Miss Nala Walker

🌟 Scholar Spotlight: Nala Walker 🌟
Since 2020, Miss Nala Walker has been a proud BWLC Foundation Scholar. A graduate of Spelman College 🎓 with a degree in Psychology (pre-law track), Nala is now a first-year law student at George Washington University Law School ⚖️ with aspirations of practicing health law.
This summer, she interned with the Connecticut State’s Attorney’s Office gaining hands-on trial advocacy experience, while also serving as Historian on GW Law’s BLSA Executive Board 📚.
Nala’s passion for social justice, education, and community service ❤️ shines through her leadership and dedication. She credits BWLC for being a source of mentorship, encouragement, and support throughout her journey.
We are proud to have Nala in the BWLC family and can’t wait to see the impact she’ll continue to make! 🌍✨
hashtag#BWLC hashtag#ScholarSpotlight hashtag#FutureAttorney

Miss Sarayane Forbes

🎓 BWLC Scholar Spotlight 🎓
We’re thrilled to spotlight Sarayne Forbes, a remarkable BWLC Scholar whose journey at Dickinson College has been filled with achievement, growth, and inspiration. As a BWLC Scholar, she found not only financial support to help offset the costs of her education, but also a powerful community of people meaningfully like her, a source of confidence and belonging that shaped her college experience. Guided by dedicated professors, she has refined her writing skills to an exceptional level, fueling her passion for storytelling and her plans to continue writing well beyond graduation. Outside the classroom, she excelled as a thrower on the Track & Field team, breaking Dickinson’s discus record multiple times🥇. Now, she’s preparing for the next chapter, graduate school, with an exciting acceptance to the City University of New York Graduate Center’s English PhD program. We couldn’t be prouder of her accomplishments and can’t wait to see the impact she’ll continue to make. 🌟

Miss Laila Clark

Meet Laila Clark, a recent NYU graduate whose curiosity, creativity, and drive to make a difference shine through everything she does. Whether she’s designing assistive technology to give nonverbal individuals a voice, reducing food waste through clever prototyping, or contributing to high-impact teams like NYU Hyperloop, Laila is all about building systems that work for people — in real life, not just on paper. 💡

With experience in research on sustainable redevelopment and accessibility, Laila is deeply committed to inclusive design — creating spaces and solutions that empower communities. Her work spans disciplines, from urban planning to Python tutoring, showing just how versatile and people-focused her talents truly are. 🏙️💻

In fast-paced, collaborative environments, Laila thrives — bringing strong communication skills, organization, and a team-first mindset to every project she touches. She’s passionate about improving how we live, move, and connect — and she’s just getting started. 🚀

The BWLC Foundation is proud to support Laila on her journey as she continues to grow mentally, creatively, and professionally — always striving to turn bold ideas into meaningful impact. ✨

#BWLCScholar #WomenInSTEM #InclusiveDesign #FutureLeader #BWLCSpotlight

Miss Jazmine C. Saunders

Jazmine Saunders is a soprano from Rochester, New York currently in her first year in the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at The Metropolitan Opera. During the Met’s 2025-26 season, she will make her role debut as Clara in Porgy and Bess, and cover Lisa in La Sonnambula. During the Met’s 2024–25 season, she makes her company debut as Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro, covers Pip in Jake Heggie’s Moby-Dick, and covers two of the voices of the Unborn Children in Die Frau ohne Schatten. Recent operatic engagements include covering the role of Claire Devon in the United States premiere of Missy Mazzoli’s The Listeners at Opera Philadelphia, originating the role of Shannon in the world premiere of Gregory Spears’ The Righteous at Santa Fe Opera, and covering Donna Anna in Don Giovanni at Wolf Trap Opera. On the concert stage, she has appeared as the soprano soloist in Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore and Bach’s Magnificat with The New Choral Society, Mozart’s Requiem with Glens Falls Symphony, and was a participant in both Renée Fleming’s SongStudio, and Joyce DiDonato’s Master Class series at Carnegie Hall. She holds degrees in voice from the Eastman School of Music, where she received the William Warfield Scholarship and graduated with Highest Distinction, and the Juilliard School, where she was a proud recipient of the Kovner Fellowship.

