Since it’s back to school time for kindergarten and college students alike, it’s worth reporting the 2009 HAI Group Scholarship Program winners. The Scholarship Program brought in 298 applications, up 34 from 2008. Due to the high demand, HAI Group increased the number of $2500 scholarships awarded to PHA residents from eight to 20.

The 2009 HAI Group Scholarship Program winners were:

• Carline Charmelus: Norwich Housing Authority, CT – A 2008 graduate of Norwich Free Academy, Carline is currently a student at Eastern Connecticut State University, working towards a B.A. in Psychology. She would like to become a leader and role model to young adults to make a difference in the community. She aspires to become a CEO of a company.
• Christopher Balsley: Zanesville Metropolitan Housing Authority, OH – A 1998 graduate of Maysville High School, Christopher is currently enrolled in the Colorado Technical University online program. His major is Criminal Justice and his anticipated graduation date is November 9, 2010. Raised by his mother, he joined the Army to help care for a daughter he fathered at age 19. He is now married with five children.
• Nebiyu Eguale: St. Paul Public Housing, MN – Nebiyu received his GED in March, 2006. The native of Ethiopia received his practical nursing program diploma and is currently enrolled in Minneapolis Community and Technical College. He was selected to the Future Doctors Program at the University of Minnesota and hopes to go to medical school. His dream was born after caring for his mom following a hospitalization. The fire was stoked further when, after emigrating to the U.S., he volunteered in a hospital for three months.
• Tatiana Wallace: Cambridge Housing Authority, MA – Tatiana graduated from the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School in June, 2009. She will attend St. Joseph’s College in West Hartford, CT. What impressed Cambridge Housing Authority staff members was her maturity, humility and dependability. Tatiana, whose dream it is to be a writer, worked part-time and did community service while in high school.
• Shanetris Daniel: Atlanta Housing Authority, GA – Shanetris graduated from Benjamin E. Mays High School in May, 2008 and attends Valdosta State University. She received numerous academic awards and is a member of the National Beta Club. The Atlanta Housing Authority reported that Shanetris is an excellent representative of their mission. She has demonstrated a commitment to high standards through her academic and extracurricular endeavors.
• Jasmine Watson: Chesapeake Redevelopment and Housing Authority, VA – Jasmine attends Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. She has received numerous academic awards and is involved in many extracurricular activities. Jasmine reported that growing up in public housing was a great learning experience – you saw real life, not just the dressed up side. She loves her community and wants to prove that public housing does not determine your fate or destination in life.
• Nickolas Loukedes: Manchester Housing Authority, NH – Nickolas graduated from Manchester Central High School in 2009 with a 3.91 GPA. He will attend Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH. In high school, he was a member of the National Honor Society and the World Language Honor Society. In college, he is considering: pharmacology, chemical engineering or medicine. His primary aspiration is to have a career that provides independence and financial stability.
• Sarah Owens: Marion Housing Authority, IN – Sarah attends MedTech College in Ft. Wayne, IN and is enrolled in the Practical Nursing Program. As a 10-year-old, she went to live with her Aunt Minna, a great role model and caregiver who preached education. After marrying and having children, Sarah put education on the back burner. But she is keeping a promise to her aunt, who died in 2004, by obtaining an education.
• Xaviera Vasser: East St. Louis Housing Authority, IL – Xaviera graduated from East St. Louis Senior High School in May, 2008 and attends Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL. She is studying microbiology, maintains a 3.1 GPA, and volunteers for the Lakewood Nursing Center. Her drive stems from watching her mother overcome seemingly-insurmountable obstacles. Xaviera plans to own and operate a pharmaceutical laboratory.
• Victoria Beasley: Bowdon Housing Authority, GA – Victoria graduated from Bowdon High School and has received numerous academic awards. She devotes time to community service. Her dream is to inspire others and help them in the way her community, school, and family helped her. Victoria will attend Georgia College & State University.
