C/JEF Awards scholarships in Africa
US Based Foundation Offers Scholarships to MAAUN Students
See this link for the full article. https://maaun.edu.ng/us-based-foundation-offers-scholarships-to-10-maaun-students/
C/JEF AWARDED 2ND ROUND OF MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIPS IN FALL OF 2024
Ms. Jordyn Gallien was selected as the recipient of the 2024 Oleta Crain Memorial Scholarship and she has chosen to attend Spelman University in Atlanta, GA. Ms. Gallien is a graduate of Green Valley Ranch High School in Denver, CO and she worked hard in her preparations for college, achieving a 4.34 gpa. As she pursues her college education, she aspires to be a medical doctor due to motivation from her own personal health challenges. She is committed to be a voice of change for women of color in medicine. C/JEF wishes her well on her journey!
Mr. Bryce Dilworth is the 2024 recipient of the Frances Jefferson Memorial Scholarship and selected to attend the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Dilworth is another bright young student who has worked hard to prepare for college as proven by his 3.96 gpa at George Washington High School in Denver, CO. He has volunteered in various community service activities throughout high school and he believes his volunteer efforts allow him to broaden his experiences and create deeper connections with people. C/JEF is confident the future ahead of young Mr. Dilworth is bright, as he pursues a degree in Economics with a minor in Computer Science.
C/JEF Partners with Robert F. Smith STEAM Academy
C/JEF discussed in several African news media outlets
The Crain/Jefferson Enrichment Foundation (C/JEF) is honored to announce the establishment of the C/JEF American Sponsors Scholarship to be awarded to disadvantaged African students who desire to attend college at the Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria (MAAUN). This scholarship was created out of a common desire that C/JEF shares with MAAUN’s founder, Prof. Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo, which is to help equip youth with the ability to further their education so they can better serve the communities in which they live. MAAUN is a private university that provides a quality education at an affordable price. Only a few scholarships will be awarded each year. Students must submit an application and meet the established criteria to be considered. If selected, the C/JEF American Sponsors Scholarship will pay tuition and fees for four years. Student's interested in this scholarship should click here for eligibility criteria.
C/JEF Goes to Nigeria
The Director of C/JEF and his family recently made a trip to Nigeria and met with the President of the MAAUN Group of Universities, Professor Adamu Abubaker Gwarzo, to discuss how the two could collaborate and establish a student exchange program between his private university, Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria and students attending schools in the United States.
Valentino Jefferson of C/JEF was inspired by what he learned about the private university founded by Professor Gwarzo and realized an opportunity to sponsor disadvantaged African Students with scholarships to attend college. "Whether it is students in the US who are interested in an exchange program to study abroad in Nigeria, or if it is to sponsor African Students to go to college at the University founded by Prof. Gwarzo, the students can obtain a high quality education at a fraction of the expense it would cost in America, and I want to help them do that", says Jefferson. He added, that having had the opportunity to tour the campus and meet several of the faculty, he believes it would be a great opportunity for some American students to get their college education and acquire exposure to international living.
A four year degree would cost just shy of $20, 000. Compared to many colleges in the United States, that may barely be enough for one year. Please look at an informative video by clicking here. Likewise, Valentino and his wife also learned that tuition at a Junior College in Nigeria cost as little as $400 dollars per year. They both are eager to also assist a few students with that expense as well.
C/Jef distributes its first round of scholarships in fall of 2023
C/JEF was proud to award the first Oleta L. Crain and Frances E. Jefferson Memorial Scholarships at the start of the 2023 school year . Both scholarships went to deserving students who have great academic aspirations and promising futures.
The first Oleta L. Crain scholarship was awarded to Iesha Tucker Paul, aka "Cierra". She will be attending Howard University with plans to study Business Administration and Marketing. Cierra graduated high school from Martin Luther King, Jr. Early College in Denver, Colorado with a 4.2 GPA.
The first Fran J Scholarship was awarded to Mr. Marcus Mallory of Knoxville, TN. Marcus graduated with a 3.7 GPA from Austin East High School and has been very active participating in organizations that not only focus on individual development, but serve the local community. He is attending Middle Tennessee State University and is interested in studying aerospace, as he plans to become a pilot.
Additional Scholarships & Other Prizes Awarded
The first Young King and Young Queen Scholarships were also distributed in the fall of 2023 to the lucky winners who attended the inaugural Young Kings and Young Queens Conferences in Knoxville, TN and Denver, CO respectively. Elijah Brabson, a student at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville was the award recipient of the Young King scholarship and Sierra Burnette, a student at the University of Northern Colorado was awarded the first Young Queen scholarship. C/JEF also gave away six laptop computers at the first Young Kings and Young Queens conferences held in the 2022-2023 school year.
On Saturday, Nov. 11, underserved and underrepresented youth were invited to participate in the Young Kings and Young Queens Conference hosted by the Crain/Jefferson Enrichment Foundation.
The event featured guest speakers from various professional backgrounds, running workshops to mentor kids and young adults, teaching them the importance of developing life strategies, educational goals and career planning. A raffle concluded the conference with eight attendees winning prizes — six were gifted laptops and two individuals were awarded a $1,000 scholarship each for the leadership initiative they showed by bringing additional guests with them to the event.
“Our motto is to ‘Inspire & Impact’ and I think we are able to do both with the Young Kings and Queens Conferences,” says Valentino Jefferson, Quality Assurance Group Leader for Isotope Research & Production. He is the Director of C/JEF, continuing his mother’s legacy as she was one of the organization’s founding members.
In addition to offering resources to uplift and equip disadvantaged youth, Valentino notes another motivation for starting the Young Kings & Young Queens program — looking at the demographics in the U.S. population, recognizing the vast underrepresentation in percentages of Black and Brown communities in all major career fields when compared to their representation in professional sports.
“Aside from encouraging [the youth] to think about other careers outside of sports and entertainment, we also begin to plant seeds and educate them on how to be successful in other areas like personal finance and healthy relationships, ” he says.
In addition to offering resources to uplift and equip disadvantaged youth, Valentino notes another motivation for starting the Young Kings & Young Queens program — looking at the demographics in the U.S. population, recognizing the vast underrepresentation in percentages of Black and Brown communities in all major career fields when compared to their representation in professional sports.
“Aside from encouraging [the youth] to think about other careers outside of sports and entertainment, we also begin to plant seeds and educate them on how to be successful in other areas like personal finance and healthy relationships, ” he says.
The first Young Kings and Queens Conference was held last year in Knoxville and Denver, Colorado, respectively. Valentino was honored to have ORNL’s Merlin Theodore from Advanced Fibers & Manufacturing featured as a guest speaker at the Young Queens Conference.
Valentino also acknowledges all the support he’s received over the years from his wife, C/JEF board members and friends like Todd Kelly, Sr., and “DJ Sterl the Pearl” who have committed to volunteering and speaking at these conferences.
“With the support of people like that — who are willing to do whatever they can to help out, just reassures me that I’ve created a good program that is worthy of continuing,” he says.
Valentino also acknowledges all the support he’s received over the years from his wife, C/JEF board members and friends like Todd Kelly, Sr., and “DJ Sterl the Pearl” who have committed to volunteering and speaking at these conferences.
“With the support of people like that — who are willing to do whatever they can to help out, just reassures me that I’ve created a good program that is worthy of continuing,” he says.