Warrior 4 Life Scholarship Foundation Awards $11,500 To College-Bound Students
More than $11,000 in scholarships were officially handed out to nine Franklin students June 23 by the Warrior 4 Life Scholarship Foundation.
The students and their families gathered at the Township Performance Gazebo on DeMott Lane for an informal photo session and meeting with Warrior 4 Life Foundation organizers.
The Warrior 4 Life Scholarship Foundation was formed in 2017 by Nicholas and Rebekah Solomon and Daryn and Adrian Plummer and other Franklin High School alumni and supporters to “to generate scholarships for students in the Franklin Township community of Somerset, NJ that exhibit excellence in the areas of academics, athletics, arts, community service, social consciousness and philanthropy,” according to the foundation’s web site.
There are four Flagship Scholarships and five Donated Funds Book Scholarships, totaling this year $11,500.
The $2,000 Flagship Scholarships and their awardees are:
- Carl and Theresa Wade Academic Excellence, to Arushi Parikh;
- Myra Mitchell Financial Need/Tragedy Scholarship, to Andrea Pineda Espinoza;
- Malcolm and Barbara Bernard HBCU Scholarship, to Sanaa Mclean, and the
- Legacy Scholarship, this year named after Michael Pinnix, to Gabriella Stewart.
The Donated Funds Scholarship and their recipients are:
- The $500 FTSAA Scholarship to Jourdan Rennie;
- The $500 Justin Miller Family Scholarship to Emma Desai;
- The $1,000 Angela Lee-Bostick & Family – Female Athlete Scholarship to Zoe Ling;
- The $1,000 Angela Lee-Bostick & Family – Female Athlete Scholarship to Maya Patel, and
- The $500 Stewart Family Book Scholarship to Sarah Moley.
Nicholas Solomon, who is also the Franklin High School principal, told the awardees that they each had a special something that persuaded the committee to award them their individual scholarships.
“There was something about you that we felt you could carry the torch of being a Warrior for Life,” Solomon said. “The most important part of the application was the interview.”
“It’s important that we find the next generation of Warriors to continue to help the next person,” he said.
“Don’t let anyone or anything stop you from doing what you want to do,” he said. “If one door is closed, find another door or kick it down. “
“There’s something about all of you that stands out from all the rest,” Solomon said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that you can accomplish anything you dream to accomplish.”