• Jeffrey Sierra: Norwalk Housing Authority, CT – Jeffrey has been enrolled at Philadelphia University since 2006. Jeffrey’s mother was a strong role model. She taught him anything is possible if you’re armed with a hard work ethic and a dream. When he left for college his mother told him, “Try your best.” For him, these words epitomize the idea that you can be anything you want to be. When he earns an undergraduate degree, he plans to obtain a Masters in Political Science.
• Ida Wilson: Oakland Housing Authority, CA – Ida graduated from Oakland Technical High School in June, 2009 and will attend the University of California at Riverside. Oakland Housing Authority indicated that Ida displays a high degree of leadership, integrity, responsibility, accountability, and ambition. Ida witnessed much abuse in her household but has determined that problems at home cannot interfere with her goals. She becomes the first person in her family to attend college and maintains education will strengthen her and help her to grow away from a world she wishes to leave behind.
• James Hampton: Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority, OH – James graduated from Libbey High School in 2009 and attends the University of Toledo. He received a number of academic awards and was involved with the Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority’s community clean-up. James lives with his father, as his mother is dealing with drug addiction, and has accomplished all this despite living in several shelters and neighborhoods with drug and gang activity.
• Nicole Edwards: Troy Housing Authority, NY – Nicole has attended Hudson Valley Community College since 2008 and is majoring in Human Services. Troy Housing Authority informed us that Nicole is enrolled in the Family Self-Sufficiency Program, takes a full course load, and works full time for Catholic Charities. A single mother of three, Nicole has strived to set a positive example and teach her kids about the dangers of drugs. Her ultimate goal is to work with Child Protective Services to protect children from abusive relationships and assist families in uniting.
• Arnel Lebby: Hartford Housing Authority, CT – Arnel attends the University of Hartford and maintains a 3.0 GPA while majoring in Marketing. The Hartford Housing Authority informed us that he frequently volunteers in the community and at the Mercy House Shelter in the summer. He credits his parents for giving him the drive to pursue an education.
• Ta’Ebony Bradford: Atlanta Housing Authority, GA – Ta’Ebony attends Alabama State University in Montgomery. The Atlanta Housing Authority reports that she is an excellent representative of their mission. Her active community involvement and peer leadership indicate her dedication to improving her world, which she describes as scary and impoverished, yet hopeful and supportive. She grew up in a rough area of Atlanta with her mother and sister.
• Kevin Nguyen: Fargo Housing Authority, ND – Kevin will attend North Dakota State University after his graduation from Fargo North High this summer. He participated in track, cross country, basketball, and soccer and in Big Brothers, Big Sisters. Kevin, who has lived in public housing since 1994, says school is the key to success in life.
• Ashley Zodrow: Chapman Housing Authority, KS – Ashley graduated from Chapman High School in 2007 and is studying Biochemistry at McPherson College where she carries a 4.0 GPA. She hopes to become a Doctor of Optometry and works at the McPherson Eye Care Center and the Miller Library on campus. One professor noted she is atop the school’s academic lists and has her class’s leading examinations scores.
• Mohamed Warsame: Portland Housing Authority, ME – Mohamed will attend Bentley University in Waltham, MA. When he was a child growing up in Somalia and Kenya, he could not attend school. His parents could not afford to educate the entire family, especially the youngest of seven. His father home-schooled him while his siblings went to school. When he arrived in the U.S., he felt he had something to prove and has worked hard in class.
• Portia Arthur: Antlers Housing Authority, OK – Portia graduated this summer from Antlers High School and will attend Eastern Oklahoma State College in Wilburton. Patsy Etchieson, the Executive Director at Antlers Housing Authority, said she has taken on and excelled at many tasks in the community and in school. Portia is academically motivated and participates in extracurricular activities. Portia’s parents, who married young, taught her about their hardship and struggle. Despite everything, she feels that the sky is the limit and maintains that if she shoots for the moon and misses, she will land among the stars.