2018 Named Scholarship Recipients
Harriet "Ozzi" Mask Scholarship
Deemah moved to the US from Saudi Arabia when she was eleven years old. At Justice High School, she was a full IB diploma candidate and maintained a 4.27 GPA while participating the Select Vocal Ensemble, the International Thespian Society, and Model UN. According to Deemah, her most rewarding activity was tutoring elementary school children for the STEMbassadors program. One of Deemah’s teachers described her as follows, “She not only has one of the strongest work ethics I have seen, but her positivity and intellectual curiosity are infectious.” Deemah is majoring in International Affairs with a concentration in global health studies at the University of Virginia.
Quetzali came to the US with her family from Mexico when she was in elementary school. She will be the first generation in her family to attend college. Quetzali stated, “My family places a great importance on education, therefore I’ve always worked hard to have good grades, go to college, and have a better future as a result.” Quetzali was a full IB Diploma candidate at Justice High School. She also played upright bass in the school orchestra and jazz band and enjoyed helping rising bass players improve their skills. She is excited to major in music at George Mason University. Quetzali wrote, “Having formal musical training in college is a dream to me, I’ve never had formal training and I can’t wait to begin.”
Norene Thomas Scholarship
William was a full IB Diploma Candidate and will be the first generation in his family to attend college. William displayed his passion for both Music and Science while at Justice High School. He played clarinet in the Marching Band all four years and was selected for District X Band his last two years. William credits his chemistry teacher for showing him how interesting and fun chemistry can be. He plans to pursue these interests at NOVA. He is working towards a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and plans to continue playing the clarinet.
Svendsen Memorial Scholarship
Percy came to the United States from Peru when he was 14. He spent 9th grade in the ESOL program and by 10th grade had progressed to regular classes where he maintained a B+ average. He accomplished all this while working 27 hours a week at an after-school job. His teacher wrote, “It has been great to see a former ESOL students really take advantage of education, work hard, get good grades, and be on his way to college.” Percy is attending NOVA and plans to eventually attend a four-year college and become a mechanical engineer.
Joel and his family immigrated to the US from Guatemala. His teachers describe him as focused and driven. One teacher told of Joel’s amazing transformation as he went from knowing little English at the end of tenth grade to holding conversations in near perfect English while maintaining above average grades. Joel also enjoyed playing drums and guitar in his church every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Joel is attending NOVA and is taking nursing courses with the hope of ultimately becoming a physician’s assistant or perhaps a doctor one day.
Jeremy Munga Scholarship
Mason played football for four years at Justice and was captain of the team his last two years. Mason’s teachers described him as a “natural leader” and observed that “the other players love and respect him.” Mason witnessed the passing of his friend, Jeremy, in a boating accident and has said it changed his life forever. It inspired him to work harder in school and dedicate his life to helping others as Jeremy was a person who would do anything to help a friend in need. Mason attends Randolph Macon and plans to continue playing football.
Class of 1977 Scholarship
Sandy is the first generation in her family to graduate high school or attend college. She has challenged herself academically by taking 11 honors and IB courses while working up to 30 hours a week to help her family. Her teacher described her as a “natural leader who pushes herself and others to do their best in school.” She has also been active in her community volunteering for the Spanish Reading Club and as a Sunday School teacher. Sandy is attending Juniata College and plans on majoring in Social Work or Education.
Class of 1967 Scholarship
Sophia will be the first generation in her family to attend college. While at Justice, she was a volunteer coach for the girls basketball team and a manager for the boys varsity basketball team in 11th and 12th grades. Sophia had limited time to engage in after school activities due to the fact that her primary responsibility was to care for her brother after school. Sophia has maintained a positive attitude and says, “Becoming a role model for him has made me the independent and driven person that I am.” Sophia attends Virginia Tech and plans to major in Philosophy and eventually plans on going to law school.
Ibrahim came to this country from Somalia his junior year of high school. In the short time here, he has excelled at his studies and maintained a 4.06 GPA. Ibrahim was selected as a delegate for Boys State of Virginia and also participated in the Interact Club and Speech competitions. Ibrahim is majoring in Political Science at Virginia Tech and hopes to one day use what he learns to help his country. As Ibrahim states, “I will use college as a tool to craft my political future and read many political and economic books to find solutions on how we can settle the crisis going in Somalia.”