JCPS superintendent surprises 8 students with college scholarships

Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent Marty Pollio surprised eight graduating seniors with college scholarships Friday morning, awarding nearly $70,000 combined.

The scholarships come from the district’s Employee Sponsored Student Scholarship Fund, which Pollio started in 2019. Employees choose to donate a certain amount from their paychecks toward the fund.

The students awarded the scholarships wrote personal statements, prepared presentations and were interviewed by district leaders. They were required to have at least a cumulative 2.5 GPA and demonstrate a financial need.

“Delivering the news of scholarship help to these deserving students makes this one of my favorite days of the year,” Pollio said in a news release. “These students, whose families might not be able to afford college without significant financial help, are going to make a difference in the world. They are terrific ambassadors for their families, schools, JCPS and the city of Louisville. We couldn’t be prouder of them.”

Below are the recipients with information about each, provided by JCPS.

Isaiah Duran, Louisville Male — $10,200

A valedictorian at Male, Duran balances his academic coursework with his job at UPS as a participant in the School to Work program. He has served on two mission trips to Guatemala and builds housing in his community through Habitat for Humanity. Isaiah plans to become a civil engineer and attend the University of Louisville Speed School of Engineering.

A’nya Ellison, duPont Manual — $10,200

Ellison is a varsity cheerleader at Manual. She has never received a grade other than an A since middle school. She earned the Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish, is a member of the National Honor Society, President of the Kentucky Leaders of Tomorrow Program and has won employee of the month at Chick-Fil-A three times. She plans to attend the University of Kentucky with a major in health science on the pre-pharmacy track.

Erika Infante, Doss — $10,200

Two years ago, Infante convinced her parents to leave the oppression of Cuba and come to America. They endured a 13-day journey that involved boats, planes, motorcycles and horses. Infante is a member of the Hospitality & Marketing Academy. She recently won local and state competitions in marketing and represented Doss at the national DECA convention in California. She plans to attend the University of Louisville next year.

Audrey Duran Martinez, Fairdale — $5,000

While completing internships at Norton Healthcare and Baptist Health, Duran Martinez noticed that none of the doctors she worked with were Hispanic. This inspired her to pursue a career in medicine to help underserved communities. She plans to attend Notre Dame University to study biochemistry and French.

Vanessa Martinez Garduno, Atherton — $2,500

Martinez Garduno completed the Media Arts pathway at Atherton and attended the Governor’s School for the Arts for both film and photography. She plans to attend Loyola University in Chicago. She wants to advocate for undocumented people and other minorities who may believe that higher education is not possible.

Saana Mugabo, Central — $10,200

Mugabo participates in the pre-med magnet program at Central, where she also serves as a School Ambassador. She is treasurer of the African Student Association and has taken 11 Advanced Placement and dual credit courses. Mugabo maintains her status on the honor roll while having a part-time job. She plans to attend the University of Kentucky.

Shalom Ndimubwihisho, Southern — $10,200

Ndimubwihisho is a Rwandan refugee who came to Louisville in 2018. After an initial struggle adjusting to the cultural differences and learning a new language, he became an honor student. He is president of Southern High's Black Student Union as well as a member of the wrestling, track and soccer teams. Ndimubwihisho plans to attend the University of Louisville Speed School of Engineering.

Sabina Rai, Fern Creek — $10,200

Rai lost her father when she was 7 years old and her mother in 2021. She chose to graduate a year early to help her family. She plans to attend Bellarmine University to major in nursing. Rai was inspired to be a nurse after seeing how hard the nurses worked to help her mother when she became ill.

Since the scholarship fund began in 2019, 36 JCPS seniors have received checks to help them with college expenses.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: JCPS surprises students with college scholarships