MVF awards college scholarships to three Village highschoolers

 By Olivia Ormsby, MVF Student Representative and Summer Intern

For the past 33 years, the Montgomery Village Foundation (MVF) has partnered with the Watkins Mill and Gaithersburg High Schools’ Parent Teacher Student Associations (PTSA) to offer the MVF Scholarship Fund to Village high school seniors. Since the program’s inception in 1991, scholarships amounting to more than $57,500 have been awarded to Village high school seniors. Through this fund, Village residents are able to show their support by encouraging student leadership and scholastic achievement, while assisting graduating seniors in furthering their education. The amount available for each school is entirely determined by the amount donated by Village residents.

MVF Board-approved guidelines for the awards require that applicants be Montgomery Village residents who have actively participated in and been leaders in community or civic activities, clubs or organizations, and who have demonstrated a high level of scholastic achievement. This year is no different, as three driven, impactful and intelligent Village students, who share more than 1,000 service hours, were selected for the MVF scholarships. They are: Obehi Eromosele and Roseline Oshagbemi from Watkins Mill High School and Awa Silimana from Gaithersburg High School.

Obehi Eromosele

Growing up, Obehi witnessed her mother trying to start a small business. Little did she know that her mother’s struggle and eventual success would play a large role in her academic and personal journey and decision to pursue a business degree. With this background, Obehi entered high school with a goal to grow as a leader.

In 9^th grade, she began this journey by becoming a volunteer with the City of Gaithersburg, Women Who Care Ministries and CCI Health and Wellness Services. In these roles, she learned that “helping the community doesn’t have to be a bad thing and working with people who have the same mindset to serve can be fun!” In 10^th grade, she furthered this goal and became the Watkins Mill Minds Matter Class Representative and gave back to the MVF community through MVF’s Conservation Corps program.

 As an upperclassman, Obehi began her most meaningful high school commitments as Capitan of the Field Hockey Team and MVF Board of Directors Student Representative and Intern. Through these commitments, she fostered team spirit and helped MVF open the Watkins Mill Recreation Area. For her efforts, Obehi won the Watkins Mill Community Service Award, Wolverine Pride Award and Montgomery County Alliance for Black School Educators award. Beyond the impressive titles and accolades, Obehi believes that without her Montgomery Village community, she “wouldn’t know what it’s like to have a community, make an impact or have had such a strong college application.”

Described by her teachers as a “natural inquirer” who “truly loves learning,” Obehi will surely be surrounded by others who share a mindset for service and innovation when she attends Cornell University in the fall with multiple institutional scholarships.

As Obehi continues her leadership journey at Cornell, she is grateful for the opportunities, organizations and Village residents who provided her a chance to step outside her comfort zone and believed in her. To the residents on the scholarship committee she says, “Thank you for investing in my future; this is only the beginning.” She also thanks Watkins Mill’s Mr. Zencka for giving her plenty of college and life advice and Ms. Ashby for being her “biggest supporter and an open door.”

Although she will be leaving Montgomery Village and starting a new chapter in life, Obehi has described the Village as “a community I see myself returning to with a family,” and we look forward to having her back soon.

Roseline Oshagbemi

Throughout her life, Roseline has never hesitated to try a new experience or opportunity. This willingness to try new things has contributed to her continuous growth as a team member, student and leader in high school and beyond. With this open mindset, Roseline has gone through and graduated high school academically and socially strong. She is ready to invent technology that will solve everyday problems in her chosen field as a mechanical engineer.

In 9^th grade, Roseline started energetically by joining civic clubs such as Minority Scholars and the African Student Association while simultaneously earning Straight As in the rigorous Project Lead the Way Engineering Program. When asked how she balanced academic and extracurricular commitments, she said, “I tried to be aware of how much energy I would have after events and get as much work as possible done in class.” In 10^th grade, she furthered her service as Vice President of the female empowerment club, Sisters in Success, and became a volunteer with Women Who Care Ministries.

