MLK Council gives $5K in scholarships to seniors

Five high school seniors each received $1,000 from the MLK Commemorative Council Scholars Program to help with their college expenses.

On Monday, Christian Bennings, Jovanne Marin, Josh Merriot, Olivia Sanders and Princess Tates were presented with the Martin Luther King Commemorative Council Inc. Joan Y. Ervin Scholarship at the ROOTS Foundation Office.

Yolanda Jeffery, MLK Commemorative Council chairwoman, said this is the second year the council was able to provide scholarships to local high school students.

"We want to give back to the community, rather than just keep doing things and not reaching out," Jeffery said. "We have a very diverse group of young people to give this scholarship to. We started out with $500 last year and this year we were able to give $1,000 per child. We know that when they first go to college they need help."

L. V. Andrews, MLK Commemorative Council president, congratulated the students during the scholarship presentation Monday and said he hopes they all succeed on their educational journeys.

"At MLK we value education and we try to help some young person along the way," Andrews said. "We want to wish all of you well in school and want you to do the best. We want to see our young boys and girls do good in life. We want you to fight hard and stay in there and become whatever your profession calls for."

Bennings, a senior at Estacado High School, said he was thankful for the scholarship and said the funds would help him with his costs in attending Western Texas College, where he plans to study to become a physical therapist.

"It will give me a boost for things that I need, such as a laptop and paying for books," Bennings said.

Marin, a senior at Lubbock High School, said he hopes to not graduate college in debt and said the Joan Y. Ervin scholarship will help. Marin is a cancer survivor who hopes to become an oncologist.

"It's going to help me with book costs and tuition costs," Marin said. "It will help me reduce a lot of debt in the future — that's my goal. I really do not want to graduate with a lot of debt."

Merriot, a senior at Coronado High School, plans to pursue an engineering degree and is putting the scholarship funds toward his first year at South Plains College.

"I'm going to start out at South Plains and that's about $9,000 a year and I've almost got all of South Plains covered," Merriot said. "After South Plains, I'm going to major in engineering and transfer credits to the University of Texas. I eventually hope to go into the renewable energy field."

Sanders, a senior at Margaret Talkington School for Young Women Leaders, plans to attend Prairie View A&M in the fall and study to become a nurse.

"This scholarship is a blessing," Sanders said. "It was hard for me to find good opportunities to improve my education. It really means a lot to me and my family and I hope that this (scholarship) can be a blessing to other students to continue working hard so they can further their education and go to college."

Tates, a senior at Coronado High School, said the scholarship will help pay some of her way at Texas A&M in College Station where she plans to study microbiology and become a dermatologist.

"This scholarship will help me pay some of my tuition and fees and some of my books," Tates said. "Just all of the main expenses that come with college."

George Love, Martin Luther King Commemorative Council Inc. board member, said he hopes the young graduates can use the scholarship to help further them in their education and help them become positive influences on the community.

"As you transition from high school to college we hope that you are able to have an inward motivation that helps outwardly to provide a platform where you can engage others in meaningful relationships and in meaningful dialogue that helps society as a whole," Love said. "These five recipients are writing their story and using the platform that has been giving to them by way of the MLK Scholarship Committee and the Joan Y. Ervin Scholarship."

denise.marquez@lubbockonline.com

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Source: MLK Council gives $5K in scholarships to seniors