Miss Saunders is also a 2018 through 2023 BWLC Foundation Scholar who graduated as Valedictorian from Greece Odyssey Academy in Rochester, NY.  In 2020, she participated in the prestigious “Si Parla Si Canta” summer music program in Arona, Italy.  She will be in the role of Gilda in Rigoletto on August 7^th and 10^th at the Robert F. Panara Theater at RIT/NTID, 52 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623.

Jazmine recently shared . . . “I am deeply grateful for the generous support of the BWLC foundation during my undergraduate studies as the Eastman School of Music and into my graduate studies at Julliard.  The BWLC Foundation was instrumental in my pursuit of a professional opera career, from my collegiate studies to beyond.  My connection to the BWLC Foundation has been a full-circle experience, as Ms. Donna M. Jones has poured into me since I was six years when I attended school with her daughter and beyond as I served alongside her at church.  The BWLC Foundation will always be an organization that I hold dear to my heart.”

Jazmine Saunders appears by kind permission of the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.

Miss Jordan Wynn

Meet Jordan Wynn, a brilliant BWLC Scholar from Rochester, New York! 💪🏾 Jordan’s dance journey began at the Draper Center for Dance Education, with additional prestigious training at Alvin Ailey and The Juilliard School Summer Intensive. 🩰 She earned her BFA in Dance with a Minor in Social and Cultural Analysis from NYU in 2021. 🎓💃🏽   Jordan’s impressive performance credits include:
     🎶 Broadway: Moulin Rouge! (Ensemble, U/S Arabia, La Chocolat)
     🌾 Oklahoma! (Off-Broadway & National Tour)  
     🎤 Mariah Carey’s Merry Christmas To All!
     📺 The Late Late Show with James Corden
     🌟 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival
     ✨ Currently, you can catch Jordan on Broadway in the iconic production of Gypsy! ✨ https://lnkd.in/eXV_69gr

Jordan gives all glory to God and thanks her family, friends, educators, and agents for their unwavering support. 🙏🏾❤️ We’re beyond proud of her continued success—keep shining, Jordan! 💫

Miss Nubia Cromartie, BSN, RN

Meet Nubia Cromartie, a BWLC Foundation Scholarship recipient and a passionate Labor & Delivery Nurse at Highland Hospital! 👩🏽‍⚕️👶🏽
With BWLC’s support, Nubia earned her BSN from Nazareth College (’22) and became a Registered Nurse soon after. Now, she helps bring new life into the world while fostering a positive work environment as a Retention Committee and Nurse Residency Advisory Council member. 💙
Nubia’s journey is a testament to the power of mentorship, community, and opportunity. Congratulations, Nubia! 🎉👏🏽

Miss Kendall Tyson

🎓🌟 Meet our outstanding BWLC Foundation Scholar, Kendall Tyson, who continues to shine in both academic and community spaces! 💫 Kendall was recognized for exceptional academic achievement, making the Dean’s List in Spring 2024. Since March 2023, Kendall has been an Undergraduate Research Assistant for the G-FLOAT: Graph-Based Flood Analytics Tool project, contributing to groundbreaking research that addresses real-world challenges through advanced data analytics. In addition to academic excellence, Kendall is committed to community service. She volunteered at the Women’s Health Event in Greensboro, NC, in February 2024, supporting women’s health initiatives. Kendall also participated in the Community Wellness Event in Greensboro, NC, in June 2024, promoting overall health and wellness in the community. This future leader is making waves both in her field of study and locally. Keep an eye on Kendall Tyson—she’s just getting started! 🚀 #ScholarSpotlight #BWLC #CommunityService #Research

Kendall Tyson is a Senior at North Carolina A&T State University and has been a BWLC Scholarship Recipient for three years. As a Sociology major, she has a love for her choice of study of understanding the intricacies of society just as much as she does the community around her. Kendall is passionate about her work as an Undergraduate Research Assistant for the last year focusing on social vulnerabilities and inequities when floods affect marginalized populations. She has held on to her passion for dance throughout her college experience. Kendall danced competitively for 10 years, and then brought dancing and her love to perform to the stage, doing many musicals and plays after competitive dance. At North Carolina A&T State University, she has participated in many musicals like Dreamgirls and is currently coaching the Liquid Gold Dance Team. She has loved her time at NC A&T and hopes her future afterwards is just as bright. Aggie Pride!

