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Senior Sah’Myah Holloway of Pine Bluff was awarded the first Renda Henry Memorial Scholarship in Social Work at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia.
“I want to thank Dr. (Deborah) Wilson, SAU Foundation, and future donors for allowing this scholarship to honor Ms. Renda and inspire future students and me to keep going,” Holloway said in a news release.
With a spring 2025 graduation date approaching, Holloway won’t be slowing down soon. She aims to pursue a master’s degree and become a licensed clinical social worker, obtain a doctorate, and open her own office in the future.
While her classes at SAU have laid a strong academic foundation and provided hands-on experience, the Renda Henry scholarship has validated Holloway’s dreams, boosted her confidence, and alleviated financial stress for her family, according to the release.
According to Holloway, one of the unexpected surprises of SAU’s social work program is that it “brings you people that you never knew you needed.”
For many, SAU alumna Renda Henry was one of those people. Henry was a non-traditional graduate of the SAU social work program.
“A light in her community, she strove daily to make sure the basic needs of others were met,” according to the release. “She fed the people in her community, listening and providing words of encouragement to them. Henry worked closely with her church’s ministry and, on most evenings and Saturdays, could be found sorting through donated items or making deliveries for those in need.”
According to friend and peer Shea Wilson, Henry “exemplified the mission of social work.”
Wilson, from Bearden, graduated with Henry, both receiving bachelor of arts in social work degrees from SAU in 2018.
“Henry envisioned herself in a practice serving those with substance abuse and addiction issues. When Henry’s cancer returned, her health prevented her from fulfilling this dream during her lifetime, but her spirit has continued through the Renda Henry Memorial Scholarship established by SAU Professor of Psychology Dr. Deborah Wilson.”
When Wilson was notified that Holloway was the recipient of Henry’s scholarship, she was excited.
“To have known both Renda and Sah’Myah as students, I know they would have been friends because they are so much alike — both caring, kind, always smiling, and positive attitudes! It’s just an incredible feeling to see how beautifully this all came together,” Wilson said.
The scholarship fund was established through the SAU Foundation by Wilson in memory of Henry to support a student majoring in social work. Recipients must be full-time undergraduate students with a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average or greater and accepted into the social work program. Preference is given to non-traditional students and students with financial need who are not fully funded in another way or by another scholarship.
To donate to the Renda Henry Memorial Scholarship in Social Work fund, visit www.saufoundation.org.
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