Gainesville Veterans for Peace Chapter 14 is excited to announce the recipients of VFP’s seventh annual Peace College Scholarship awards. Each year, Veterans for Peace awards three scholarships to applicants from Alachua County who demonstrate academic excellence as well as a strong commitment to equal justice and nonviolent social change.
This year’s Alachua County Peace Scholarship winners are:
Kyra Powell
Kyra Powell is enrolled as a Pre-Med student at Florida A&M University where she maintains a 3.75 grade point average. She is the fundraising chair of the Black Women in Medicine Club at Florida A&M. Kyra has been a longtime volunteer organizer with the NAACP and was active in the Black Lives Matter and Black Voters Matter movements in 2020 in Tallahassee. She writes that “Not only was I on the frontline protesting, but I also made sure to make extra signs for others to use at the protests, make donations, educate those around me and sign multiple petitions.” As a first-time voter in 2020 she also volunteered with the NAACP’s “Get Out the Vote and “Get Counted” Census initiatives in Gainesville. Kyra plans to attend medical school upon graduation and embark on a career as an anesthesiologist.
Patrick Warren
Patrick Warren is graduating from Loften High School and he plans to attend Santa Fe College. He volunteers regularly at the North Central Florida Public Charter school with at-risk and drop-out recovery students in Alachua County. Of his experiences, Patrick writes, “I have learned that many students right here in Alachua County are not being given the same equitable opportunities to learn and succeed…The education of all students and the ability to graduate with an actual high school diploma is such an important matter to me, no matter who the student is or what their past may have held.” Patrick plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology.
Javari Marquis Seabrooks
Javari Seabrooks is a senior at PK Yonge Developmental Research School. He plans to attend Santa Fe College in the fall. He has volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House, St. Frances House Emergency Shelter, Gainesville Community Ministry and the Tech Team Ministry with his church. In 2017, Javari received the Rosa Parks Quiet Courage Committee’s “Legacy Bearer” Award for writing a 300-word essay on how the ideals of Rosa Parks can be used today to challenge social injustice. During the Global Pandemic, Javari taught elders in his church how to use Zoom and other digital technologies to help them avoid feeling isolated and alone. Javari plans to major in sports journalism.
For more information about Gainesville Veterans for Peace Chapter 14 as well as our Peace Scholarship program see the VFP website at: http://www.vfpgainesville.org/