Scholarships
Hampton Roads Chapter Executive Women International®
Adult Students in Scholastic Transition (ASIST)
EWI® has been committed to supporting women through the Adult Students in Scholastic Transition
Scholarship (ASIST) Program, which is a non-discriminatory educational scholarship program for the benefit of
non-traditional students who are post high school and entering a college, university or trade school. The goal of the
program is to enable recipients to improve their self-esteem, reach their goals so that they can have a positive impact
on their personal life, employment, family and community.
EWI Hampton Roads Chapter proudly acknowledges our 2011 Scholarship Winners:Lindsey Muddiman -1st Place Winner-$3,000.00
Lindsey is a Chesapeake resident working on her Associate's Degree in Social Science at Tidewater Community College. Her hope is to transfer to Virginia Wesleyan to pursue a Bachelor's Degree in Health and Human Services to soon take up the career as a Social Worker. The wise saying that Lindsey lives by is that "The best revenge is success." Lindsey grew up in a family where tragedy and abuse existed. She shares that "day by day, I was beat down mentally and physically constantly having to hear that I would never amount to anything." Lindsey also shares that since she was a little girl, education has always been an important factor in her life…as it was her "sanctuary." Lindsey says that education is her sanctuary, because throughout her life and troubled experiences growing up, it has been the one thing that has been consistent…not necessarily family, outside of her beloved sister whom she had to move away from to attend school. Through her continued education and a couple of college courses – Child Psychology & Sociology, she has learned how to better understand, cope and heal from her past; thereby, learning more about herself. Persevering through obstacles, one by one, Lindsey graduated from high school. Lindsey's goal is to change a child's life for the better which will ultimately change hers for the better as well. In all that she is accomplishing, Lindsey's life is proving wrong, those persons who told her she would not amount to anything.
Robynne West -2nd Place Winner-$2,000.00
Robynne is a resident of Hampton and attends Old Dominion University. She is majoring in their Interdisciplinary Studies Teacher Program. Robynne shares her story of her earliest memories of learning, from her mother and grandfather, that education is valuable. And this is what she has taught her own daughter, who is also a college student. Robynne's life has been highly encouraged by her mother who always told her, and her siblings, that "the world is your oyster." Thus, it was supported early on, that Robynne could do anything she set her mind on and be the best she could in whatever she endeavored in. She remembers that the highest level of education her grandfather had was that of a 4th grade level and his expectation of his grandchildren was ensuring they get as much education as they could. Robynne recalls her grandfather, who had to walk five to ten miles to school and drink from a "colored" water fountain, telling her "The family wants a degree." This has encouraged Robynne to value and further her education and do something she is enthusiastic about – teaching. Robynne shares that with this career change in the middle of her life, she finds that she "want to make a change, to make a difference, to become more of who I am"…and if she "can quench one little person's thirst for knowledge, awaken a wish to explore or inspire a curiosity," then she will have accomplished her goal.
Kionna Moret -3rd Place Winner-$1,000.00
Kionna is a Virginia Beach resident attending Tidewater Community College and majoring in Social Sciences to pursue a legal career. Throughout Kionna's younger years, she had to withstand something no child (or person) should ever have to go through – verbal, mental and physical abuse. She underwent years of abuse by family members whom she thought she could trust to be there to care for her. Although the true caring never happened, Kionna persevered through a myriad of foster and group homes; as well as, an all girl's detention facility when a social worker finally told her that no one wanted her anymore. Through the "spiral of different events of the same nature," Kionna grew older and became stronger and more mature. She learned that she "could not let other people, or my surrounding get the best of me." With this new state of mind, Kionna knew "that one day it will get better." Kionna began communicating better with others; thereby, becoming more confident in herself despite the current situation. She graduated from high school and was accepted into college. She is interested in one day becoming a Guardian Ad Litem and Spokesperson to "all the other little Kionna's in the world."
We are incredibly proud of all of these women! Thank you to all members, judges and sponsors of EWI for helping us to raise funds and making programs like this possible!
One of the things a woman could ever do to help strengthen her, is to take the negative that someone gives her and turn it into a positive. In reading and learning the story behind these wonderful women, I noticed that most of them share a common past – abuse, whether verbal, mental, physical or all of the above and/or having family members that did not have the same full opportunity to attain an education. Another thing I noticed in all the stories was that education was extremely important to them. Whether it was a family member who encouraged them through education or they had to encourage themselves through education, education has been their bloodstream to creating a better life for themselves and their families. The final thing I noticed is that through it all, they persevered…and for that, by the grace of God, they are succeeding in life. The negative is perhaps the 'rough childhood' but the positive is the 'perseverance.' These women didn't let their past or the past of a family member hinder and determine their future, and they are learning to define their positive future. We hope that these scholarship awards provide great help to each of these recipients and we encourage each recipient to continue to thrive in their surroundings and in life as we know they can and will!
Kenyetta Fauntleroy
2011 Director-at-Large, Scholarship
Scholarship Application