The Ravens organization has long been an important part of the Baltimore and its surrounding communities.
On Monday, the team announced the selection of their 2015 class of Ravens Scholars. In a tradition that has been going on for the sixth-consecutive year, five outstanding area high school seniors were awarded a $5,000 renewable scholarship ($20,000 over four years to each scholar) to support their respective college educations.
Honored for displaying remarkable academic achievement, extra-curricular participation and community service, the five award winners were among the best of the best.
Funded by the Ravens Foundation and its partnership with the CollegeBound Foundation, an independent, nonprofit program designed to work exclusively with local students, the scholarship program enables local youth to continue their education on a collegiate level.
After receiving over 125 applications, the scholarship committee selected 10 finalists that were interviewed at the Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills by Ravens assistant director of pro personnel Chad Alexander along with assistant director of public relations Patrick Gleason and members of CollegeBound to conduct the interviews.
Per the Ravens press release, the 2015 Scholarship Winners are:
Evodie Ngoy, Digital Harbor High School – Ngoy will attend Goucher College in the fall of 2015. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, she moved to the United States when she was nine years old. After arriving in Baltimore, Ngoy developed a true passion for filmmaking and has already produced several documentaries and short films. Ngoy is very involved with her school and currently serves as class president, committee chair on the National Honor Society and president of the French Club. Ngoy regularly gives back to her community by teaching adults basic computer skills and also leads Sunday school programs. In 2012, she worked with the Refugee Youth Project in Baltimore, a nonprofit organization established to support refugees and their transition into American society.
Chikaodi Nwanegwo, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute – Born in Owerri, Nigeria, Nwanegwo plans to attend Morgan State University in the fall of 2015. With ambitions of entering the medical field, she spent several summers working at Johns Hopkins University through the Medical Education Resource Initiative for Teens (MERIT) Scholarship Program. Her ultimate goal is to provide medical care to underprivileged men, women and children on all continents. Nwanegwo currently serves as class vice president and president of the National Honor Society. Through these leadership roles, Nwanegwo has helped raise funds for breast cancer awareness, began a peer tutoring program and packed hundreds of lunches for the Beans and Bread organization. Additionally, she participates in her school’s track and field and cross country programs.
Enoch Ofori, Owings Mills High School – With a desire to pursue a career in medicine, Ofori will attend the University of Maryland, College Park in the fall of 2015. Last year, Ofori participated in a summer enrichment program at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C. While there, he became particularly interested in the intricate aspects of cardiac surgery. Additionally, Ofori is a leader in his church community, mentoring youth and providing assistance to orphans in Africa. A scholar-athlete who has played football and baseball all four years of high school, Ofori is also an accomplished pianist in the concert band, member of the National Art Honor Society and president of the Key Club.
Birendra Rai, Digital Harbor High School – In the fall of 2015, Rai will attend the University of Maryland, College Park where he plans to focus on computer science. After arriving in the United States from a refugee camp in Jhapa, Nepal, Rai hopes to take full advantage of the “American Dream” by one day starting his own company. Rai regularly takes initiative to try new things, which was demonstrated in his co-founding of the Science Experiment Club and summer internship at Johns Hopkins University called Engineering Innovation. Passionate about sports, Rai participates on the varsity wrestling team and with the organization Soccer Without Borders where he serves on the youth advisory council.
Nikki Woodson, Francis Scott Key High School – Woodson will attend McDaniel College to study physical science in the fall of 2015. Throughout her high school career, she maintained honor roll status as an exemplary student. Woodson’s success isn’t limited to the classroom, as she is a perpetual volunteer earning over 750 hours of community service. Woodson currently participates in the Student Government Association, Key Club and is a member of the National Honor Society. She can be regularly found serving others in her community at the Union Bridge Food Pantry. Additionally, Woodson volunteers her time at Vacation Bible School and acts as a peer facilitator in her high school.
A big congrats to all of those who were selected and not selected. It’s students like you who will carry on the tradition of giving back to others long after your school days are over.
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