For these metro Detroit students, getting a scholarship was as easy as showing up

Jasmin Barmore, Detroit Free Press
·4 min read

At 6 p.m. sharp Wednesday, Shahida Mausi took the stage at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre to give opening remarks at the Young Gifted and College Bound communitywide graduation and college send-off ceremony.

Her message: "We care about you."

"You carry our (Detroit) brand with you wherever you go," said Mausi, president of Right Productions, which manages the theater. She addressed nearly 200 students.

"You represent all of us and we represent you. So we wanted you to know today that we care about you ..." she said.  And so "we're going to put a little money in your pocket today too."

Young Gifted and College Bound is the second scholarship event hosted by the amphitheater. On Wednesday more than 300 students registered to win what some would call a relatively easy scholarship of $500, simply by registering and showing up to the event. Fifty graduating seniors from metro Detroit won the money by a random draw.

Nyla Morrison, 17, a senior at Renaissance High School, said she was glad she registered.

Detroit Country Day graduate Taya Dixson receives her $500 check after being selected with others to receive the scholarship during the annual Young Gifted and College Bound communitywide graduation and college send-off ceremony at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre in Detroit on May 25, 2022. More than $15,000 in scholarship funding was awarded to college-bound metro Detroit students, giving those selected for their academics $500 each.

"All you had to do is put yourself out there and go get the opportunity," she said.

Morrison, who said she is also the recipient of two other scholarships, is graduating in June and attending Oakland University in the fall.

Before the scholarship awards, state Sen. Marshall Bullock, D-Detroit, talked about his struggles before becoming a legislator and about the importance of voting.

Sen. Marshall Bullock speaks to students and their families during the annual Young Gifted and College Bound communitywide graduation and college send-off ceremony at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre in Detroit on May 25, 2022. More than $15,000 in scholarship funding was awarded to college-bound metro Detroit students, giving those selected for their academics $500 each.

"Voting is your responsibility no matter where you are," he told the audience. "Voting is what decides what our education looks like. It decides what your judicial system looks like and you should be a part of that."

Bullock, who graduated from the Detroit Public Schools, encouraged the students to get involved in community activities at the colleges they were attending and to be active in their own community because Detroit is a city where its people stand together, no matter what.

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"I want y'all to know that Detroit is the real Wakanda ..." the Mumford High School alumnus said. "It's the real. And if you are from Detroit and you go to any PWI (predominantly white institution) or HBCU (historically Black college or university), you have the greatest resources network that any person can have in this country just by being a Detroiter."

Loyola High School graduate Robert Murrey Jr., right, makes his way to the stage after being selected for a scholarship during the annual Young Gifted and College Bound communitywide graduation and college send-off ceremony at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre in Detroit on May 25, 2022. More than $15,000 in scholarship funding was awarded to college-bound metro Detroit students, giving those selected for their academics $500 each.

Before coming to Renaissance, Morrison said. she attended Southfield Christian School. The education was great, she said, but when she came to school in the city, it prepared her for real life.

"I'm glad I got to venture out. I got to see basically what the real world is like and everything isn't as smooth sailing as a private school."

The Professional Men of Tau Kappa Kappa Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, joined by other members of local chapters, hit the stage after Bullock, performing a step routine.

Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. members rehearse before performing on stage during the annual Young Gifted and College Bound communitywide graduation and college send-off ceremony at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre in Detroit on May 25, 2022. More than $15,000 in scholarship funding was awarded to college-bound metro Detroit students, giving those selected for their academics $500 each.

Bullock, who is also a member of the fraternity, danced from side to side in the background as the group exited, and later joined with a solo performance.

Schoolcraft College provided free box meals and information about their college programs, and the office of Wayne County Executive Warren Evans sponsored COVID-19 vaccines and recruitment for open positions, Nazay Young, chief human resource business partner for Wayne County. Huntington Bank, another sponsor of the event, said in a statement they are dedicated to empowering the futures of youths.

Renaissance High School graduate Jacob Guyton, holds his check while waiting on stage after being selected to receive a $500 scholarship during the annual Young Gifted and College Bound communitywide graduation and college send-off ceremony at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre in Detroit on May 25, 2022. More than $15,000 in scholarship funding was awarded to college-bound metro Detroit students, giving those selected for their academics $500 each.

Takiyah Vincent, director and program coordinator of Wayne State University's Educational Talent Search TRIO program, gave the keynote speech. Her focus: planning, executing and self-control.

"As a product of DPS and a first-generation college student, I was that bright-eyed and eager scholar seen at Young Gifted and College Bound," she told the Free Press. "There is nothing more that separates me from them other than time and right now it is their time."

At the end of the event, students who won the scholarships lined up to pick up their checks while others picked up swag bags filled with school supplies. Those who didn't receive the funds were given a $25 Amazon gift card to use toward college expenses.

The Right Productions president Shahida Mausi, center, sits with a group of metro Detroit high school graduates selected to receive a $500 scholarship for a photo during the annual Young Gifted and College Bound communitywide graduation and college send-off ceremony at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre in Detroit on May 25, 2022.
The Right Productions president Shahida Mausi, center, sits with a group of metro Detroit high school graduates selected to receive a $500 scholarship for a photo during the annual Young Gifted and College Bound communitywide graduation and college send-off ceremony at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre in Detroit on May 25, 2022.

Mausi, the Right Productions president, said the event was going to become a Detroit tradition. After the event, as she approached the steps of the administrative building where her office is located, she told the Free Press: "God willing, next year will be even better."

Jasmin Barmore is born and raised in the city of Detroit. She covers the city's neighborhoods and communities using her passion as her drive to give the voiceless a voice. You can reach her at jmbarmore@freepress.com or by sending her a message on Instagram or Twitter at @bjasminmare. 

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: $500 scholarship awarded to students who registered for event