As an upperclassman, Roseline began her most meaningful high school commitments as Manager of NOVA, a Korean Pop dance team, and Capitan of the Varsity Football Team. Through these commitments, she saw firsthand how teamwork “gives you a different perspective.” Being part of and leading a team helped Roseline think outside the box in other areas of her life like her engineering projects in Project Lead the Way. Roseline’s academic and interpersonal skills paid off as she was the Academic Player of the Year two years in a row for Varsity Football, was written about in The Washington Post and won the Purple Rising Female Community Athlete Award presented by the Baltimore Ravens.

Described by her teachers as possessing “an insatiable curiosity and a genuine love for learning” and consistently going “above and beyond to support her peers and make a positive impact on the school community,” Roseline should have no problem at the University of Maryland Baltimore Campus (UMBC) and her ultimate goal of earning a PhD in mechanical engineering.

As Roseline expands her curiosity and knowledge at UMBC, she is grateful to Coach Wilson for pushing her to be a better leader and reaching out to The Washington Post and Baltimore Ravens to give her new opportunities. To Mr. Reese at Watkins Mill, she is thankful for his help in math class and recommendations for scholarships and awards. Beyond the individuals who have helped Roseline on her journey, she has lived in and been an active resident of Montgomery Village for years. This MVF scholarship has “alleviated a lot of financial burden and is nice coming from an organization that I’ve been a part of as a pool desk attendant and resident. I’m just so thankful to the residents who believed in me and my journey.”

Awa Silimana

Since she was in 1^st grade, Awa knew she wanted a job that would help people. Through observing how her mom cared for others as a geriatric nursing assistant, Awa knew that fulfillment can come from helping people and communities. This care for others was clearly visible in her high school career as she actively participated in programs, used what she had to help others and began her journey to one day become a dentist.

In 9^th grade, she stepped into advocacy through joining the Minority Scholars Program and Debate Club. In 10^th grade, she delved deeper into her interest in science through joining the STEM Club while also helping her school community through organizing a school library cleanup.

As an upperclassman, Awa became more active in leadership positions as Muslim Student Association Vice President and Co-President of Trojans Take Action, a community service club that she started in 12^th grade. Through Trojans Take Action, Awa organized a book drive for Gaithersburg Elementary School and made a space where students could share community concerns and come up with service projects to address problems. Awa said, “Trojans Take Action was fun, because I got to work with my friend and brought people together to create new solutions.”

Awa’s drive to learn and try new things is evident in her impressive academic resume. As one of only 12 seniors in Montgomery County chosen to participate in the inaugural HandsOnDAT Apprenticeship program, Awa graduated not only with a high school diploma, but also a Dental Assistant Certification, and she became a Certified Nursing Assistant through Project Lead the Way.

Described by her teachers and mentors as a “great influence for those around her,” “strong in her morals,” and someone who “sticks up for herself and those around her, even when other students may be pushing back against her,” Awa appears more than ready to tackle her academic future at the University of Maryland College Park and the field of dentistry.

As Awa continues to help and care for others at the University of Maryland College Park, she is grateful to Gaithersburg High School’s Mr. Green for introducing her to the HandsOnDAT Apprenticeship program and supporting her dream to become a dentist every step of the way. She is also thankful to Ms. Carter for always being there for her whether that was sponsoring her club or being a shoulder to lean on. To her teachers, Awa wants to say that she “hopes someone will be able to repay them the kindness they’ve shown me.” To the Village residents who chose Awa for the scholarship, she says, “thank you for choosing me and taking the time to read my application and take an interest in me and my journey.” When asked what advice she would give younger students in Montgomery Village, Awa shared that “regardless of your aspirations, reach out to as many people as you can, because there are so many people and communities that can and want to help you to succeed.”

All of us at MVF are extremely proud of these three amazing Watkins Mill and Gaithersburg high school students, and we wish them all the best in their future endeavors! On behalf of our award-winning students, we thank all of the Montgomery Village residents who donated funds toward this year’s scholarship award. Although the scholarship amount awarded by MVF is not enough to fully cover college tuition, every bit counts and comes with the deeper symbolic gift of your community’s support, which is truly immeasurable. Our thanks also to the volunteer MVF Scholarship Committee members: Clare Conlon, Sharon Levine and David Cline. who once again gave of their time and effort to select this year’s recipients from the large pool of applicants.