Big cheque presentation: Alicia Pantlitz, mother of Jason Solomon; UWSA vice-president finance Sheldon Harrison; scholarship recipient Malik Nembhard; UWSA president Jeremiah Bowers; UWSA VP student services Ahmed Abdallah.
Malik Nembhard, a fourth-year student of criminology, sociology, and social justice, is the inaugural recipient of the $1,000 Jason Solomon Rise Above Scholarship.
The scholarship commemorates a UWindsor student shot and killed in August 2018. Established by the University of Windsor Students’ Alliance, it recognizes racialized students who excel in their academics and exemplify courage and resilience in the face of adversity.
UWSA president Jeremiah Bowers said the awards committee was impressed by a line in Nembhard’s application: I refuse to live below my potential.
“Malik showed us that you don’t have to be the best. You just have to try your best, and never refuse to get back up after you’ve been knocked down,” said Bowers.
Nembhard received his award at a gala Feb. 9 hosted by the Caribbean African Organization of Students, which counted Solomon among its members. Monies raised through an auction that night will benefit the scholarship fund.