9 minute read
Living the dream through education and service
The 2024 class of scholarship recipients are inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy while building their own
By Gretchen A. Peck
A profoundly influential figure in Civil Rights and American history, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. dedicated his life—in fact, gave his life—to evangelizing equality, peace, justice, love, service, and education. His legacy endures, inspiring new generations all over the world.
In the wake of Dr. King’s assassination in 1968, two local New London residents, William Waller and his wife, Eunice, created a scholarship, The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Trust Fund—then, just $100—was bestowed to a high school student who personified Dr. King’s principles.
Since the inaugural year, more than 250 scholarships have been awarded to students to help them pursue their collegiate aspirations. With funding from area organizations, the value of those scholarships has grown to $25,000 for each award.
The selection process is rigorous. Applicants submit academic transcripts, standardized test scores, and an essay. They then sit for an interview with board members. The scholars are chosen based on academic achievement, financial need, dedication to community service, and “interest in advancing the legacy and philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” Past recipients have gone on to become accomplished doctors and surgeons, lawyers, pastors, public service professionals, actors, musicians, business executives, and educators.
In 2024, the fund’s 56th year, 12 scholars were chosen for the distinction. Birse Timmons, president of the scholarship fund’s Board of Trustees, hosted an award ceremony on October 22, 2024, at Foxwoods Resort Casino. On the Shoreline spoke with several of the recipients about their futures.
“I’ve always been an overachiever. I like being that,” Mahi Patel says.
Patel is a senior honor student at Robert E. Fitch High School and a member of the school’s Black Student Union. She volunteers at the Groton Public Library and is an active member of More Than Words, where students from Groton, New London, and Ledyard promote respect for diversity. She can often be found taking photos of beautiful things: sunrises and sunsets, places she’s traveled to, things she discovers in nature, her family, and especially her beloved grandmother.
She learned about the scholarship opportunity from past Fitch scholars and Carmita Hodge, Fitch’s assistant principal, and advisor to the Black Student Union. “She really believed in me,” Patel says.
Patel’s application essay focused on the war in Afghanistan, how it particularly impacts women and children, and what Dr. King may have said about war.
Since elementary school, Patel has aspired to be a doctor. She’s fascinated with cellular biology and plans to study dermatology at the University of Connecticut, Brown University, or Northeastern University.
“I just love helping people—today, that’s through community service and the clubs I’m involved in. I am dedicated to helping people in need,” she says. In her role with the Black Student Union, fellow students of color often talk to her about their concerns about equity, racism, and tolerance. She leverages her position to bring those issues to school administrators.
“I want those students to be heard and to trust me. I want to be the type of person anyone can come to, knowing that I will help. I want that to be my legacy,” she says.
Cashel Jones, from New London Multi-Magnet High School, was encouraged to apply for the scholarship by her principal.
“I’m really into environmental science and conservation, so I wrote my essay about something I’ve done a lot of research on—shark finning. I connected the dots to social justice because shark finning is contributing to the decrease in the shark population, which feeds many communities around the world. Without them, entire ecosystems collapse,” she explains. According to Jones, the disruption to the food chain particularly impacts marginalized communities in impoverished nations.
Jones has citizenship in the United States, Colombia, and Jamaica. She would like to further her education in environmental sciences to help ecosystems, animal populations, and people worldwide. In her free time, she volunteers at a local nature center, and in the summers, she works as a lifeguard at Ocean Beach. She is taking a course to become an emergency medical technician (EMT) and enjoys making ceramic art.
When Jones was chosen to receive the scholarship, she cried, realizing that her aspirations meant something not only to her but to others as well.
Emmanuella “Ella” Prempeh is a senior at Norwich Free Academy (NFA). She is a member of the National Honor Society, the French club, and the track-and-field and basketball teams. She serves as class vice president and chairs NFA’s education and workforce development program. Prempeh is also a passionate poet and self-taught artist.
She says her professional goal is to become a criminal defense attorney. She hopes to study at the University of Connecticut, Southern Connecticut State University, or Syracuse University, then go on to an accelerated master’s program and law school.
“Last year, in my sociology class, we had a unit that focused on the disproportionate amount of people of color in jail compared to white people. We looked at different methods that police and prosecutors use to incarcerate them,” Prempeh says. “Then, they struggle to get out and find jobs when they do. It’s a vicious cycle. I want to help people who have been wrongfully convicted or people who are in jail who shouldn’t have been given long sentences for minor crimes,” she says.
Prempeh wrote her application essay on the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and how BLM protests—which began in earnest—sometimes devolved into violent events.
“There is no justice if you fight with vengeance in your heart,” she says. “I wrote about the Black Lives Matter protests in relation to MLK’s messages about unity and peacefulness.”
“His activism is the reason I’m able to do what I do. I feel like his message was so impactful to me, not just because he spoke out at a time when he was told not to, and all the heat against him, or the fact that he wanted—after all the hate and all the racism—he still wanted us, no matter our race to be together,” she says. “That really stuck with me. Having the honor to share the award with so many other students who are not just Black but come from Muslim and Indian families and other backgrounds is like living out exactly what he wanted for us. It’s really great to experience that.”
Arnell Peck is a senior at The Williams School. He recalls growing up and attending the scholarship fund’s annual galas with his father and hearing the speakers and scholars speak about Dr. King’s legacy.
“I grew up seeing those role models up on the stage, but I never really believed that I could be up there one day,” Peck says. “But my dad was always there at my side saying, ‘That’s going to be you up on the stage one day.’”
Peck plans to attend the University of Richmond, where he will study business administration. He’s already thinking ahead to post-graduate work. He’d like to earn an MBA and a law degree and embark on a career in sports law. He enjoys playing sports, particularly basketball and lacrosse, writing poetry, and photography.
“I would love to carry on Martin Luther King’s name. Not just as a scholar, but as a person and advocate for what his values were,” he says. “My main goal is to give back to the community that raised me. I live in New London and loved growing up here.” He acknowledges all aspects of the city, from its pride and community to its challenges.
“I’m just reflecting on where I came from and making the place that raised me a better place,” Peck says.
Peck began his application essay by recounting the death of Tyre Nichols, who died from injuries sustained while in the custody of five Memphis police officers—the same city where Dr. King was assassinated, Peck observed. He pondered the cultural phenomena that contribute to violence, urging Black Americans to defy stereotypes and to protest peacefully.
“Most importantly, we ought to have gratitude for our ancestors, who fought for our rights, and use those rights to further advance our people through legislation and peaceful protest against oppressive ideas and figures,” Peck wrote. “Change isn’t easy, neither is it immediate, yet there is hope,” he concluded.
