Student scholarship winners and presenters stand for a group photo during this summer’s LEAP Forward Inc. awards ceremony at Calvert High School.
Student scholarship winners and presenters stand for a group photo during this summer’s LEAP Forward Inc. awards ceremony at Calvert High School.
A full house celebrated alongside LEAP Forward Inc. on June 29 as it held another successful scholarship award “chat and chew” reception that honored high school graduates and college students for their outstanding academic, leadership and community service achievements.
This year’s event marked the 24th anniversary of the organization. The scholarship program started in 1998, when LEAP Forward awarded three book scholarships totaling $1,000. With the help of the community, volunteers, sponsors, family, corporations, friends and board members, the organization has seen consistent growth in its service to local youth.
In 2025, 57 scholarships were presented at a minimum award of $1,500, totaling $94,000. To date, LEAP Forward has awarded over 507 scholarships totaling more than $524,000.
LEAP Forward is named in memory of Wallace Lorenzo Leeper, a Calvert High vocational guidance counselor, who was a strong advocate for science, technology, engineering and math career options. He is featured in Calvert High School’s Hall of Fame for his distinguished service to his job and his students.
This year’s theme was “Getting to Know You.” The ceremony was held in Calvert High School’s cafeteria to present students from Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s and Prince George’s counties as well as Baltimore and Washington, D.C., with financial scholarships to pursue their college dreams.
In line with the theme, LEAP Forward provided the opportunity of bringing back the art of good old fashion conversation. Scholarship recipients engaged in a “chat and chew” session with their respective scholarship sponsor family or organization. It was a time of learning from each other and particularly appreciating who scholarships were in honor of.
Thirty-seven donor families and organizations participated. Scholars were able to share their experiences with those who are already in college and share their plans for their upcoming journeys for those who are incoming college freshmen.
LEAP Forward welcomed four new scholarships.
The family of the Carroll and Evangeline Wills established two $1,500 memorial scholarships that went to Saniyah Willett (Calvert High School: Forensic Chemistry – Towson University); and Na’Tailya Young (Great Mills High School: Nursing – Southern University A&M). These two scholarships were awarded by Barbara Wills Smith. Carroll was a union ironworker, and Evangeline was an elementary educator.
The Dorothy Randolph Menchan $1,500 Memorial Scholarship was presented by Dillard Menchan. Dorthoy Menchan was an educator teaching at Beach Elementary School for over 30 years. The scholarship was awarded to Jaron Scott (Secondary Math Education – Hampton University). Debora Harris and Art Simpson awarded the $1,500 Calvert County NAACP Branch-7011 scholarship to Xavier Gray (Calvert High School: Political Science – Salisbury University). Doretha Holt Smith presented the $1,500 Geraldine Delores Whittington Memorial Scholarship to Sanaa Gray (Business Management – Bowie State University). Geraldine Whittington was the first African American presidential secretary in U.S. history serving President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Thirty-three returning families and organizations presented scholarships.
Faithful participants, including the family and representatives for Wallace Leeper, The Mastermind Group, Gail Patterson, Ruth Reid, Dorothy Mae Smith, Vivian Rogers, Glenda Bell Boyd, Elizabeth Simms, Marilyn Killingham, Michael Moore, Wilson Ennis Sr., Clifton Morsell-Randolph Adams, Bill and Blanche Finch, Gloria Mae Gross, Iris Anne Harris, Raymond Harris, George H. and Geneva Green Harrod, Gladys Henson, Evelyn Irvine, Clyde Jones Jr. and Carrie Bertha (Kent) Jones, MacArthur Jones, Lawrence Myers, Grace Parker, Violet Parker, Hamilton and Alice Parran, Earl Thorne, Clyde and Olive Sealey, Joan Gray Butler, Lawrence Myers, Martin Barnes, Ruthann Hicks, Michael Moore, Russell Costley, the Thomas Family, as well as Victoria Lodge #71 F&AM, P.H.A., who presented the memorial scholarship awards in their respective family members or organization’s name.
The following scholarship recipients will be college freshmen or returning students in a wide variety of programs from various colleges and universities:
The Wallace Leeper $2,000 Memorial Scholarships were awarded to Todd Waller (Thomas Stone High School: Mechanical Engineering – College of Southern Maryland); Duke Boateng (Charles Flowers High School: Information Science –University of Maryland, College Park); Malik Johnson (Great Mills High School: Multimedia Journalism – Salisbury University); and Cameron Washington (Great Mills High School: Accounting – Morgan State University).
The Clifton Morsell-Randolph Adams $1,500 Memorial Scholarships went to Sean Manley (Chemical Engineering – Howard University); Muhammad Bilal (Charles Flowers High School: Computer Science – University of Maryland, College Park); and Evan Brown (Our Lady of Good Counsel High School: Neuroscience – High Point University).
The Wilson Ennis Sr. $3,000 Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Kennedi Hunt (Civil Engineering – North Carolina A&T University).
The recipients of the Grace Parker $2,000 Memorial Scholarships were Brianna Reynolds (Dance – Alabama State University); Matsliah Dunn (Thomas Stone High School: Cyber Security – Fayetteville University); and Naveah Tygret (Patuxent High School: Law – University of Maryland Eastern Shore).
