2021 Ann Fudge Scholars
The Ann Fudge scholarship was named after the first woman chair of The Council and former chairman and CEO of Young & Rubicam Brands.
The scholarship is open to high-achieving undergraduate Black female students attending one of the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
The 2021 class received a one-time scholarship in the amount of $12,000 to assist with educational expenses for the 2021-2022 academic year.
Alyssa Cabezas
Alyssa Cabezas is a first-generation, honor roll student at Spelman College from Vicksburg, Mississippi. She is a political science major on the pre-law track. This year she has the pleasure of being a Ford First-Generation Mentor and a newly inducted member into the Eta Kappa Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. During her time on campus, she was heavily involved in community service organizations and mentorship programs such as Gifted Girls of Grace Inc. and GRL PWR where she mentored young girls. During Cabezas’s sophomore year, she served as the 2019-2020 Sophomore Class President. Next year, she will lead as the 2021-2022 Senior Class President. Cabezas is very passionate about serving her community and had a valuable experience as an intern for the MLK Jr. Merchants Association where she fought for equity within the West End of Atlanta. She recently conducted research on “How COVID-19 has disproportionately affected students from different socioeconomic backgrounds?” this past summer.
Carissma McGee
Carissma McGee is an undergraduate applied physics major, computer science and mathematics double minor at Howard University from Bear, Delaware. With experience at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, she is creative and has a passion for problem-solving. As a Karsh STEM Scholar, she is an inaugural researcher for the SPHEREx Mission set to launch in 2024, and this summer, she conducted applied physics research at Harvard University. McGee is also an activist and field organizer in partnership with her local Democratic Black caucus who advocates for a diverse, equitable, and inclusive future. She is the founder of the CNN featured “McConnell vs. Justice” civil rights initiative, has served on the Biden/Harris 2020 presidential campaign in Pennsylvania, and as a congressional intern for the honorable U.S. Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Delaware). She looks forward to applying her sense of advocacy and servant leadership as a role model, philanthropist, and tech-focused innovator.
Ijeoma Nwankwo
Ijeoma Nwankwo is a student at Howard University studying accounting with a political science minor. Although accounting is a small major, Nwankwo seeks to share the non-traditional avenues that are possible for those with her major. On campus, she shares career opportunities and exhibits her leadership qualities by communicating with companies and planning events for her peers through her position as Vice President of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA). She also pursues her passion for service learning as a member of the Young AfricanA Leadership Initiative (YAALI) in which she participates in insightful discussion and research plans relating to topics of interest that can benefit communities in Africa. Acting in service, Nwankwo spends time tutoring as a volunteer at the Academy of Hope, an adult public charter school in the Washington, D.C. area. Following her passion for helping others, Nwankwo continues to look for ways to support her peers.
Lauren Nicole Cotton
Lauren Nicole Cotton is a fourth year student in mechanical engineering at Tuskegee University from Detroit. She has a patent with Calsonic Kansei for a design that prevents light leakage in the Nissan Altima. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated Gamma Kappa Chapter where she serves as the Membership Intake Chairman and the Past Properties Chairman. Cotton is also a member of the Marching Crimson Piperettes, the National Society of Black Engineers, the Society of Women Engineers, and a past member of the Golden Essence Dance Team. As the Chief of Staff of the National Panhellenic Council, Cotton is responsible for organizing and collaborating with other groups to plan and execute campus-wide community service events. Cotton feels service is morally rewarding as it allows the student body to witness the immediate impact that they can have on the lives of others.
Madison Janey
Madison Janey is currently a biology major at Spelman College. Janey is a member of the Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students (MAPS). She connects with other Spelman students while participating in discussion panels surrounding health disparities and medical school advice. She also has an outside internship as an HBCU Campus Engagement Intern at Be The Match, funded by the National Marrow Donor Program. Be The Match is a registry that connects people who suffer from blood cancers/diseases in need of a blood stem cell transplant to a donor. Janey upholds Be The Match’s mission by saving lives through cellular therapy when she recruits people to join the registry while also spreading awareness of Be The Match’s racial disparity. Janey will continue to embody the Spelman experience as she furthers her studies in medicine.
