Des Moines Sun

Des Moines Area Community College issued the following announcement on Sept. 29.

First-Of-Its-Kind Scholarship Awarded To Four Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) Graduates

Igniting Futures (firefighters) lead efforts to launch new scholarship for DMACC students.

Four recent Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) graduates awarded first-time scholarship to attend DMACC this fall.

Tremendous need in the community for this scholarship; DMACC commits to matching new DMPS scholarship.

Mike Williams, a longtime Des Moines firefighter, was watching news coverage of the Black Lives Matter protests in Des Moines this past summer when he saw a young African American female tell Iowa Representative Ako Abdul-Samad that all she wanted to do was to go to college.

That left a powerful impression on Williams and fellow firefighters Greg Leaper and Percy Coleman. As a result, they wanted to do something positive for African American students attending Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS).

Together with other Black firefighters throughout Des Moines, they launched “Igniting Futures," the group that created the new "Fostering an Individual's Right to a Higher Education" Scholarship Award.

“We sympathize with these young people," Williams said. “And we decided to create a new scholarship that will help make a difference. It will send some Des Moines high school graduates to college who might otherwise not have been able to go."

This first-of-its-kind scholarship for African American students in Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) was awarded to four recent graduates who are enrolled at DMACC this fall:

Bahati Eleson

Hoover High School

Pre-nursing major

Briana Phillips

North High School

Criminal Justice major

Jeremiah Poulos-Crawford

Roosevelt High School

Business Administration

Aaliyah Jones

Hoover High School

Liberal Arts

Bahati Eleson enrolled in the DMACC Pre-Nursing Program at DMACC this fall. Born in the Congo, Eleson spent much of her early life in a refugee camp in Tanzania before emigrating to the United States in 2016.

“While in that refugee camp I witnessed many people who didn't receive the medical treatment that they urgently needed," Eleson said. "As a result, it compelled me to want to make a difference. I can do that with a nursing degree."

She said the scholarship would allow her to concentrate on her schoolwork rather than having to work extra hours or extra jobs to fund her education.

Ahmed Agyeman, Director of Community and Global Engagement at DMACC, said the scholarship application was sent to 168 DMPS students who would qualify for the award. A total of 22 students applied, and the scholarship committee selected four recipients this year.

“There is clearly a great need in the community for this type of scholarship," Agyeman said. “It's a good start and demonstrates that the community is behind these students and supportive of their goals for the future."

Agyeman said one of DMACC’s core values is elevating families out of poverty and helping them succeed.

“A majority of these students have never received anything like this in their lives," Agyean said. "It will make a tremendous difference for them."

DMACC President Rob Denson committed to matching this new DMPS scholarship dollar-for-dollar.

“I told the firefighters that we will move mountains to make this work to help students,” said Denson, who also said he was very impressed with this effort to help African American students.

“These Des Moines Firefighters, on their own, have decided to help others in their community, which is very motivational,” Denson said. “It shows the capacity of Iowans to help others is one of the hallmarks of our state. It’s something we should all be proud of.”

For more information on the scholarship, please call (515) 205-3386 or write to:

Igniting Futures

PO Box 93845

Des Moines, Iowa 50393

For more information, contact: Ahmed Agyeman, DMACC, (515) 360-2541 (cell), akagyeman@dmacc.edu, or Mike Williams, DMPS Scholarship, (515) 205-3386

Original source: https://www.dmacc.edu/news/Pages/20200929-1.aspx