Celebrating $600K in Scholarships: A Ceremony and Student PrideArlington Community Foundation (ACF) awarded new college scholarships totaling nearly $600,000 to 92 students who will attend college next year. An additional 116 scholarships were given to renewal students. More than 60 scholarship funds support these student awards, each with their own eligibility criteria, with many of them designed to support students facing significant financial barriers to higher education.
One such scholarship is the Tony Young Memorial Scholarship. Tony dedicated his life and career to helping people with disabilities, and after Tony passed in 2015, his wife, Kathleen Cameron, established the memorial scholarship to carry on his legacy: to be eligible for this scholarship, the student must have a physical, cognitive, or sensory disability.
This year’s recipient of the Tony Young Memorial Scholarship is Yorktown graduate Zoè Davis. She shared, “Mr. Young fought for what’s right and just, and I feel so blessed to be awarded this scholarship to help carry on his legacy. I’ve been a ‘fighter’ and advocate all of my life because of my sickle cell anemia, and this scholarship not only recognizes my academic achievement, but it also helps amplify disabled and ‘different’ voices in spaces where our stories and voices need to be heard and expanded. This scholarship validates my voice – disabled-LGBTQ+ voices – and I hope to pay it forward as I make ‘my way’ in the world. I will continue to share this scholarship blessing, as well as my story with others to help inspire and empower.” You can learn more about Zoè and Tony Young’s legacy in this scholarship profile.
“This scholarship validates my voice – disabled-LGBTQ+ voices – and I hope to pay it forward as I make ‘my way’ in the world. I will continue to share this scholarship blessing, as well as my story with others to help inspire and empower.”
Zoè Davis, 2022 Tony Young Memorial Scholarship recipient
On Monday, June 6, for the first time since 2019, scholarship recipients were celebrated at an in-person awards ceremony and reception at Kenmore Middle School. Many of the funders and supporters of the scholarships also attended the event where they were able to meet and connect with their scholarship recipient(s) for the first time.
During the ceremony, Brian Marroquín, Graduate Fellow at Georgetown University and a National Urban Fellow, took the stage to offer words of inspiration to the scholars, “Look for the helpers in all situations. Every college is invested in seeing you succeed: just like Arlington, and just like the people in this room. Community is not a thing, it’s an activity. It’s something you do. Join clubs, volunteer, work: this is how you find friends, mentors, and allies. People who support you during your college journey can come from places you least expect it. Be kind, and lift others as you climb.”
Arlington Community Foundation Board Chair and scholarship donor, Jade Gong, and former scholarship recipient and Randolph Elementary School teacher, Angel Lopez, recognized each scholarship recipient, with those present walking the stage to receive a certificate.
Each scholarship award is made possible by the generosity of numerous individuals, families, businesses, and organizations who have established named scholarship funds or provided gifts to our Community Scholarship Fund. Since 1991, the generosity of those involved in this program has enabled Arlington Community Foundation to award over $6 million in scholarships to Arlington students.
For information on how you can start a new scholarship fund or contribute to an existing scholarship fund to help deserving Arlington students attend college, please call 703-243-4785 or email scholarship@arlcf.org.
