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 2020 Rahman Alim Strum Scholarship Winners!!!
1st Place Winner
Recco Montese Seay Jr. was born in Nashville, Tennessee. He is currently a sophomore at Miles College Birmingham, Alabama where he is majoring in Mass Communication and currently has a 3.8. grade point average. He is also a member of the Honor’s College at Miles College where he has received the honor of being recognized on the President’s List and Dean’s List.
As an honor student, Recco was involved in numerous activities such as Taekwondo, band, soccer, basketball, (ADVID) Advancement Via Individual Determination, and Kappa League. While competing in Taekwondo he received awards and honors for sparring and demonstrating patterns which distinguishes his level of discipline, determination and perseverance. This degree of demonstration led to his highest honor of Black Belt. As a member of the Martin Luther King Academic Magnet School Symphonic Band he was given the opportunity to perform challenging literature for the community. Recco was an avid sportsman while he was a member of the basketball and soccer team. He demonstrated outstanding leadership skills on and off the field. AVID prepared him for the real world and his pronounced role as a leader amongst his peers as well as equipped him with astute organizational skills, professional communication, active listening skills and critical thinking. In March of 2020, Recco was initiated into Delta Tau Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated. He has been a dedicated volunteer with various programs serving the minority community. Recco fed the homeless, delivered school supplies, collected donations to assist tornado victims and routinely serves at his local YMCA. Recco has facilitated his leadership and role model skills in the community where he was the spokesperson at a middle school basketball clinic where he spoke to the students about the importance of being respectful to their parents and making good grades, thus only relevant due to his personal demonstration as a young male demonstrating the highest moral degree of leadership amongst his peers.
Recco participated in the Youth Choir and Music Ministry over the years. Also, he voluntarily performed as a percussionist during worship service. Recco’s faith in God enables him the ability to practice spiritual maturity and grow in wisdom and humility daily. In his spare time, he enjoys playing basketball, networking participating in community service, dancing, and spending time with family and friends. Recco plans to become an ESPN analyst, videographer, and motivational speaker.
2nd Place Winner
Rachel Lester graduated as Salutatorian from McEachern High School in 2019. She was the Drum Major of the marching band, president of National Honor Society, and a member of Beta Club, Student Council, Tri-M Music Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Varsity Lacrosse. Rachel auditioned and was selected two years in a row to be a part of the Honors Performance Series, through which she performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City with musicians from all over the world. She currently attends Oglethorpe University in Brookhaven, GA where she is pursuing a major in Psychology and a minor in Music. Rachel is a member of the lacrosse team, the OU Symphony, Women in Science Empowerment, and Student Alumni Relations. She is also a part of the Ambassador Program where she leads campus tours and assists with admissions events.
Rachel is very strong in her faith and has remained involved in her church. She was a part of the youth group and youth choir at McEachern United Methodist where she participated in both local and international missions to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. She continues to volunteer in her community to assist those in need and to show the love of God to others.
After graduating, Rachel plans on earning her master's degree in Occupational Therapy. Her goal is to continue to help people and make a positive impact in her community.
2nd Place Winner
3rd Place Winner
Emuesiri Edafemuoke is an honor student who graduated from Pebblebrook High School with a 3.949 grade point average. In highschool, she was involved in several extracurricular activities including National Beta Club, National Art Honor Society, and Debate Club. She participated in numerous debate tournaments with her debate team and won many Atlanta Urban Debate League (AUDL) speaker awards.
Emuesiri is a problem solver with a track record of giving her all and exceeding what is expected of her. She is also an experienced team player who has excellent communication skills and is always looking for opportunities to learn more. She is a collaborative leader who constantly challenges herself to find solutions to problems. She is cordial, analytical, and pragmatic. Outside of her academics, Emuesiri is passionate about philanthropy, social justice, and volunteering.
This fall, she will be a freshman at Kennesaw State University majoring in Finance where she hopes to gain remarkable experiences that’ll develop and challenge her analytical and problem-solving skills. She is very interested in the finance sector of medical technology and healthcare, so she plans to become a financial consultant in the healthcare industry.