Congratulations to the 2023 B.O.S.S.
Scholarship Recipients!
As part of our commitment to helping young Black women achieve educational excellence, The MGAM Scholarship Foundation helps ease the financial burden for deserving high school graduates nationwide. For the 2023-2024 school year, the Foundation was pleased to award two students with a $1,500 scholarship each:
Arianna Young
Arianna currently resides in Indianapolis, Indiana. She graduated from Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School. Arianna will be attending Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia in the Fall and is looking to major in Film.
How does Arianna celebrate the beauty, power, and resilience of Black women? “My primary means of celebrating Black women is filmmaking and screenwriting. My goal with these arts is to bring Black characters to the screen and canvas as people whose blackness is part of them but doesn’t define them. For example, the main character in my screenplay, Chin Up, is a Black girl who experiences social anxiety. As the writer, I know this character has experienced racism and sexism, but I choose to not make that part of her defining story. While it seems small, this is a significantly unique and important goal.”
Yoselyn Owolabi
Yoselyn currently resides in Houston, Texas. She graduated from Victory Early High School. Yoselyn will be attending Howard University in Washington, D.C. in the Fall and is looking to major in Political Science.
How does Yoselyn celebrate the beauty, power, and resilience of Black women? “To me, the importance of dignity cultivates a prideful environment. The Feminine Self-Care Basket is a project created to empower women throughout our campus. We recognize that approximately 20% of Black women experience period poverty and oftentimes must use fabric, toilet paper, or free-bleeding to get by. We provide feminine products in the women’s restroom for students to utilize in times of need.”
Congratulations to the 2022 B.O.S.S.
Scholarship Recipients!
As part of our commitment to helping young Black women achieve educational excellence, The MGAM Scholarship Foundation helps ease the financial burden for deserving high school graduates nationwide. For the 2022-2023 school year, the Foundation was pleased to award two students with a $1,250 scholarship each:
Kawama Wilson
Meet Kawama Wilson – Kawama is from Newark, New Jersey. She graduated from North Star Academy Charter School. Kawama will be attending North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro in the Fall and majoring in Education.
How does Ayana celebrate the beauty, power, and resilience of Black women? “I honor black women’s power, beauty, and resilience by choosing to educate myself like so many of the Black women before me. In doing so I contribute to the blueprint for which Black women are creating change, innovating, and leading.”
Ayana Askew
Meet Ayana Askew – Ayana is from Norfolk, Virginia. She graduated from Booker T. Washington High School. Ayana will be attending Spelman College in Atlanta in the Fall and majoring in English.
How does Ayana celebrate the beauty, power, and resilience of Black women? “By taking the time to understand my heritage and embrace everything society teaches us to be ashamed of, from our hair to our skin color, to our history, and most significantly, our black voice.”
Congratulations to the Inaugural B.O.S.S.
Scholarship Recipients!
As part of our commitment to helping young Black women achieve educational excellence, The MGAM Scholarship Foundation helps ease the financial burden for deserving high school graduates across the country. For the 2021-2022 school year, the Foundation was pleased to award two students with a $1,000 scholarship each:
Laila Flores
Laila Flores is from Burtonsville, Maryland. She graduated from the Academy of the Holy Cross. While in high school, Laila made the Principal’s List her senior year and was an events coordinator for The Onyx Club and a community engagement student ambassador for the I Support The Girls Organization. She was also a member of the Investing/Finance Club, Young Progressives Club, and the Junior Varsity Softball team.
Laila, an aspiring physician, is attending Xavier University of Louisiana this fall to major in Biology/Pre-Med.
How does Laila celebrate the beauty, power, and resilience of Black women – “By having the faith, courage, and ambition to pursue and achieve anything I desire.”
Merom Arthur
Merom Arthur is from Gainesville, Virginia. She graduated from Battlefield High School. While in high school, Merom excelled academically, was a leader in Women in STEM, and a member of Key Club, Black Student Union, Volleyball team, and Track and Field team. Merom is attending Emory University and majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Psychology, Film, and Media.
She plans to become a psychiatrist with a specialization in neurology to dismantle stereotypes about mental health.
How does Merom celebrate the beauty, power, and resilience of Black women – “Although a number of external forces should make me feel restricted, the resilience and potential within me are ready to be released to achieve.”
Eligibility Requirements
To be considered for a B.O.S.S. Scholarship, you must meet the following criteria:
- Cis or Transgender female
- At least one parent of African descent (e.g., African-American, African, Black Caribbean, Afro-Latina)
- Graduating High School Senior
- Have been accepted at a two- or four-year college/university, or accepted at a vocational/technical school and plan to attend school in the fall of your high-school graduation year
- Legal U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- Less than 20 years of age
- Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher (based on a 4.0 scale)
Scholarship Timeline:
- February – Scholarship applications are available on February 1st.
- March – Application deadline is March 31st, 11:59 p.m. EST. Depending on the volume of applications, volunteer reviewers may evaluate applications and make final recommendations to the MGAM Board of Directors. The MGAM Board of Directors makes the final approval.
- April – Applications reviewed.
- May – Selected recipients will be notified via email of their awards and are required to complete award acceptance steps.
- May/June – President of MGAM mails scholarship checks to recipients.
How Winners Are Chosen:
In selecting B.O.S.S. scholarship recipients, The MGAM Scholarship Foundation will look for candidates who have the potential to excel as scholars, as leaders, and as contributors to the celebration of the beauty, power, and resilience of Black women. Applications will be reviewed and scored based upon the following criteria:
- Academic Performance (GPA)
- Resumes or CVs
- Essays
- Letters of recommendation
- Responsibilities and Financial Need