The selected scholarship recipient of the Earl Thorne $1,500 Memorial Scholarship was Brionnah Chittams (Patuxent High School: Biology – Penn State University).
Receiving the Lawrence Myers $1,500 Memorial Scholarship was Kortney Lawrence (Nursing – University of Maryland-School of Nursing); Jessica Hall (Northern High School: Information Systems – Morgan State University).
The selected scholarship recipients of the Gloria Mae Gross $1,500 Memorial Scholarship were Kennedi Jones (Computer Science – Hood College); Seth Leslie (Computer Science – University of Maryland-Baltimore County); and Tristan Stowe (Nursing – West Virginia University).
The recipients of the Raymond Harris $1,500 Memorial Scholarships were Gavin Goldring (Electrical Engineering – Catholic University of America); and Jahdane Thaxter (Great Mills High School: Electrical Engineering – Louisiana State University)
The Hamilton and Alice Parran $1,500 Memorial Scholarships were awarded to Morgan Parran (Pre Nursing – Towson University); Laila Umrani-Sanders (Huntington High School: Nursing – Stevenson University); and Bryce Selby (St. Charles High School: Kinesiology – North Carolina Central University).
The George H. and Geneva Green Harrod $2,000 Memorial Scholarships were awarded to Destiny Lewis (Chemistry – Bowie State University); Tory Ridgeway (Aerospace Engineering – Embry Riddle Aeronautical University); and Derek Brown (Psychology – St. Mary’s College of Maryland).
Receiving the Bill and Blanche Finch $1,500 Memorial Scholarship was Aneesa Azar (Business Administration – Bowie State University).
The selected scholarship recipients of the Violet Parker $2,000 Memorial Scholarships were Savannah Foster (Journalism – Morgan State University); and Karmen Pompey (Business Management and Administration – Towson University).
Receiving the Gladys Henson $1,500 Memorial Scholarship was Keyona Tharpe (Business Administration – North Carolina Central University).
The recipient of the Ruth Reid $1,500 Memorial Scholarship went to Rebekah Bobo (Music – Morgan State University).
The Thomas Family $1,500 Scholarship was presented to Briana Ridley (Sports Medicine – North Carolina Central University).
The MacArthur Jones $2,000 Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Taylor Pratt (Calvert High School: Psychology – St. Mary’s College of Maryland).
The Dorothy Randolph Menchan $1,500 Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Jaron Scott (Secondary Math Education – Hampton University).
The recipient of the Iris Anne Harris $1,500 Memorial Scholarship was Kennady Hawkins (Thomas Stone High School: Early Education – Hood College).
The Evelyn Irvine $1,500 Memorial Scholarship was provided to the scholarship recipient Jocelyn Berry (Electronic Media & Film – Towson University).
The recipient of Micheal J. Moore’s $1,500 Memorial Scholarship was Taliyah Washington (Business Administration – Morgan State University).
The Gail E. Patterson $1,500 Scholarship was awarded to Lauren McNair (Biology – Howard University).
The Elizabeth Simms $1,500 Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Amari Edmonds (Cyber Security Engineering – Bowie State University).
The selected scholarship recipient of the $1,500 Vivian Lemort Rogers Memorial Scholarship was Rania Amin (Baltimore Leadership School For Young Women: Communications & Media Studies – Pace University).
The Dorothy Mae Smith $1,500 Memorial Scholarship went to Messiah Smith (Suitland High School: Music Performance – George Mason University).
The Marilyn Preston Killingham $1,500 Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Reece Hart (Henry E. Lackey High School: Biology – Johnson C. Smith University).
Sydney Prince (Northern High School: Criminology – Davis & Elkins College) was selected to receive the $1,500 Victoria Lodge #71 Scholarship.
The MasterMind Group $1,500 Scholarship was awarded to Boyan-Jise Tiwang (Charles Flowers High School: Data Science – University of Michigan-Ann Arbor).
The recipient of the Geraldine Delores Whittington $1,500 Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Sanaa Gray (Business Management – Bowie State University).
The recipient of the Carrie Bertha Kent and Clyde Jones $1,500 Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Madison Harris (Business Administration – Bowie State University).
The Calvert County NAACP Branch-7011 $1,500 Scholarship was awarded to Xavier Gray (Calvert High School: Political Science – Salisbury University).
The Joan Gray Butler $1,500 Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Randolph Hart IV (Criminal Justice – Lincoln University of Pennsylvania).
The Glenda Bell Boyd $1,500 Memorial Scholarship went to Zion Brown (Marketing – North Carolina A&T State University).
Sponsors for the scholarship program included Walmart sparkgood (Dunkirk), Shore United Bank, Space Metrics, and Sam’s Club (Waldorf) and State Farm Agent Michael Paxson. Special donations were received from Giant Food (Prince Frederick and Dunkirk), Safeway (Dunkirk) and Weis Markets (Prince Frederick).
More information about LEAP Forward can be found at www.leapforwardinc.org.
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