Some are headed to top colleges, receiving Gates Millennium, Posse and other prestigious scholarships. Others are staying closer to home, attending Emory and Clark Atlanta universities and Young Harris College.
It was a night of celebration for 23 Atlanta public school seniors and their families who gathered at APS headquarters Thursday for the ceremonial signing of their college scholarship offers. The room was filled with proud parents, teachers, mentors and students eager to reap the rewards of their academic success.
The students are part of Project GRAD Atlanta, a nonprofit organization that works in partnership with APS to provide academic, behavioral and social services to students in need. Project GRAD’s mission is to increase the number of students graduating from high school and college.
“The Atlanta public schools and Project GRAD Atlanta are very excited about this moment in your life, as you fulfill your own personal dream, as well as our dream for you,” wrote James E. Bostic Jr., board chairman of Project GRAD in a letter to the students. “We are very proud that you’ve taken full advantage of the academic and support services which we have offered and used them to become ‘college and career ready.’ ”
The following students received college scholarships: Jahre Aquart (Emory University), Walter Coggins Jr. (Young Harris College) and Lotus Velasquez-Rios (Bard College), Best Academy at Benjamin Carson High School; Alex Crittle III (University of Georgia), Tatiana Lewis (Columbus State University) and Quantina Williams (Middle Tennessee State University) Booker T. Washington High School; Daniel Minor III (Georgia Tech), Carver Early College; Shantavious Neely (Fort Valley State University), Carver, Health Sciences & Research; Roger Murray (Miles College), Carver, SOTA; Trendarius Simmons (Lane College), Tonja Saeys (Clark Atlanta University) and Darryl Terry III (Morehouse College), Frederick Douglass High School; Sarah Smith (Georgia State University), William Bennett (Savannah State University) and Cidney Bullard (University of West Georgia), Maynard Jackson High School; Rhandal Jackson (Alabama A&M), Lena Adams (Boston University) and Demetrius Perkins Jr., (Fort Valley State University) Benjamin Mays High School; Jada Williams-Smith (Armstrong University), South Atlanta School of Health & Medical Sciences; Marcus Price (Jackson State University), South Atlanta Computer, Animination & Design; Shamerria Walker (Georgia State University), Alexus Mitchell (Tuskegee University) and Nia Jones (Georgia Gwinnett College), Therrell High School.
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