Grassroots scholarship helps HBCU students

Matt Lamb, Richmond County Daily Journal, Rockingham, N.C.
·3 min read

Jun. 2—ROCKINGHAM — With graduation fast approaching, one Richmond County native is doing his part to ease the financial burden for prospective college students.

Jawnte Everette is no stranger to the initial sticker shock that can be associated with pursuing higher education. He has attained a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice with a minor in Sociology, a master's degree in Organizational Leadership in Criminal Justice, and is presently working towards a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice.

Currently an English Teacher at Ashley Chapel, Everette fondly recalls his time at Shaw University, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). After completing his initial degree program, Everette became invested in the success of HBCU's, promoting attendance to new Richmond County graduates.

"A lot of time HBCU's are overlooked," Everette says, but his time there helped him develop into the professional he is today. "The truth of the matter is, a lot of people hear historically black, and when I went to my HBCU, I didn't meet many people that looked and acted like me. We may have the same skin tone, but you may have African Americans from different parts of the world, and my understanding of African American is different than theirs," Everette continued.

Everette actively mentored students looking to continue their education but felt like he could do more.

A year ago, Everette, with a push in the right direction, started the I Can Scholarship. "I was going to wait until this year to do it, but my mom was like, well if you think about it, the title is I Can, so why don't you do it now," Everette said.

According to Everette, the I Can Scholarship program aims to provide financial assistance to exceptional students who will be attending a Historically Black College and University.

The scholarship, however, is about more than just pecuniary assistance.

This year's official media release states, "the primary objective of the I Can Scholarship is to develop, enhance, and motivate learners by offering mentorship and career development opportunities." It goes on to say, "I Can Scholarship seeks to foster a deeper appreciation for HBCU's and the invaluable role they play in providing quality education, promoting diversity, and empowering students of all backgrounds."

In its first year the scholarship fund was able to endow Isiah McRae with $1,000 towards tuition. According to Everette, McRae just completed his first year at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University with a 4.0 GPA, while majoring in Engineering.

On May 18, another $1,000 award was granted to William White. Like McRae, White will also be attending NC A&T. White will be enrolled in the Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics in the fall.

Everette plans on continuing to grow his grassroots scholarship effort by expanding fundraising and helping more than one student at a time.

"I just met with the committee, and we said, 'Hey, why don't we do two scholarships next year?' We can do a $1000, and a $500. So I think its growing and people are starting to see the impact of what the I Can Scholarship can do for students," Everette proudly exclaimed.