Miss Siderah Pryce

🎓Meet Siderah Pryce** 🌟

We’re thrilled to highlight Siderah Pryce, a 2023 BWLC Foundation Scholarship recipient! 🎉 Siderah graduated in May 2022 with a degree in Neuro Psychology from Penn State University and is on a pre-med track. She’s currently enhancing her education with a Post Baccalaureate Program at SUNY Buffalo and has recently begun her journey at Jacobs School of Medicine in the fall of 2023. 🩺

Siderah’s passion for research led her to work with the SIESTA (Study of Infants’ Emergent Sleep Trajectories) program, where she focused on the development of infant sleep patterns. 💤 She’s also dedicated to giving back, mentoring special-needs students through Penn State’s LifeLink PSU program. 💙

Congratulations, Siderah, on your outstanding achievements and dedication to making a difference! 👏 hashtag#ScholarshipSpotlight hashtag#BWLCFoundation hashtag#FutureDoctor

Miss Nyla Baxter

Meet Nyla Baxter, a dynamic rising Sophomore at North Carolina A & T State University, majoring in Chemical Engineering. With a keen dedication to academic excellence, Nyla was recently inducted into the prestigious Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society. She is grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded scholars who share her commitment to scholarly pursuits. Additionally, Nyla has been chosen to serve as an Honors College Ambassador for the upcoming school year, where she eagerly anticipates guiding future Honors Aggies through their academic journey. As she approaches the end of her first year of college, Nyla reflects proudly on her achievements and eagerly looks forward to continuing her journey as an Aggie, making an impact both in her field of study and within her campus community.

Miss Arianna Wellington

🎉 Let’s celebrate Arianna Wellington! 🎓
Congratulations for being a three-time scholar with BWLC Foundation! 🌟 Her journey is a testament to resilience and community support, shining through challenges with grace. 🌈
Currently rocking it as a community health major at the University of Maryland, Arianna volunteers at the school’s food pantry 🍎, empowers youth with disabilities through the KEEN program 🏃‍♀️, and serves as treasurer of the Caribbean Student Association 🌴.
Keep soaring, Arianna! Your impact is inspiring.

🚀 #ScholarSpotlight #CommunityChampion

Miss Victoria C. Jones

Victoria C. Jones is a repeat BWLC Foundation Scholar who obtained work experience by completing a summer internship with Xerox where she wrote code on our continuous feed print presses in 2013.  She obtained Dual Master of Science degrees in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering in 2017 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).  She is currently employed with Wayfair in Boston; M.A. and she has been a BWLC Foundation donor over the years.

Donna M. Jones is so very proud to be her mother!

Miss Arianna McKnight

Miss Arianna McKnight is a 2022 Black Women’s Leadership Committee Foundation Scholar. She is a 2022 graduate of Rush-Henrietta High School in Rochester, NY, and an Urban League Black Scholar. She is a rising sophomore attending the University of Chicago, majoring in Biology. Arianna chose UChicago because of its academic prestige, as it is ranked amongst the top 10 best universities in the nation. Also, her current pre-med track is considered one of UChicago’s most rigorous programs. Arianna plans to attend medical school after her undergraduate education and pursue a career in pediatric medicine.

Arianna has a strong sense of community and volunteerism from her high school years, as she served as a leader in her church, the National Honor Society, the Youth Asset Team, and as a Girl Scout Ambassador. This, coupled with participating in medical immersion programs and taking advanced placement courses has equipped Arianna with the skills necessary to pursue a higher education within the medical field. She has been passionate about helping the underserved ever since she was young, and her experiences throughout the years have motivated her to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor.

In the 2022-23 academic term, Arianna took the initiative to form her own network of friendships via social media. She connected with her future peers and formed lasting friendships through Instagram that have continued to this day. Her core support system has been a bulwark of needed stability throughout her first year at college, and she is grateful for the sense of community that she feels on campus.

Arianna landed her first internship as a rising sophomore, which starts in August 2023. She will be working as a Research Assistant in the Hospitalist Project. This project is based at the University of Chicago’s Medical Division and focuses on collecting research about current patient healthcare, in order to make necessary improvements. Arianna is working with a team of Research Assistants to make this project succeed, and she looks forward to working diligently in the hospital setting to best serve patients’ needs.

