The AJCU Conference on Diversity and Equity (CDE) awards the Bill Davis Scholarship in honor of the late Mr. Bill Davis, director of the Upward Bound project at Loyola University of Chicago from 1969-1990, and one of the founding members of CDE.  This scholarship commemorates Mr. Davis’s commitment to education, public image, and student of color motivation. Please encourage your students to apply for this award.

The Scholarship application can be accessed here.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Will Johnson
CDE Treasurer

Previous Awardees

CDE 2019 LeMoyne College
Announcement:

The AJCU Conference on Diversity and Equity (CDE) is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s Bill Davis Scholarship. This scholarship is named in honor of the late Mr. Bill Davis, director of the Upward Bound project at Loyola University Chicago from 1969-1990, and one of the founding members of CDE. This scholarship, awarded annually, commemorates his commitment to education, public image, and student of color motivation.

Melisa Alves, associate director of the Center for Career Development at the College of the Holy Cross, Angel Garcia, assistant director of the Center for Multicultural Equity and Access at Georgetown University, and William H. Johnson, PhD, dean of students at Fairfield University served as application reviewers. Over 30 applications were submitted from 10 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States.

Three recipients were selected from the pool of applicants. Each student will receive an award of $500.

• Adrian Medina (Plano, IL): Gamez is a Costco Scholar and member of the class of 2021 at Loyola University Chicago where she is majoring in Strategic Communication. She has been active in her residence hall community, Latino and Caribbean cultural organizations, and SU’s Center for Community Engagement. She has served as a peer mentor, is involved in the Oregon Migrant Leadership Institute, and has contributed a multitude of hours to service activities including the American Youth Soccer Organization and Seattle University Dance Marathon in support of Children’s Miracle Network hospitals. As a first-generation, Mexican-American student, Gamez’s goal is to one day work for a non-profit community organization that advocates for college access and success.
• Noelle Whitman (Seattle, WA): Whitman is a member of the class of 2022 at Georgetown University with majors in ethnic studies, political science and Spanish studies, and a minor in Latin American studies. She is a second-degree, black belt in karate. Hernandez is active in the Santa Clara campus community serving as a first-year retreat leader, student tour guide, SCU Christian Life Community leader, and co-chair of Ballet Folklorico de SCU – a student-based, Mexican folk dancing organization. She has participated in an immersion program in New Orleans and will be traveling to Quito, Ecuador in the fall. Hernandez seeks to attend law or graduate school with plans to continue improving access to educational resources in her Napa Latino community through immigration law or public policy.
• Amanda Wibben (Riverside, CA): Saalim is a CBCF General Mills Health Scholar, Samuel A. Green Scholar, and was a member of the class of 2019 at the College of the Holy Cross where she is majoring in global health with minors in sociology and African-American studies. Since arriving at Georgetown, she has become active in the Washington, D.C. community by participating in the D.C. Schools Project as a tutor to English language learners, and as a part of the GU Medical Brigade volunteering at health clinics and blood drives. In light of her interest in women’s, pediatric and public health, Saalim has been a part of the Minority Health Initiatives Council which works to support and promote health policies that address disease prevention and health services delivery capacity in medically under-served communities.

In addition to the three scholarship recipients, Ezequiel Gutierrez of Georgetown University, Sijia ‘Lily’ Liu of the College of the Holy Cross, and Marycruz Sanchez of Marquette University were awarded honorable mentions.

Please contact Will Johnson if you have any questions about the Bill Davis Scholarship.

CDE 2018 Marquette University
Announcement:
The Conference on Diversity and Equity (CDE) is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s Bill Davis Scholarship.  This scholarship is named in honor of the late Mr. Bill Davis, director of the Upward Bound project, Loyola University of Chicago from 1969-1990, and one of the founding members of CDE.  This scholarship, awardee annually, commemorates his commitment to education, public image, and student of color motivation.

Melisa Alves, assistant director of Center for Career Development at the College of the Holy Cross, Mike Hayes, director of Campus Ministry at the Canisius College, Andre Isaacs, PhD, assistant professor of chemistry at the College of the Holy Cross, and Will Johnson, PhD, associate dean of students at Fairfield University served as application reviewers.

Fifty-nine applications were submitted from 11 of the 28 AJCU member institutions.

