The Ann Arbor Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People recognized 238 Ann Arbor Public Schools high school students at their annual Freedom Fund Dinner. The students were recognized for maintaining a 3.2 grade point average or above during the 2022-23 school year.
The overall theme of this year’s Freedom Fund Dinner was Thriving Together, with Pioneer’s Kevin Hudson and Skyline’s Jade Flores sharing their thoughts what thriving together means to them.
Ann Arbor NAACP President William Hampton says the students did a good job in sharing that we get more accomplished when we come together towards one common goal. He says recognizing the students’ academic achievements is important. “A lot of these students never get recognized by anybody that’s number one,” Hampton says. “Number two, we’re here to support their ambitions, their aspirations and they need to know that.”
The 2023 Freedom Fund Scholars are:
Community: (Cat) Catherine Barney, Allegra Blackwood, Jonathan Carter, Leah Eddins, Mia Fletcher, Skyler Genewick, Hezekiel Lafferty, (Ali) Allison O’Brien, Cameron Payne, Owen Provenzola, Adebabaye Rosczyk, Arijana Taylor and Sadie Todd
Huron: Alena Adams, Cayley Angeli, Hamza Archer, Thylicia Babumba, Damani Bah, Terrence Banks, Sadie Bates, Jesse Bogan, Gavin Brooks, Aria Burton-Weisman, Kelsey Burton-Weisman, Maya Campbell, Sapphire Chimbira, Akeira Covington, Charis Crawford, Autumn Cryor, Ethan Demps, Alexander D’Haene, Elijah Easley, Cecelia Embry, Maria Farah, Marvin Fox, Reema Gameel, Kaitlyn Gavin, Nakkia Gimson, Rihanna Gleason, Brandon Graham, Andrew Harding, Jackson Harris, Elijah Hayward, Jackson Hayward, Christian Hudson, Qaurtney Jackson, Amelya Johnson, Jaylen Johnson, Khalil Jones, Fatoumata Kaba, Lamek Kehase, Sidney Kitchen, Mikael LaGrand-Thomas, Valerie Lynch, Faith Marks, Grace Marks, Mame Mbengue, Talia McCommons, Jordan McQueen, Mackenzey Mills, Tya Morgan, Adeyinka Olowoye, Evelyn Ostergren, Mackenzie Parker, Kennedy Perkins, Josephine Peters, Tobias Peters, Kinley Poole, Jesslyn Pryor, Ryland Quann, Jae’la Relerford, Grant Richmond, Shaylah Robertson, Alijah Ross-Megill, Amadou Sidibe, Dyson Sims, Terrance Springer, Rhian Stewart, Kynnedy Sutton, K’Lyn Taylor-Neely, La’Naysha Thomas, Sanysjah Thomas, Lael Trent, Arissa Tucker, Mia Walker, Thayer Wallace, Alvin Ward, Faith Weems, Maxine Wilkins, Drew Williams, PaytonWilliams, Jacob Wing, Mike Yimer, Maya Young, Hosanna Zerisenai and Naod Zerisenai
Pathways to Success: Re’Mya Brown and Andrew Mack-Layher
Pioneer: Taylor Banks, Buturo Bartolomei, Heather Beck, Aliana Black, Skylar Bowman-Matthews, Cris Jadin Bryant, Darius Calvert, Ellis Clemetson, Isaiah Clifton, Bintou Conde, Joshua Corcoran, Eric Craig, Lillian Culpepper, Emmanuel Davis, Ndeye Diop, Yukiori Doi, Kaiden Ellis, Elijah Flemister, Sydney Fletcher, Kennedy Flowers, Dominick Franklin, Jaykob Garcia-Settles, Jasmyne Gatson, Marlow Gibson, Olivia Gibson, Jade Glaza, Zoey Grekin, Sydney Grevious, Antoynette Hamiliton, Cyrus Hansen, Nariyah Harris, Jordan Harrison, Harmony Holmes, Isabella Hubbard-Adams, Kevin Hudson, Destini Hutson, Dream Hutson, Mia James, Averie Johnson, Bridgette Kamara, Hawa Keita, Kobe Latimer, Keden Lawson, Asiah Lee, Kolby LeFlore, TaNiyah Lockley, Kiara Mastin, Caleb McCool, Houston McCoy, Monaee McGaughy-Johnson, Mohamed Mohamed, Sydney Mutinda, Morgan Neal, Aduralere Odetola, Ibrahim Omari, Brysion Patterson, Jackson Paul-McDonald, Annika Polk, Cecile Piffaretti, Jamiyah Poole, Evie Poortinga, Luke Provenzola, Danielle Ransom, Mya Richards, Maya Rollins, Amani Sanogo, Theodore Scott, Jehan Sheikh, Alycia Smith-Strong, Nelson Sompa, Gabriella Soto-Ali, Raquel Starks, Carson Strauss, Chloe Stuckey, Allison Swinney, Leda Thomas, Gabrielle Thompson, Vali Toure, Amber Weaver, Nyla White, Lai’la Wilborn, Lia Wilson, Jada Witherspoon, Aaron Womble, Zaryn Woods and Matthew Yosief
Skyline: Amir Abston, Shola Bailey, Karma Bailey, Thomas Berhe, Alexander Brabec, Ryann Brooks, Owen Carnegie, Simone Chin, Jaden Cochran, Jaylah Cotton, Jaden Drake, Amani Dworkin, Aliyah Evans, Jayla Fields, Jade Flores, Keith Forest, Johnnae Foster, Amira Fritzsch, Rachel Hardy, Khaleela Hodge, Zoe Holloway-Welch, Vivian Jackson, Malcolm Jemison-Blais, Wesley Jenkins, Kyle Krasan, Nana-Kwesi Kwakye, Belzora Lovett, Nicholas Lukela, Antwan McCraney, Shyanna McCraney, Jamarion McGowan, Jeremiah Nabors-Moore, Amita Nathan, Sanou N’Diaye, Lila Ogden, Odein Orubibi, Shamarrion Patterson, Jessica Porter, Jalen Roberts, Shamiso Ruwende, Jordan Salazar, Sydney Sawyer, Aissatou Seck, Limamou Seck, Noah Silkworth, Lorenzo Soto Booker, Liyah Taylor, Kenyon Miles Tinsley, Sarina Thomas, Belladonna Vaughn, Jazmin Ward and Preston Zabinko