Arianna is a rising star and we at the BWLC Foundation can not wait to see how she illuminates her surroundings in the years to come.  We are excited to continue to support her going forward.

Miss Jamya Graham

Jamya Graham, a 2019 and 2021 BWLC Foundation Scholar, is now a rising senior majoring in Communication with a minor in Urban Planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). She intends to use her minor in urban planning to assist housing programs as they equipping residents with financial literacy skills and home ownership. Jamya started and currently serves as the President and Founder of the “Carolina Defender”, the first predominantly black student organization in a predominantly white space. Through the organization she leads Student forums focused on conversations based on their campus life experiences. Jamya and her team planned the 1st Annual Candle lighting, a celebration expressed through art, dance and poetry, created to recognize individuals who’ve contributed to the university. She currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Carolina Union, a decision making campaign focused on the “Saying Their Name Campaign.” We the BWLC Foundation are so very proud of Jamya and all of her accomplishments. We wish Jamya much success as graduation nears! Continue to DREAM BIG JAMYA! We will always be here to support you.

Miss Zya Kinney

Miss Zya Kinney is a 2019 BWLC Scholarship Recipient. Zya attended James H Blake, HS in Maryland before being attending Hampton University. Zya had many accomplishments during High School but two of her biggest accomplishments were being named a Merit of Service student with over 260 hours earned and coordinating a “Self Care Day” event with members of the group that she served as a leader called,  Female Achieving and Maintaining Excellence “FAME”. She brought in sponsors from MaryKay and had a turnout of over 100 girls! What an accomplishment.

This year Zya will be entering her senior year at Hampton University with a major in Journalism. This is an exciting year for her as she just moved into her new apartment near the campus and started her internship at Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). Outside of work, Zya keeps occupied by doing Podcast on students and college life during a pandemic and catching up on movies. Zya has written for ”The Hampton Script”, a college paper that discusses only a small fraction of amazing things her fellow Hamptonians do. She wants to be able to not only witness Hampton University’s accomplishments but to recognize other HBCU’s across the country through Journalism. 

The BWLC Scholarship Foundation wishes Zya nothing but the best in her future endeavors! We love you Zya!

Miss Sydney Barrett

Miss Sydney Barrett has been a Foundation Scholar since 2017. She is a graduate of Fairport High School in Rochester, NY, and a Urban League Black Scholar. She will begin her senior year in the fall of 2020 at Xavier University in New Orleans. She is a pre-med student majoring in biology.
Sydney chose Xavier because of its diversity and the connection Xavier has with the University of Rochester (U of R) School of Medicine and Dentistry. Xavier is ranked the #3 HBCU academically in the country and graduates the highest number of minorities that go on to attend medical school. Because of the program between Xavier and the University of Rochester, Sydney was able to apply to medical school at U of R at the end of her sophomore year and has already been accepted. She will begin medical school in the fall of 2021.
Sydney has had a strong sense of community and giving back since her high school years. She tutored children at School #22 in Rochester while in high school and has continued to tutor young children while in college. Last summer, she also participated in an undergraduate research program in the Office of Health / Equity with the University of Michigan. In her spare time Sydney enjoys playing the cello and watching the NBA.

We congratulate Sydney on her successes and look forward to hearing more about her accomplishments as she pursues a career in medicine.

Miss Jazmine C. Saunders

Miss Jazmine C. Saunders is a 2018 BWLC Scholar who graduated as Valedictorian from Greece Odyssey Academy in Rochester, NY. She has just completed her freshman year at the Eastman School of Music where she majors in Applied Music (performance) for Voice. Jazmine aspires to be an Operatic Soprano.

She has been invited to participate in the prestigious “Si Parla Si Canta” summer music program in Arona, Italy, where she will enrich her understanding of the Italian language, culture, repertoire and Bel Canto singing. Her time in Italy will culminate in at least three public performances in Italian Opera Halls.

Jazmine will be performing a Benefit Recital on May 26th at 5:00 pm at the Kanack School of Musical Artistry, located at 2077 S. Clinton Ave in Rochester, NY, where she will be rendering works from Bellini, Marcello, Lotti, Scarlatti, and HT Burleigh.

We are so very proud of Jazmine’s accomplishments thus far and anxiously await what is in store in her bright future.