduate of Performing Arts & Technology High School and will be attending Fulton Montgomery Community College in the Fall. After his first year of college Daiquille aspires to transfer to North Carolina A&T State University to complete his Bachelor’s degree. After completing his undergraduate education Daiquille plans to become either a lawyer or police officer. Daiquille loves music, art, and his family. He will be the first person in his immediate family to graduate from college and wants to help set a standard of achievement for his younger siblings to aspire to.