Mauranne Vernier
Mauranne Vernier is pursuing a degree in English degree with a minor in management and organization at Spelman College. While working at Digital Divas, a nonprofit that works with young girls of color to develop STEM skills and self-esteem, Vernier is a member of the dean’s list. Additionally, she is a member of Spelman Peer Assistant Leaders, Spelman Protege, Disney on the Yard Mentorship Program, and a Goldman Sachs Emerging Leaders Participant. From Evanston, Illinois, when Vernier is not in school, she enjoys participating in local community service events. Recently she volunteered to research Atlanta’s historical West-End history for an upcoming book for middle school students in the area.
Nava Levene-Harvell
Nava Levene-Harvell is a computer science major at Spelman College from South Orange, New Jersey. In addition to being a member of the dean’s list since her freshman year, she completed a fellowship with HBCU Venture Capital (VC) and the VC track of Black Ventures Capital Consortium’s (BVCC) undergraduate program. She was also tapped to judge BVCC’s Spring 2021 Pitch Competition. Goldman Sachs also selected Levene-Harvell to participate in their HBCU Market Madness program. She is a co-founder of Spelman’s chapter of Scholars of Finance and the co-host of a Webby-nominated podcast. Levene-Harvell spent the summer after her freshman year as a MediaTech intern at NBCUniversal and the summer after her sophomore year as an Explore intern at Microsoft. Her goal is to create her own venture capital fund and raise at least $1 billion to focus on investing in BIPOC and women-owned companies.
Rachel Clark
Rachel Clark is a junior supply chain management major at Howard University. On-campus, Clark serves as President of the Howard University Supply Chain Student Association and the Director of Development and Alumni Relations for the Howard University Student Association (HUSA). Off-campus, Clark serves as the CEO and Founder of her nonprofit environmental service organization, Waves of Change HBCU, Incorporated; and was recognized as a 2020 Young Futurist by The Root Magazine for her sustainability work. This summer, she founded the first National Black Voter Registration Day in the United States and was published in “Many Facets: America’s Women Commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment” for her voter engagement work. She is also a current state finalist for the Miss Massachusetts USA pageant, interns with Cisco Systems as a supply chain intern, and joined Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Incorporated in November of 2020.
Taylor Brianna Hosten
Taylor Brianna Hosten is a junior, psychology/pre-medicine major at Hampton University. With a 3.6 GPA, she is a Freddye T. Davy Honors College student and a member of several honor societies, including Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honors Society, Beta Kappa Chi National Scientific Honor Society, and Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society. Hosten serves as Vice President of the Biology club, Miss Beta Kappa Chi, and is an active member of the Psychology and Minority Association of Premedical Students (MAPS) clubs. In the Hampton University community, Hosten is a member of the Hampton’s Division 1 Women Soccer Team, volunteers with the YMCA Youth Soccer Program and the COVID-19 Vaccine Mobile Clinic. Her accomplishments include Arthur Ashe, Jr Award Scholar nominee, Big South Collegiate Presidential Honor Roll, Meharry Medical College BS/MD Program, and student microbiology lab researcher. Hosten plans to pursue an M.D. degree, specializing in cardiology.
Tiffanee Moore
Tiffanee Moore is a sophomore history major at Howard University focusing on ancient civilizations. She is a swimmer on the Howard University Swimming and Diving team. She wants to continue studying blacks in antiquity and what it means for the African diaspora in today’s world. Moore knows hard works pays off and has used her passions to drive her forward in her academic and athletic career. During her high school years, she served as a volunteer teacher’s aide at a primary school in her hometown, team captain for her swim team and president of her school’s Junior Classical League. While in college, Moore has been an active part of a research thinktank internship as well as serving as a substitute teacher at Christ Classical Academy. She wants to be a history professor in the future and works diligently to bring this goal to fruition.
