The Wilfandel Club awarded $5000 scholarships to each of seven Southern California high school students at a celebratory breakfast attended by their families, friends and club members on June 23.
The 2024 Fannie Williams Scholarship had five awardees – Mia Crocket of King Drew Magnet High School, Patrick Holloway of Loyola High School, Brendon Henderson of Woodrow Wilson High School, Travis Leonard of Junipero Serra High School and Shelby Solomon of St. Mary’s Academy.
The 2024 Nancy Griffith Memorial Scholarship had two awardees – Ramone Hamilton of Orange County School of the Arts and Alexis Martin of Chadwick School. In addition to $35,000 in scholarships, the seven awardees received a goodie bag and spoke to those gathered about their plans for college and beyond.
Representing The Club’s previous 2023 scholarship recipients, Anya Nelson and Wyatt Lewis, who attend Stanford University and University of Los Angeles respectively, each shared their freshman year experiences how the Wilfandel Scholarship helped and provided words of encouragement and advice to the 2024 Scholarship class.
Related Stories
Elected Officials Lock Arms to Advocate for Community Hospital Funding
Hawthorne Parks and Recreation Foundation Awards 100 Summer Swim Lesson Scholarships
This years’ recipients have impressive futures planned. Mia Crocket will be attending Spelman College majoring in Biology and is planning a career in medical research. Patrick Holloway will enter the United States Air Force Academy majoring in Cyber Science and plans to be commissioned as a Cyber Intelligence Officer upon graduation.
Brendon Henderson will be attending Syracuse University majoring in Architecture and plans to create inclusive, sustainable, accessible designs that uplift marginalized communities. Travis Leonard will attend University of Southern California majoring in Electrical Engineering and playing Division 1 football. Travis plans to build electric generators and vehicles after graduation.
Shelby Solomon will be attending University of California Los Angeles majoring in Anthropology and plans to become an orthodontist or psychiatric nurse practitioner. Ramone Hamilton will attend Loyola Marymount University majoring in Film and Television Production. Alexis Martin will attend Spelman College majoring in Political Science with a minor in Mandarin.
A total of 24 students submitted to a vigorous application process. Chaired by Connie Robinson, the Wilfandel Club’s Scholarship committee evaluated each applicant using a scoring rubric. The scores were tallied, and the top seven candidates were selected as finalists.
The Wilfandel Club, Incorporated is a non-profit African American women’s organization established in 1945 and the oldest Black Women’s club in Los Angeles.
Founded by Fannie Williams, visionary entrepreneur and community leader and Della Williams, philanthropist and wife of renowned architect, Paul R. Williams, the club embodies resilience and is rooted in civic betterment, philanthropic endeavors and the promotion of cultural enrichment.
To learn more about the Wilfandel Club, follow them on Facebook and Instagram, visit wilfandelclub.com, or email [email protected].