Three recipients were selected from the pool of applicants.  Each student will receive an award of $500.

• Calla Kelley-Renda from Port Jefferson, NY.  She is an Arrupe Scholarship recipient and a member of the class of 2020 in the Honors Program at Loyola Marymount University, studying film and television production.  Her sophomore level film, “Incomplete”, was chosen to be screened at the Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television Mayer Theater. She has held multiple leadership roles in the Delta Kappa Alpha Professional Cinematic Fraternity and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.  Last summer, she interned at the Nassau County Film Commission. She is actively involved in a number of service-oriented projects. In her personal statement, she spoke of using the power of film “to share knowledge, reveal truths about humanity and pierce through their prejudice, stigma and cultural conditioning to teach audiences that life, in all its unique forms, is important and worthy of expression”.

• Nanrawee Kitiarsa from Waltham, MA.  She is a member of the class of 2021 from the College of the Holy Cross.  She currently volunteers at the Worcester Refugee Assistance Project, which assists refugees from Southeast Asia countries including Myanmar and Vietnam, where she reads to children, assists them with their homework, and facilitates English as a Second Language classes to adults.  She is a dancer in the College’s Dance Ensemble and Latinidad Identidad. After college, she plans to pursue a law degree focusing on civil rights law.
  

• Andrea Pena from Mountain View, CA.  She is a Dean’s Scholarship recipient and a member of the class of 2020 in the Honors Program at Santa Clara University, studying sociology and ethnic studies with a minor in Spanish studies.  Since arriving at Santa Clara, she has become active in MEChA-El Frente – the Latino Student Union, served as an Undergraduate Admissions Student Ambassador, and volunteered at LUCHA Elementary School and the Community Law Clinic.  She interned last summer at the National Center for Lesbian Rights. In addition, she has served as a research assistant for the associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences and participated in an immersion trip through the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education to Boyle Heights in Los Angeles.  She will be studying abroad this fall in Quito, Ecuador.

CDE 2017 Fairfield University

CDE is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s Bill Davis Scholarship.

Will Johnson, associate dean of students at Fairfield University, Danke Li, Ph.D., professor of history at Fairfield University, and Sababu Norris, director of the ALANA Student Center at Canisius College served as application reviewers.

Over 50 applications were submitted from 10 of the 28 AJCU member insitutions.

Three recipients were selected from the pool of applicants.  Each student will receive an award of $500.

• Marta Gamez from The Dalles, OR. She is a Costco Scholar and member of the class of 2019 at Seattle University, studying Strategic Communication.  She has been active in her residence hall community, Latino and Caribbean cultural organizations, and Seattle’s Center for Community Engagement.  She has served as a peer mentor, and is involved in the Oregon Migrant Leadership Institute.  She has contributed a multitude of hours to service activities including the American Youth Soccer Organization and Seattle University Dance Marathon in support of Children’s Miracle Network hospitals.  As a first-generation to college, Mexican-American student, her goal is to one day work for a non-profit community organization which advocates for college access and success.
• Ariel Hernandez from Napa, CA. She is a member of the class of 2019 at Santa Clara University, with majors in ethnic studies, political science, and Spanish studies, with a minor in Latin American studies.  She is a second degree, black belt in karate.  She is active in the Santa Clara campus community serving as a first-year retreat leader, a student tour guide, a SCU Christian Life Community leader, and serves as co-chair of Ballet Folklorico de SCU – a student-based, Mexican folk dancing organization.  She has participated in an immersion program in New Orleans and will be traveling to Quito, Ecuador in the fall.  She plans to attend law or graduate school with plans to continue improving access to educational resources in her Napa Latino community through immigration law or public policy.
• Khalida Saalim from Philadelphia, PA.  She is a recipient of CBCF General Mills Health Scholarship, Samuel A. Green Scholar, and a member of the class of 2019 at Georgetown University, studying global health with minors in sociology and African-American studies.  Since arriving at Georgetown, she has become active in the Washington, D.C. community by participating in the D.C. Schools Project as a tutor to English language learner, and as a part of the GU Medical Brigade volunteering at health clinics and blood drives.  Following on her interest in women’s, pediatric, and public health, she has been a part of the Minority Health Initiatives Council which works to support and promote health policies that address disease prevention and health services delivery capacity in medically underserved communities.