host posted on November 14, 2011 23:21
Recipients from three of the state’s historically Black colleges and universities were recognized for their community service with a scholarship from the Ellen Carpenter Scholarship Program last week at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center. Rep. Tracy Steele and Shane Broadway, interim director of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, were on hand for the awards ceremony.
Established in honor of Ellen Carpenter, a 1954 graduate of Philander Smith College and long-time education and community activist, the scholarship program was created by Act 289 of 2010 sponsored by Steele.
The Ellen Carpenter Scholarship Program, announced in July of this year, was designed to provide financial support for students enrolled at Arkansas Baptist College, Philander Smith College and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Scholarships ranged from $1,000 - $5,000. A total of $100,000 in scholarships has been awarded to students for the 2011-2012 academic year.
Arkansas Baptist College students Deborah Patton and Welton Williams both said they were thankful for their scholarships. Williams, originally from New Orleans, came to Little Rock with his family after hurricane Katrina. He said he got into trouble and went to juvenile detention before he decided to turn his life around with the help of his mother. He became captain of the football team and started going to church. “I am thankful for getting the Ellen Carpenter scholarship,” Williams said. “My goal is to do something that I can to serve others before I leave this world. We need leaders to help make a change and take a stand.” Patton, of Little Rock, said this was the first scholarship that she had ever received and she was very happy. “I’m really thankful for this opportunity,” she said. “I’m blessed and I really do appreciate it.”
Steele said with the help of Broadway, a former state senator, he was proud of what they have accomplished in naming the scholarship after Carpenter, an architect of community service and teacher training programs.
Selected students completed an application process and provided a comprehensive description of their community service for the scholarship. Top scholarship recipients from each HBCU are as follows:
Arkansas Baptist College
Debora Patton - $5,000
Welton Williams - $2,500
Antonio Pendleton - $2,500
Philander Smith College
Jermaine Jones - $5,000
Whittni Evans - $2,500
Tamar Marlow - $2,500
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
Adrienne Morgan - $5,000
Alexander Harding - $2,500
Holly Sutton - $2,500
Another 70 recipients of the Ellen Carpenter HBCU Scholarship received awards in the amount of $1,000 each, including 20 students from Arkansas Baptist College and Philander Smith College, and 30 from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
Subtitle: 79 recipients