Scholarship
The Jamaican Association of Maryland (JAM) has awarded about ninety-seven scholarships to deserving students since 1988. This is our 37th anniversary. Many of our scholars have completed their Degrees, such as, Associate, Bachelor, Masters and Doctorate Degrees. Others have gone on to make a difference in some way or form in serving in their communities. Please join us this evening as we welcome the awardees for 2024.
CLAUDE MCKAY SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
Tamaya Edwards
Tamaya Edwards hails from St. Andrew, Jamaica, and has made a remarkable journey from her roots to international recognition. A proud alumna of the Convent of Mercy Academy “Alpha,” class of 2019, Tamaya consistently excelled academically, securing top-three rankings from grades 7 through 11.
Beyond the classroom, Tamaya’s passion for lacrosse shone brightly. Her dedication to the sport earned her a coveted spot on the Jamaica Lacrosse Women’s Under-19 Team, where she showcased her skills on the global stage in Canada in 2019. Tamaya’s love for lacrosse continued to flourish, leading her
to join the Senior Women’s Lacrosse Team for Jamaica. She represented her country once more at the World Championships in Towson, Maryland, in 2022. Her exceptional performance there earned her an athletic scholarship to the University of the District of Columbia, where she is currently pursuing a degree in Information Technology.
Despite the demanding schedule of being a full-time student athlete and occasionally missing classes for competitions, Tamaya Edwards maintains a perfect 4.0 GPA. She excels not only in her academic pursuits but also in the sport of lacrosse. Tamaya is conscientious in completing all her school responsibilities and she is leaving a lasting impression on the faculty at the University of the District of Columbia. It is evident that Tamaya possesses exceptional qualities that makes her a well deserving candidate for the Claude McKay Scholarship.
Yanique Johnson
Ms. Yanique Johnson is an international student and a proud graduate of Mona High in Kingston, Jamaica. In 2019, she received a trophy for scoring the highest score in CSEC Social Studies at Mona High. Ms. Johnson is currently a student at the Community College of Baltimore County. She is pursuing a degree in Nursing. Yanique is ambitious, caring, intelligent, goal-driven and a hard worker. She has excelled in her studies while navigating a new culture and educational system and has sought out extracurricular activities including
on-campus employment.
Yanique is highly motivated and takes her education seriously. Her first semester GPA is a 4.0. She often states that, “she will work assiduously to excel, so that she can financially support others that will need to further their education.” It’s evident that Yanique possesses exceptional qualities that make her an ideal candidate for the Claude McKay Scholarship.
Jaden Jones
Jaden Jones is a first-year student at Towson University, pursuing studies in the discipline of Informational Technology. He is considered by some of his teachers as being respectful, polite, punctual, and hardworking. Jaden is also described as being goal driven. He demonstrates curiosity in class, asking questions that he believes will enlighten him or clarify to gain understanding.
It is no surprise that Jaden enrolled in Towson University as his high academic performance in high school set the stage for his stellar academic performance so far in his university studies.
Jaden believes that being a Claude McKay Scholarship recipient is a great honor because it allows him to represent and display his Jamaican heritage by proving that he is deserving of such an award. Jaden also believes that being a recipient of the Claude McKay Scholarship award will boost his confidence and will also allow him to accomplish his dream of earning scholarships to support himself as he progresses successfully through tertiary studies.
Jaden’s character traits (acknowledging his Jamaican heritage, curiosity and high academic performance) are in tandem with him, no doubt, being recognized as a 2023 Claude McKay Scholarship awardee.
Garry Lawrence, Jr.
Garry Lawrence, Jr. graduated from Owings Mills High School, Baltimore County. As a student Gary demonstrated a love of learning and the level of commitment necessary to succeed in college and beyond. Garry graduated with a 4.0 GPA from high school. While in high school Garry was a member of the Career Ready Program. This afforded him the opportunity to gain an engineer internship at Retiina as an inspector.
As a worker, Garry demonstrated a drive to learn and work wherever he was needed. He was chosen as number one and offered a position at Retiina out of the four interns that he worked with. Upon graduation, Garry was accepted as a student at Morgan State University. This is his first semester at Morgan State University. Also, he works part time at A I Automation Company, where he is getting the exposure of working in the robotics field. Garry would like to be an engineer when he completes his college journey.
Garry is a focused, happy, determined and a kind person with a love of helping others. He exudes confidence and a positive attitude in every task he tackles both in his academics and the workplace. It is evident that Garry possesses exceptional qualities that makes him a well deserving candidate for the Claude McKay Scholarship.
Tashana Young
Tashana Young is a diligent and dedicated student. She attends the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) pursuing a career in Public Health and hopes to become a nurse.
Tashana not only excels academically, but her resume and recommendations speak to a myriad of co-curricular activities that she participates in. She has learned sign language while being a member of Being Empowered Living Inspired, Exemplifying Victory Everyday (B.E.L.I.E.V.E.). She travels with this group to perform from time to time.
Tashana is also a First Year Experience (FYE) Mentor at the College of Baltimore County College. This role allows her to assist new students in various academic and social aspects of their lives.
One of Tashana’s lecturers describes her as being persisted and dedicated. Her raising two daughters while accomplishing and maintaining a 4.0 Grade Point Average is testament to this. She desires to help people live much healthier lives and help to advocate for health equity. Tashana looks forward to receiving one of the Claude McKay Scholarships which will assist her in covering a portion of her tuition, eventually leading to her being a successful graduate. Tashana’s scholarly performance as well as her diligence in her co-curricular activities, demonstrates that she is deserving of being awarded the Claude McKay Scholarship Award.