The PEARL Foundation Inc. awards Cobb graduating seniors $55,000 in scholarships

The PEARL Foundation, in partnership with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Rho Zeta Omega Chapter, recently awarded $55,000 in scholarships to 17 high school seniors from Cobb County at its 34th Annual Scholarship Recognition that was held in May.

Among the group were South Cobb area students from Pebblebrook, Hillgrove, Campbell and South Cobb High schools. Applicants for the awards must reside in and attend a Cobb County high school, possess demonstrated academic excellence and leadership, and complete several hours of community service.

This annual event awards scholarships to female African American students in the senior class. During a virtual celebration for the graduates, over 100 people participated including parents, family, friends, school administrators, counselors, teachers and community leaders.

The scholarship recipients and the colleges they will be attending area include:

• Pebblebrook High School seniors Palyce Berrian, Wright State University; Julia Boykins, Florida State University; London Jones, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Payton Lucineo, Kennesaw State University.
• North Cobb High School seniors Brooklyn Bolden, University of Georgia; and Erinn Gardner, Spelman College.
• The Walker School seniors Taylor Bonner, North Carolina Central University; and Zoe Ricardo, University of Georgia.
• Hillgrove High School seniors Kalaezia Collins, Mercer University; and London Jackson, University of Georgia.
• Allatoona High School seniors Anissa Ibrahim, Vanderbilt University; and Alyssa McFarlan, Tennessee State University.
• Kennesaw Mountain High School senior Jessica Jenkins, Tennessee State University.
• Campbell High School seniors Maya Moore and Lindsey Sanders, who will both attend Spelman College.
• South Cobb High School senior Joy Okonji, Emory University.
• McEachern High School senior Amaya White, Middle Tennessee State University.

The keynote speaker for the ceremony was Janeil Savage, a Program Management Senior Analyst at Cigna Healthcare. Savage graduated from McEachern High School in 2015 and was a PEARL/Rho Zeta Omega scholarship recipient.

Since 1989, the Rho Zeta Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha has awarded over $510,400 in scholarships to Cobb County high school seniors.

For more information, visit www.aka1908.com or www.akarhozetaomega.org.